20 



PHILIPPINE RESINS, GUMS, AND OILS 



rines, Negros) ; almdciga babde (Bataan) ; aningd (Isabela) ; aningdt (Ca- 

 layan Island) ; dnteng (Nueva Ecija) ; bagtik, baltik (Palawan) ; bidyo 

 (Bisaya) ; bididngau (Negros Occidental) ; bunsog (Benguet) ; dadidiigau 

 (Sorsogon, Polillo, Tayabas, Negros) ; dadungoi (Albay, Sorsogon) ; gala- 

 gdla (Bataan, Palawan) ; ladidiigau (Camarines, Sorsogon, Tayabas) ; 

 makun. (Misamis) ; pino (Samar) ; sdlong (Cagayan, Negros); titau 

 (Abra) ; tili (Zambales). 



ALMACIGA OR MANILA COPAL 



The chief value of A gat his alba is in the resin (almaciga or 

 Manila copal) which it yields. Locally this is employed as 

 incense in religious ceremonies, for torches, starting fires, caulk- 

 ing boats, as a smudge for mosquitoes, etc. It is exported in 

 considerable quantities, and used chiefly in the manufacture of 

 high-grade varnish, but also in other processes, as in making 

 patent leather and sealing wax. Almaciga is suitable, according 

 to Richmond,* for the manufacture of cheap soaps and paper 

 size. Aqueous solutions of the alkaline resinates are precipi- 

 tated by solutions of all other metallic salts, e. g., aluminum 

 sulphate, in the form of an insoluble resinate, which could be 

 used in paper manufacturing to render the paper non-bibulous. 

 The exports of almaciga from the Philippines from 1914 to 1918 

 are given in Table 1. 



Table 1. — Ainoiint and value of Manila copal exported from the Philippines 



from 191 If to 1918. 



Year. 



Amount. 



1914. 

 1915. 

 1916. 

 1917 

 1918. 



Value. 



Pesos. 

 225,078 

 206,446 

 all, 593 

 188,940 

 138, 821 



Agathis alba belongs to the pine family and to the same genus 

 as the ''kauri pine" {Agathis australis) of New Zealand. The 

 latter yields a resin very similar to almaciga and one which 

 has long been important in the industries. 



Manila copal is a member of the class of substances known as 

 copals. These substances are obtained as resinous exudations 

 from various trees or as fossil (mineral) resin and are used 

 principally for manufacturing varnishes. According to Hyde:t 



* Richmond, G. F., Manila copal. Philippine Journal of Science, Section 

 A, Volume 5 (1910), pages 177 to 201. 



t Hyde, F. S., Solvents, oils, gums, waxes and allied substances (1913). 

 page 35. 



