PREFACE 
By minor forest products is meant all the products of the 
forest other than timber, the latter being regarded as the prin- 
cipal product. In the Philippines, as in other tropical countries, 
the minor forest products, while of less importance than the 
timber, are very varied and of great economic value. Up to the 
present time no attempt has been made to give a popular and 
general account of these products; such information as is avail- 
able concerning them being for the most part in inaccessible, 
technical publications. In preparing a work of this kind there 
are always points concerning which further information would 
be desirable, and in the Philippines there is a great lack of data 
which would be necessary to make the treatment of the minor 
forest products reasonably thorough. It is believed, however, 
that the presentation of such data as we have is advisable, partic- 
ularly as it can then serve as a better starting point for obtaining 
further information. 
The preparation of the present publication on minor forest 
products was begun in April, 1918, and at the time that this 
is written the volumes dealing with plant products are in 
press. It is hoped that in the near future a volume dealing 
with animal products will be added. The rapidity with which 
this work has been prepared, by people whose time is largely 
taken up with other duties, has precluded the possibility of 
anything but the most casual investigation. This will account 
for the absence of definite data which could evidently have been 
obtained with but little time and effort. However, the advan- 
tages of, and necessities for preparing a publication quickly, 
outweighed the objections which could be raised as to the lack 
of data which might have been included. Without a general 
work as a basis on which to start, it would be very difficult to 
undertake a systematic collection of the knowledge concerning 
forest products which is possessed even by the employees of the 
Bureau of Forestry, and in the preparation of this bulletin no 
attempt has been made in that direction. 
The idea of preparing a work on minor forest products is due 
to Mr. Arthur F. Fischer, Director of Forestry, at whose request 
it was undertaken. The whole enterprise has continuously had 
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