59 2 MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS 



high-grade varnishes, in microscopy, and for purposes 

 where a very hard varnish is required. There are several 

 commercial grades of this product valued largely accord- 

 ing to purity and colour; the clear article, free from 

 bark and dirt, is worth about 12 to 15 pesos per picul (20 

 to 27 per ton). 



Elemi. This is a white plastic, or nearly solid, oleo- 

 resin, the product of forest trees known as Pili (Canar- 

 ium luzonicum) and Pagsahingin (C. villosum). It is 

 collected mostly in Tayabas but it occurs also in Ambos 

 Camarines, Albay, and Sorsogon in southern Luzon; 

 " Brea blanca," or " Brea de Pili," is the local name. 

 Only a comparatively small amount of this resin is 

 exported at present, but when a steady supply can be 

 depended upon it will become a valuable commodity. 

 It is used locally in a crude state, mixed with ashes, 

 powdered charcoal, etc., as a pitch for caulking boats; 

 torches, having a very agreeable odour but a smoky 

 flame, are commonly made from it. On account of its 

 pronounced stimulating qualities it is used in various 

 medical ointments and in surgical plasters. Over 200 

 tons of Manila elemi are collected annually, valued at 

 about 15 per ton. The produce of a fair-sized tree is 

 said to be about 25 Ib. per season. 



Manila elemi, while closely similar to Mauritius elemi 

 (produced by C. paniculatum), must be distinguished 

 from the unrelated Brazilian, Mexican, and African 

 resins sold under the name of " elemi/' 



The tapping process is very simple: "Incisions are 

 made in the bark usually at the beginning of the rainy 

 season (June). About once a month the resin is collected 

 and the bark recut. This keeps up till December, when 

 the resin practically ceases to flow for that year." 



Other Resins. There are several other resins which 

 enter into local commerce; some 50 species of the 

 Dipterocarpacese alone yield oils, pitches, or resins. 

 " Some of these are encountered in a solid form, others 

 are plastic, and still others harden so slowly that they 

 are removed as fluids. The latter are known as wood 

 oils and bear the local name of the tree from which they 

 are collected. To the former class belongs the resin 



