256 PHILIPPINE BAMBOOS 
by the falling of large trees. They require considerable insola- 
tion for their best development and then grow very densely—so 
densely that it is very difficult to penetrate the thickets formed. 
In fact climbing bamboo forms the most impenetrable thickets 
that are to be found in our forests. They seem to be decidedly 
inimical to tree growth, and are hard to eradicate when once 
they have fully occupied an area. 
The erect species may, for convenience, be divided into thick- 
and thin-walled bamboos. The framework of a great majority 
of the houses in the Philippine Islands is constructed from the 
thick-walled species. Unsplit culms are used for posts, beams, 
and rafters. The same species, when split and flattened, are 
used for the sides of houses; or when split in two employed like 
tiles for roofing. Most frequently the sides and partitions, 
and occasionally the floors, are formed from thin-walled species 
split and woven into a coarse matting (sawale). 
Sawale is a promising material for the construction of light- 
material bungalows even in temperate countries. It is also 
very attractive as an interior finish in strong-material houses. 
Sawale is of particular advantage in the construction of large 
temporary buildings. In Manila there is held an annual Car- 
nival, in which very imposing structures are constructed rapidly 
and cheaply with the aid of this material. When the Philippine 
National Guard was organized, all the barracks were constructed 
very quickly on account of the use of sawale. In the entire 
Philippine exhibits at the Panama-Pacific International Exposi- 
tion at San Francisco, California, various weaves and classes 
of sawale were used extensively in the installation of the dif- 
ferent booths. This proved so attractive and demonstrated so 
clearly its use, that people visiting the Exposition ordered mate- 
rial of the heavier weave for summer cottages in California. 
These orders, aggregating 3,000 linear yards, were for the kind 
of material used in the exhibits. It was only due to a lack 
of an organized industry and the subsequent rise in freight 
rates that a considerable export trade did not result from this 
beginning. 
The domestic uses of bamboo are innumerable and include 
bridges, fences, rafts, fish traps, vessels for carrying and storing 
water, cooking, splints for baskets, hats and mats, vehicle shafts, 
chairs, cupboards, tables, beds, benches, flowerpots, etc. In 
fact, on account of the ease with which it is worked, bamboo is 
used for almost every purpose for which wood is employed in 
temperate countries. The young shoots of many species are also 
used for food. As an interesting use of bamboo we may mention 
that complete bands, in some cases having 32 or more pieces, 
