300 TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



This brief discussion of tropical timbers and woods has 

 taken account merely of a few of the most important and 

 interesting ones, particularly from the viewpoint of their utili- 

 zation in the United States. As already indicated, the Tropics 

 produce a very large number of trees of commercial impor- 

 tance. The Philippine forests alone contain more than 2,500 

 species of trees, of which at least 400 are used for economic 

 purposes in Manila and elsewhere in the islands. Only 6 or 8 

 of these species, however, are really of great importance as 

 commercial sources of timber and wood. The timber resources 

 of our other tropical possessions are of much less importance. 

 In Hawaii, practically the only export timber is obtained from 

 ohia and koa, the sandalwood tree being practically extermi- 

 nated. 



