REVIEWS 167 



uable information concerning the character of the vegetation of these 

 swamps and the products they contain. This is the third of a series 

 of publications on the minor forest products of the Philippines. The 

 forests are estimated to cover an area of between 400,000 and 500,000 

 rectares (about one milHon acres). A good description is given of the 

 vegetation. This is followed by two keys to the genera of the plants 

 in the swamps, one based on superficial and the other on floral char- 

 acters. Pages 26 to 80 are devoted to popular description and notes 

 of many kinds concerning the individual plants that make up the as- 

 sociation. While the swamps are dominated mainly by the family 

 Rhizophoracese they contain in all 30 species, representing 20 families. 

 Though chiefly useful for their minor forest products, virgin areas 

 of the swamps contain heavy enough stands to be logged for lumber. 

 The principal products are however firewood, tannin materials, and 

 alcohol. The members of the Rhizophoracese family produce woods 

 with very high calorific power and their barks yield a high percentage 

 of tannin. The leaves of the Nipa palm, which is a constant element 

 of the mangrove swamps, are a commercial source for thatching ma- 

 terial, and the sap of its inflorescence is fermented for an alcoholic 

 drink, and distilled for alcohol. Near Manila there are cultivated 

 swamps in which Nipa and bakauan (Rhizophora spp.) are cultivated. 

 An interesting account is given of the methods used in planting and 

 cultivating bakauan. The bulletin is full of information concerning 

 the commercial importance of this important type of forest. 



H. N. W. 



Philippine Bamboos. By W. H. Brown and A. F. Fisher. Bulletin 

 15, Bureau of Forestry, Philippine Islands, pp. 32, Plates XXXIII. 

 Manila, 1918. 



Brown and Fisher have brought together all the available informa- 

 tion concerning the wild and native bamboos of the Philippines. In 

 all nine genera including thirty species are described. Seventeen of 

 these are erect and thirteen climbing. Following a key to the genera, 

 popular descriptions are given of each species. A progress report is 

 made of the plantations of the Bureau started in 1912. Of great value 

 are accurate measurements made of a nuniber of species during a 

 period of 20 weeks of the growing period in which time a number of 

 shoots attained a height of about 21 meters. The most rapid growth 

 occurs nearer the end than the beginning of the growing period. Dur- 



