THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 265 



to an infinity of uses, from the construction of bridges and dwell- 

 ings to the manufacture of furniture, domestic utensils of all 

 kinds, pipes for conveying water, musical instruments, mats, 

 fences, and scaffolds — in fact, the roots, trunks, branches, and 

 leaves are all utilized. The varieties of bamboo are almost in- 

 numerable, some attaining a height of fifty or sixty feet and 

 varying in diameter from eight to nine inches, while others are 

 as small as a rattan. The forests also abound in the various 

 classes of canes, rattans, and others of the calamus family, which 

 are important and useful and serve for a great variety of purposes. 

 The Areca palm grows to about the same height as the cocoa- 

 nut tree, and produces a nut about the size of a small hen's egg. 

 It is called bonga by the natives, and the quantity used is enor- 

 mous — men, women, and children all chew it. A piece of the 

 nut is wrapped in a leaf of the betel pepper, which is smeared 

 with shell lime made into a paste with water. In the city of 

 Manila alone there are hundreds of places devoted solely to the 

 sale of this article prepared ready for use, and it can be found 

 on sale in every town and village. 



' AGRICULTURE 



There is a great similarity between the agricultural products 

 of Cuba and the Philippines — in both sugar and tobacco are the 

 great staples— but the latter islands possess an unique product 

 which hitherto it has not been found possible to raise success- 

 fully elsewhere, although attempts have been made to introduce 

 it in Borneo, Cochin-Chinaj the Andaman islands, and other 

 places. It is known commercially as Manila hemp, but this is 

 a misnomer, as it has no relation to the hemp plant. Its native 

 name is abaca, and it is' the product of a species of plantain or 

 banana, Musa texlilis, which differs very slightly in appearance 

 from the edible variety, Musa paradisiaca . Its fruit, however, is 

 small, disagreeable to the taste, and not edible. It grows to the 

 height of twelve to fifteen feet. There is evidently some pecu- 

 liarity of soil or climate, or of both, which enables these islands 

 to retain a monopoly of this fiber which has become of such im- 

 mense commercial value. It grows best in hilly or mountain- 

 ous districts, and particularly in the volcanic regions in the east- 

 ern parts of the islands. It is hardy and suffers little from any 

 enemy except drought. It has the advantage of being a peren- 

 nial crop, like its fruit-bearing relative, month after month young 

 shoots springing up from the original root. 



