74 PHILIPPINE RESINS, GUMS, AND OILS 
Dannerth says that in 1916 approximately 7,347,000 pounds 
of chicle were imported into the United States. This is equiv- 
alent to about 30,000,000 pounds of chewing gum. 
Genus PALAQUIUM 
PALAQUIUM AHERNIANUM Merr. (Figs. 25-28). KALIPAYA, 
Local names: Kalapia, kalipadya (Zamboanga); salikut (Surigao); sa- 
lukut (Bukidnon). 
GUTTA-PERCHA 
A number of species of this genus produce gutta-percha. 
The Philippine species containing gutta-percha are numerous, but 
in most cases the grade is apparently too poor to make its col- : 
lection profitable. The best known of the Philippine gutta-percha 
trees is Palaqium ahernianum. In the Philippines, commercial 
gutta-percha is apparently confined largely, if not entirely, to 
Mindanao and Tawi-Tawi. Here gutta-percha trees formerly 
existed in considerable numbers, but the method of collection 
has resulted in the destruction of the trees until, at the present 
time, the supply in accessible regions has been almost entirely 
depleted. Formerly considerable quantities of gutta-percha 
were exported from the Philippines, but now the amount ex- 
ported is small. In Table 7, are given the exports for the years 
1915 ‘to 1918. 
TABLE 7.—Amount and value of gutta-percha exported from the Philippine 
Islands for the years 1915 to 1918. 
i Year. Amount. Value | 




grams, Pesos 
AQ 5: siete eS 8 Se Pe 2 ee ee eee 31, 650 31, 143 
1916 222252 38 oes a ee ae ee ee 29, 962 22, 898 
i A Ly (eee ee ee aA ee ee eee ier SS OL a ee ae ee 14, 359 11, 640 



Although the potential supply has been greatly depleted, the 
amount exported would increase considerably if the collectors 
received a higher price. At the present time gutta-percha is 
collected in a desultory manner and sold to Chinese merchants 
at a small price. It then passes through several hands and most 
of it finally reaches Singapore. 
According to Sherman,* who made an extensive study of 

* Sherman, Jr., P. L. The gutta-percha and rubber of the Philippine 
Islands. Bureau of Government Laboratories Publication No. 7 (1903), 
page 7. 
