l6o PHILIPPINES 



total amount of wood than lumber uses but it is nearly all for 

 local consumption and is gathered in small amounts. The man- 

 grove swamps being nearest to the settlements along the shores 

 have had to furnish most of this material. Firewood was worth 

 $12.50 a cord in Manilla in 1910. 



Another important use of the mangrove swamps is for dye- 

 stuff. Tannins are also obtained from this type, the " cutch " 

 being made from the bark. The resins for caulking, paint and 

 illuminating purposes come from the native pines and the diptero- 

 carps. Gutta percha and rubber can be obtained from many 

 wild species of trees and vines and the cultivation of rubber has 

 passed the experimental stage. Various oils useful for soap or 

 medicinal purposes are collected for local consumption. Tying 

 material also comes largely from the forest. Rattan is another 

 tropical forest product which is not only used for tying large 

 packages like bales of hemp and tobacco but is also employed for 

 furniture and hats. But unquestionably the erect palms are the 

 most useful of any single class of trees. Their trunks are used in 

 building either on the round or split, the leaves make mats, 

 roofing, etc., and the fruit is edible in several species. 



What the value of these minor products is per acre for any 

 given type of forest cannot be stated in general terms. Each 

 case must be examined separately because of the paramount 

 influence of local market conditions. Many of these have no 

 value at all over wide areas under present transportation con- 

 ditions. 



Land Values.— In figuring the value of the land itself in the 

 Philippines there are the same three possibilities to be considered 

 in each case as in temperate climates, — tillage, pasturage and 

 forestry. It must be assumed that because the climate is warm 

 enough for a great variety of plant growth that all soil is poten- 

 tially tillable. Other factors need to be considered, the most 

 important of which are the amount of rainfall and the slope and 

 to a lesser degree the kind of soil, whether clay, sand or gravel, 

 and percentage of rocks in the surface layer. The common 

 conception of the tropics as a place of ample rainfall is erroneous 

 for the regions where the mean annual precipitation is less than 



