78 PHILIPPINE RESINS, GUMS, AND OILS 



gutta-percha in the Philippines, the usual method of collection is 

 as follows: 



* * * The tree is first cut down and the larger branches at once 

 lopped off, the collectors say to prevent the gutta-percha milk from flowing 

 back into the small branches and leaves. As has been previously stated 

 the milk or latex is contained in the layers of the bark and leaves, in small 

 capillary tubes or ducts. . . To open these so as to permit the maximum 

 amount of the milk to escape, the natives cut rings in the bark about two 

 feet apart along the entire length of the trunk. The milk as it flows out 

 is collected in gourds, coconut shells, large leaves, or in some districts 

 in the chopped-up bark itself, which is left adhering to the tree for the 

 purpose of acting as a sort of sponge. * * *. After one or two hours, 

 when the milk has ceased to flow, the contents of the receptacles are united 

 and boiled over a fire for the purpose of finishing the partial coagulation. 

 The warm, soft mass is then worked with cold water until a considerable 

 amount of the liquid is mechanically inclosed. To further increase the 

 weight, chopped bark, stones, etc., are added and the whole mass worked 

 into the required shape with most of the dirt on the inside. 



Sherman characterizes this method as very wasteful, since 

 the tree usually falls in such a way that it is not possible to 

 ring the trunk on all sides. He says: 



* * * As a general thing from one-third to one-half of it is inacces- 

 sible to the process of ringing, and all the milk within this portion is 

 consequently lost. Even the larger limbs are not deemed worth ringing 

 and consequently all the milk in them and in the leaves also goes to waste; 

 to this must be added the considerable quantity spilled on the ground 

 through carelessness and lack of enough receptacles for every cut or bruise 

 from which the milk flows. 



Furthermore, no matter how much cutting is done, all of the 

 milk will not flow from the trunk. Sherman collected a 

 measured quantity of bark, after no more gutta-percha could 

 be collected by the method described above, and extracted all 

 of the gutta-percha which it contained. From this he estimated 

 that ten times more gutta-percha was left than collected. Per- 

 haps an even greater disadvantage of the usual method of 

 collection is that it destroys the trees and therefore reduces 

 the potential supply. Concerning this point Sherman states: 



It is fortunate that only the full-grown trees contain enough gutta 

 percha to repay the work of felling, ringing, etc.; otherwise the complete 

 extermination of the gutta-percha forest would only be a matter of a 

 year or so. On the other hand the felling of all the trees old enough to 

 bear seed works to the same end with a somewhat longer time limit. 



Gutta-percha is cleaned by the Chinese merchants, who ship 

 it to Singapore. The account of this process given below is 

 taken from a report by W. I. Hutchinson, formerly of the Bu- 

 reau of Forestry : 



