10 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 frame work 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, flower pots, 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, 



