620 Forestry Quarterly. 



mercial species known as the red and white lauans, tanguile, and 

 apitong ; and in non-commercial quantities, scattered through the 

 forest are molave, camagon, narra, and a few others of the more 

 valuable hard woods. The annual cut is between seven and eight 

 million feet, board measure, but the company is planning to in- 

 crease its output materially by the installation of additional ma- 

 chinery. A recent advice from the mill states that the maximum 

 cut for one day amounted to 72,000 board feet. 



The mill of the Negros-Philippine Company is located on the 

 coast of Cadiz, and is somewhat similar. It has a circular mill 

 with a top and bottom saw, an edger, trimmer and sizer. The log- 

 ging methods used are about the same as those of the Insular Com- 

 pany, but with a smaller equipment. There is a railroad haul of 

 about five miles from the woods to the mill. The company owns 

 one Shay-geared locomotive, and two donkey engines. Their con- 

 cession adjoins that of the Insular Lumber Company to the west, 

 and comprises about 50 square miles of the same type of forest. 

 They have been operating only since May, and are cutting about 

 20,000 board feet of lumber daily. 



Before discussing the plan of administration which was put in 

 practice, it may be well to describe briefly the physical character- 

 istics of the district. All around the coast, varying from half a 

 mile to fifteen miles inland, is a fertile plain. This is partly culti- 

 vated and partly cogon land. Large sugar cane haciendas occupy 

 the greater part of the cultivated area ; small holdings on which 

 are grown tobacco, cocoanuts, corn and rice, cover the remainder. 

 The cogon area lies between the cultivated land and the forest, 

 and derives its name from the high, coarse grass with which it is 

 covered. This area was originally covered with timber, which 

 was cut and burned in order that the land might be cultivated for 

 a few years, and afterwards abandoned. Back of this coastal 

 plain rise the steep, volcanic mountains, covered with forests of 

 the Dipterocarp type similar to those in which the lumber com- 

 panies are working. 



Until August I, 191 1, an American forester was stationed in 

 the Northern Negros Forest, with headquarters at the mill of one 

 of the lumber companies. It has since been found possible to 

 entrust the details of local work to a Filipino head ranger of long 

 experience, as an assistant to the American in charge. He re- 



