Sundry Forest and Farm Produce
Maize--Cacao--Coprah, Etc.
Maize (_Zea mays_), or "Indian Corn," forms the staple article of
food in lieu of rice in a limited number of districts, particularly
in the South, although as a rule this latter cereal is preferred.
Many agriculturists alternate their crops with that of maize, which, it
is said, does not impoverish the land to any appreciable extent. There
is no great demand for this grain, and it is generally cultivated
rather as an article for consumption in the grower's household than
for trade. Planted in good land it gives about 200-fold, and two crops
in the year = 400-fold per annum; but the setting out of one caban of
maize grain occupies five times the surface required for the planting
of the same measure of rice grain. An ordinary caban of land is 8,000
square Spanish yards (_vide_ Land Measure, p. 271), and this superficie
derives its denomination from the fact that it is the average area
occupied by the planting out of one caban measure of rice grain. The
maize caban of land is quite a special measure, and is equal to 5 rice
cabans. Estimating, therefore, the average yield of rice-paddy to be
50 cabanes measure per ordinary caban of land, the same superficie,
were it suitable for maize-raising, would give one-fifth of 400-fold
per annum = 80 cabanes measure of maize per rice caban of land.
The current price of maize, taking the average in several provinces,
is rarely above that of paddy for the same measure, whilst it is often
lower, according to the demand, which is influenced by the custom of
the natives in the vicinity where it is offered for sale.
It is eaten after being pulverized between stone or hardwood slabs with
the surfaces set horizontally, the upper one being caused to revolve
on the lower one, which is stationary. In many village market-places
one sees heads of maize roasted and exposed for sale. This is of
a special quality, grown in alluvial soil--the intervals of rivers
which overflow at certain seasons of the year. Three crops per annum
are obtainable on land of this kind, so that the supply is constant
all the year round. Before the American occupation, the price of the
raw maize-heads to the market-sellers was about 60 cuartos per 100,
which they retailed out roasted at one cuarto each (3 1/2 cuartos
equal about one penny); the profit was therefore proportionately
large when local festivities created a demand.
The _Cacao-tree_--(_Theobroma cacao_, or "Food of the gods," as Linnaeus
called it)--a native of Central America, flourishes in these Islands
in the hot and damp districts.
It is said to have been imported into the Philippines towards the end
of the 17th century from Mexico, where it has been in very ancient
use. Gaspar de San Agustin records the following [141]:--"In the year
1670 a navigator, Pedro Brabo de Lagunas, brought from Acapulco a pot
containing a cacao-plant which he gave to his brother, Bartolome Brabo,
a priest in Camarines, from whom it was stolen by a Lipa native,
Juan del Aguila, who hid it and took care of it, and from it was
propagated all the original Philippine stock."
Outside the tropics the tree will grow in some places, but gives no
fruit. The Philippine quality is very good, and compares favourably
with that of other countries, the best being produced between latitudes
11 deg. and 12 deg. N.
The cultivation of cacao is an extremely risky and delicate business,
as, often when the planter's hopes are about to be realized, a slight
storm will throw down the almost-ripened fruit in a day. A disease
sometimes attacks the roots and spreads through a plantation. It
would be imprudent, therefore, to devote one's time exclusively to
the cultivation of this product at the risk of almost instantaneous
ruin. Usually, the Philippine agriculturist rightly regards cacao
only as a useful adjunct to his other crops. In the aspect of a cacao
plantation there is nothing specially attractive. The tree itself
is not pretty. The natives who grow the fruit usually make their own
chocolate at home by roasting the beans over a slow fire, and after
separating them from their husks (like almond-skins), they pound
them with wet sugar, etc., into a paste, using a kind of rolling-pin
on a concave block of wood. The roasted beans should be made into
chocolate at once, as by exposure to the air they lose flavour. Small
quantities of cacao are sent to Spain, but the consumption in the
Colony, when made into chocolate [142] by adding sugar, vanilla,
cinnamon, etc., to counteract the natural bitterness of the bean,
is considerable. In making the paste, a large quantity of sugar is
added, varying from one-third of its weight to equal parts, whilst
one pod of vanilla is sufficient for 1 1/2 lbs. of cacao. Chocolate
is often adulterated with roasted rice and _Pili_ nuts. The roasted
_Pili_ nut alone has a very agreeable almond taste. As a beverage,
chocolate is in great favour with the Spaniards and half-castes and
the better class of natives. In every household of any pretensions
the afternoon caller is invited to "merendar con chocolate," which
corresponds to the English "5 o'clock tea."
The cacao-beans or kernels lie in a fruit something like a gherkin,
about 5 inches long and 3 inches in diameter, and of a dark reddish
colour when ripe. The tree bears its fruit on the main branches, or
on the trunk itself, but never on twigs or thin branches. The fruit
contains from 15 to 25 beans, in regular rows, with pulpy divisions
between them like a water-melon. The kernels are about the size,
shape, and colour of almonds, obtuse at one end, and contain a fatty
or oily matter to the extent of one-half their weight. In order to make
"soluble cocoa" as sold in Europe this fatty substance is extracted.
The beans are planted out at short distances in orchards, or in the
garden surrounding the owner's dwelling. The tree, in this Colony,
does not attain a great height--usually up to 10 feet--whereas in its
natural soil it grows up to 30 feet at least. Like coffee, it bears
fruit in the fourth year, and reaches maturity in the sixth year. The
fair annual yield of a tree, if not damaged by storms or insects,
would be about three pints measure of beans, which always find a ready
sale. The tree is most delicate; a slight laceration of the root,
or stagnant water near it, may kill it; it needs a moisture-laden
sultry air, which, however, must not exceed 75 deg. Fahr.
If all went well with the crop, large profits might accrue to the
cacao-planter, but it rarely happens (perhaps never) during the six
months of fruit-ripening that losses are not sustained by hurricanes,
disease in the tree, the depredations of parrots, monkeys, rats,
and other vermin, etc. Practically speaking, cacao-planting should
only be undertaken in this Colony by agriculturists who have spare
capital and can afford to lose a crop one year to make up for it in
the next. The venture pays handsomely in fortunate seasons, but it
is not the line of planting to be taken up by hand-to-mouth colonists
who must seek immediate returns, nor as a sole occupation.
_Castor Oil_ is obtained in a few places from the seeds of the _Palma
Christi_ or _Ricinus communis_, but the plant is not cultivated,
and the oil has not yet become an article of current trade.
_Gogo_ (_Entada pursaetha_), sometimes called _Bayogo_ in Tagalog,
is a useful forest product in general demand, on sale at every
market-place and native general shop. It is a fibrous bark, taken
in strips of 3 or 4 feet long. It looks exactly like cocoa-nut coir,
except that its colour is a little lighter and brighter. It is used
for cleansing the hair, for which purpose a handful is put to soak
in a basin of water overnight, and the next morning it will saponify
when rubbed between the hands. The soap which issues therefrom is then
rubbed in the hair at the time of bathing. It is in common use among
the natives of both sexes and many Europeans. An infusion of _Gogo_ is
a purgative. If placed dry in the _tinaja_ jars (Tagalog, _Tapayan_),
containing cacao-beans, the insects will not attack the beans.
_Camote_ (_Convolvulus batatas_) is the sweet potato or Yam, the
foliage of which quickly spreads out like a carpet over the soil and
forms tubers, like the common potato. It is a favourite article of
food among the natives, and in nearly every island it is also found
wild. In kitchen-gardens it is planted like the potato, the tuber being
cut in pieces. Sometimes it is dried (Tagalog, _Pacumbong camote_). It
is also preserved whole in molasses (Tagalog, _Palubog na camote_).
_Gabi_ (_Caladium_) is another kind of esculent root, palatable to
the natives, similar to the turnip, and throws up stalks from 1 to 3
feet high, at the end of which is an almost round leaf, dark green,
from 3 to 5 inches diameter at maturity.
_Potatoes_ are grown in Cebu Island, but they are rarely any larger
than walnuts. With very special care a larger size has been raised
in Negros Island; also potatoes of excellent flavour and of a pinkish
colour are cultivated in the district of Benguet; in Manila there is
a certain demand for this last kind.
_Mani_ (_Arachis hypogaea_), commonly called the "Pea-nut," is a
creeping plant, which grows wild in many places. It is much cultivated,
however, partly for the sake of the nut or fruit, but principally
for the leaves and stalks, which, when dried, even months old, serve
as an excellent and nutritious fodder for ponies. It contains a large
quantity of oil, and in some districts it is preferred to the fresh-cut
_zacate_ grass, with which the ponies and cattle are fed in Manila.
The Philippine pea-nut is about as large as that seen in England. In
1904 the American Bureau of Agriculture brought to the Islands for
seed a quantity of New Orleans pea-nuts two to three times larger.
_Areca Palm_ (_Areca calechu_) (Tagalog, _Bonga_), the nut of which
is used to make up the chewing betel when split into slices about
one-eighth of an inch thick. This is one of the most beautiful
palms. The nuts cluster on stalks under the tuft of leaves at
the top of the tall slender stem. It is said that one tree will
produce, according to age, situation, and culture, from 200 to 800
nuts yearly. The nut itself is enveloped in a fibrous shell, like
the cocoa-nut. In Europe a favourite dentifrice is prepared from
the areca-nut.
_Buyo_ (_Piper betle_) (Tagalog, _Igmo_), is cultivated with much
care in every province, as its leaf, when coated with lime made from
oyster-shells and folded up, is used to coil round the areca-nut,
the whole forming the _buyo_ (betel), which the natives of these
Islands, as in British India, are in the habit of chewing. To the
chew a quid of tobacco is sometimes added. A native can go a great
number of hours without food if he has his betel; it is said to be
stomachical. After many years of habit in chewing this nut and leaf
it becomes almost a necessity, as is the case with opium, and it is
believed that its use cannot, with safety, be suddenly abandoned. To
the newly-arrived European, it is very displeasing to have to converse
with a native betel-eater, whose teeth and lips appear to be smeared
with blood. The _buyo_ plant is set out on raised beds and trained
(like hops) straight up on sticks, on which it grows to a height of
about 6 feet. The leaf is of a bright green colour, and only slightly
pointed. In all market-places, including those of Manila, there is
a great sale of this leaf, which is brought fresh every day.
_Cocoanut_ (_Cocos nucifera_) plantations pay very well, and there is a
certain demand for the fruit for export to China, besides the constant
local sales in the _tianguis_. [143] _Niog_ is the Tagalog name for
the cocoanut palm. Some tap the tree by making an incision in the
flowering (or fruit-bearing) stalk, under which a bamboo vessel, called
a _bombon_, is hung to receive the sap. This liquid, known as _tuba_,
is a favourite beverage among the natives. As many as four stalks of
the same trunk can be so drained simultaneously without injury to the
tree. In the bottom of the _bombon_ is placed about as much as a desert
spoonful of pulverized _Tongo_ bark (_Rhizophora longissima_) to give a
stronger taste and bright colour to the _tuba_. The incision--renewed
each time the _bombon_ is replaced--is made with a very sharp knife,
to which a keen edge is given by rubbing it on wood (_Erythrina_)
covered with a paste of ashes and oil. The sap-drawing of a stalk
continues incessantly for about two months, when the stalk ceases to
yield and dries up. The _bombons_ containing the liquid are removed,
empty ones being put in their place every twelve hours, about sunrise
and sunset, and the seller hastens round to his clients with the
morning and evening draught, concluding his trade at the market-place
or other known centres of sale. If the _tuba_ is allowed to ferment,
it is not so palatable, and becomes an intoxicating drink. From the
fermented juice the distilleries manufacture a spirituous liquor,
known locally as cocoa-wine. The trees set apart for _tuba_ extraction
do not produce nuts, as the fruit-forming elements are taken away.
The man who gets down the _tuba_ has to climb the first tree, on the
trunk of which notches are cut to place his toes in. From under the
tuft of leaves two bamboos are fastened, leading to the next nearest
tree, and so on around the group which is thus connected. The bottom
bamboo serves as a bridge, and the top one as a handrail. Occasionally
a man falls from the top of a trunk 70 or 80 feet high, and breaks his
neck. The occupation of _tuba_ drawing is one of the most dangerous.
When the tree is allowed to produce fruit, instead of yielding _tuba_,
the nuts are collected about every four months. They are brought
down either by a sickle-shaped knife lashed on to the end of a long
pole, or by climbing the tree with the knife in hand. When they are
collected for oil-extraction, they are carted on a kind of sleigh,
[144] unless there be a river or creek providing a water-way, in which
latter case they are tied together, stalk to stalk, and floated in
a compact mass, like a raft, upon which the man in charge stands.
The water or milk found inside a cocoanut is very refreshing to the
traveller, and has this advantage over fresh water, that it serves
to quench the thirst of a person who is perspiring, or whose blood
is highly heated, without doing him any harm.
Well-to-do owners of cocoanut-palm plantations usually farm out to
the poorer people the right to extract the _tuba_, allotting to each
family a certain number of trees. Others allow the trees to bear fruit,
and although the returns are, theoretically, not so good, it pays the
owner about the same, as he is less exposed to robbery, being able
more closely to watch his own interests. The trees bear fruit in the
fifth year, but, meanwhile, care must be taken to defend them from
the browsing of cattle. If they survive that period they will live
for a century. At seven years' growth the cocoanut palm-tree seldom
fails to yield an unvarying average crop of a score of large nuts,
giving a nett profit of about one peso per annum.
The cocoanut is largely used for culinary purposes in the Islands. It
is an ingredient in the native "curry" (of no resemblance to Indian
curry), and is preserved in several ways, the most common being the
_Bocayo_, a sort of cocoanut toffee, and the _Matamis na macapuno_,
which is the soft, immature nut preserved in molasses.
In the Provinces of Tayabas, La Laguna, E. Batangas and district of La
Infanta, the cocoanut-palm is extensively cultivated, solely for the
purpose of extracting the oil from the nut. The cocoanut-oil factories
are very rough, primitive establishments, usually consisting of eight
or ten posts supporting a nipa palm-leaf roof, and closed in at all
sides with split bamboos. The nuts are heaped for a while to dry and
concentrate the oil in the fruit. Then they are chopped, more or less,
in half. A man sits on a board with his feet on a treadle, from which a
rope is passed over, and works to and fro a cylindrical block, in the
end of which is fixed an iron scraper. He picks up the half-nuts one
at a time, and on applying them to the scraper in motion, the white
fruit, or pith, falls out into a vessel underneath. These scrapings
are then pressed between huge blocks of wood to express the oil, and
the mass is afterwards put into cast-iron cauldrons, of Chinese make,
with water, which is allowed to simmer and draw out the remaining
fatty particles, which are skimmed off the surface. When cold, it
is sent off to market in small, straight-sided kegs, on ponies which
carry two kegs--one slung on each side. The average estimated yield of
the cocoanuts, by the native process, is as follows, viz.:--250 large
nuts give one cwt. of dried coprah, yielding, say, 10 gallons of oil.
Small quantities of Cocoanut Oil (Tagalog, _Languis ng niog_)
are shipped from the Philippines, but in the Colony itself it is
an important article of consumption. Every dwelling, rich or poor,
consumes a certain amount of this oil nightly for lighting. For this
purpose it is poured into a glass half full of water, on which it
floats, and a wick, made of pith, called _tinsin_, introduced by
the Chinese, is suspended in the centre of the oil by a strip of
tin. As the oil is consumed, the wick is lowered by slightly bending
the tin downwards. There are few dwelling-houses, or huts, without a
light of some kind burning during the whole night in expectation of
a possible earthquake, and the vast majority use cocoanut oil because
of the economy.
It is also in use for cooking in some out-of-the-way places, and
is not unpalatable when quite fresh. It is largely employed as a
lubricant for machinery, for which purpose, however, it is very
inferior. Occasionally it finds a medicinal application, and the
natives commonly use it as hair-oil. In Europe, cocoa-nut oil is
a white solid, and is used in the manufacture of soap and candles;
in the tropics it is seldom seen otherwise than in a liquid state,
as it fuses a little above 70 deg. Fahr.
It is only in the last few years that Coprah has acquired importance as
an article of export. There are large cocoanut plantations on all the
principal islands, whence supplies are furnished to meet the foreign
demand, which is likely to increase considerably.
For figures of _Coprah_ Shipments, _vide_ Chap. xxxi., "Trade
Statistics."
Uses are also found for the hard Shell of the nut (Tagalog, _Baoo_). In
native dwellings these shells serve the poor for cups (_tabo _) and a
variety of other useful domestic utensils, whilst by all classes they
are converted into ladles with wooden handles. Also, when carbonized,
the shell gives a black, used for dyeing straw hats.
Very little use is made of the Coir (Tagalog, _Bunot_), or outer
fibrous skin, which in other countries serves for the manufacture
of cocoanut matting, coarse brushes, hawsers, etc. It is said that
coir rots in fresh water, whereas salt water strengthens it. It
would therefore be unsuitable for running rigging, but for ships'
cables it cannot be surpassed in its qualities of lightness and
elasticity. As it floats on water, it ought to be of great value
on ships, whilst of late years its employment in the manufacture of
light ocean telegraph cables has been seriously considered, showing,
as it does, an advantage over other materials by taking a convex curve
to the water surface--an important condition in cable-laying. [145]
The Spaniards call this product _Banote_. In this Colony it often
serves for cleaning floors and ships' decks, when the nut is cut into
two equal parts across the grain of the coir covering, and with it
a very high polish can be put on to hardwoods.
The stem of the Cocoanut Palm is attacked by a very large beetle
with a single horn at the top of its head. It bores through the bark
and slightly injures the tree, but I never heard that any had died
in consequence. In some countries this insect is described as the
rhinoceros beetle, and is said to belong to the _Dynastidae_ species.
In the Philippines, the poorest soil seems to give nourishment to the
cocoanut-palm; indeed, it thrives best on, or near, the sea-shore,
as close to the sea as where the beach is fringed by the surf at high
tide. The common cocoanut-palm attains a height of about sixty feet,
but there is also a dwarf palm with the stem sometimes no taller
than four feet at full growth, which also bears fruit, although less
plentifully. A grove of these is a pretty sight.
Sir Emerson Tennent, referring to these trees in Ceylon, is reported
to have stated [146] that the cocoanut-palm "acts as a conductor
in protecting houses from lightning. As many as 500 of these trees
were struck in a single _pattoo_ near Pattalam during a succession
of thunderstorms in April 1859."--_Colombo Observer_.
_Nipa Palm_ (_Nipa fruticans_) is found in mangrove swamps and flooded
marshy lands. It has the appearance of a gigantic fern, and thrives
best in those lands which are covered by the sea at high tide. In the
same manner as the cocoanut-palm, the sap is extracted by incision made
in the fruit-bearing stalk, and is used for distilling a liquid known
as nipa wine, which, however, should properly be termed a spirit. The
leaves, which are very long, and about three to five inches wide,
are of immense value in the country for thatched roofs. Nipa is not
to be found everywhere; one may go many miles without seeing it, in
districts devoid of marshes and swampy lowlands. In El Abra district
(Luzon Is.) nipa is said to be unknown. In such places, another
material supplies its want for thatching, viz.:--
_Cogon_ (_Saccharum koenigii_), a sort of tall jungle grass with a
very sharp edge, plentifully abundant precisely where nipa cannot be
expected to grow. I have ridden through cogon five feet high, but a
fair average would be about three to four feet. It has simply to be
cut and sun-dried and is ready for roof thatching.
The _Cotton-tree_ (_Gossypium herbaceum_, Linn. ?), (Tagalog,
_Bulac_), is found growing in an uncultivated state in many islands
of the Archipelago. Long-staple cotton was formerly extensively
cultivated in the Province of Ilocos Norte, whence, many years ago,
large quantities of good cotton-stuffs were exported. This industry
still exists. The cultivation of this staple was, however, discouraged
by the local governors, in order to urge the planting of tobacco for
the Government supplies. It has since become difficult to revive the
cotton production, although an essay, in pamphlet form (for which
a prize was awarded in Madrid), was gratuitously distributed over
the Colony in 1888 with that object. Nevertheless, cotton spinning
and weaving are still carried on, on a reduced scale, in the Ilocos
provinces (Luzon west coast).
Wild cotton is practically useless for spinning, as the staple is
extremely short, but perhaps by hybridization and careful attention its
culture might become valuable to the Colony. The pod is elliptical,
and the cotton which bursts from it at maturity is snow-white. It
is used for stuffing pillows and mattresses. It was a common thing,
before the American occupation, to see (wild) cotton-trees planted
along the highroad to serve as telegraph-posts; by the time the seed
is fully ripe, every leaf has fallen, and nothing but the bursting
pods remain hanging to the branches.
The _Buri Palm_ is a handsome species, of tall growth, with fan-like
leaves. Its juice serves as a beverage resembling _tuba_. The trunk
yields a sago flour. The leaves are beaten on boulder stones to extract
a fibre for rope-making, of great strength and in constant demand.
The _Dita Tree_, said to be of the family of the _Apocynese_ and
known to botanists as _Alstonia scholaris_, is possibly a species of
cinchona. The pulverized bark has a bitter taste like quinine, and
is successfully used by the natives to allay fever. A Manila chemist
once extracted from the bark a substance which he called _ditaine_,
the yield of crystallizable alkaloid being 2 per cent.
_Palma Brava_ (_Coripha minor_) (Tagalog, _Banga_), [147] is a species
of palm, the trunk of which is of great local value. It is immensely
strong, and will resist the action of water for years. These trees are
employed as piles for quay and pier making--for bridges, stockades,
and in any works where strength, elasticity, and resistance to water
are required in combination. When split, a fibrous pith is found
in the centre much resembling cocoanut coir, but the ligneous shell
of the stem still retains its qualities of strength and flexibility,
and is used for vehicle-shafts, coolies' carrying-poles, and a variety
of other purposes.
_Bambusa_ (_Bambusa arundinacea_) is a graminifolious plant--one of the
most charmingly picturesque and useful adornments of Nature bestowed
exuberantly on the Philippine Islands. It grows in thick tufts in
the woods and on the banks of rivers. Its uses are innumerable, and
it has not only become one of the articles of primary necessity to
the native, but of incalculable value to all in the Colony.
There are many kinds of bamboos, distinct in formation and size. The
Tagalog generic name for knotted bamboo is _Cauayan_; the Spanish
name is _Cana espina_. The most common species grows to a height of
about 60 feet, with a diameter varying up to eight inches, and is of
wonderful strength, due to its round shape and the regularity of its
joints. Each joint is strengthened by a web inside. It is singularly
flexible, light, elastic, and of matchless floating power. The fibre
is tough, but being perfectly straight, it is easy to split. It has a
smooth glazed surface, a perfectly straight grain, and when split on
any surface, it takes a high polish by simple friction. Three cuts
with the bowie-knife are sufficient to hew down the largest bamboo
of this kind, and the green leaves, in case of extreme necessity,
serve for horses' fodder.
There is another variety also hollow, but not so large as that just
described. It is covered with a natural varnish as hard as steel. It
is also used for native cabin-building and many other purposes.
A third species, seldom found more than five inches in diameter, is
much more solid, having no cavity in the centre divided by webs. It
cannot be applied to so many purposes as the first, but where great
strength is required it is incomparable.
When the bamboo-plant is cultivated with the view of rendering it
annually productive, the shoots are pruned in the dry season at a
height of about seven feet from the ground. In the following wet
season, out of the clump germinate a number of young shoots, which,
in the course of six or eight months, will have reached their normal
height, and will be fit for cutting when required. Bamboo should be
felled in the dry season before the sap begins to ascend by capillary
attraction. If cut out of season it is prematurely consumed by grub
(_gojo_), but this is not much heeded when wanted in haste.
The northern native builds his hut entirely of bamboo with nipa
palm-leaf or cogon thatching; in the Province of Yloilo I have seen
hundreds of huts made entirely of bamboo, including the roofing. To
make bamboo roofing, the hollow canes are split longitudinally, and,
after the webbed joints inside have been cut away, they are laid on
the bamboo frame-work, and fit into each other, the one convexly,
the next one concavely, and so on alternately. In frame-work, no
joiner's skill is needed; two-thirds of the bamboo are notched out on
one side, and the other third is bent to rectangle. A rural bungalow
can be erected in a week. When Don Manuel Montuno, the late Governor
of Morong, came with his suite to stay at my up-country bungalow for
a shooting expedition, I had a wing added in three days, perfectly
roofed and finished.
No nails are ever used, the whole being bound with _bejuco_. The walls
of the cabin are made by splitting the bamboo, and, after removing
the webbed joints, each half is beaten out flat. Even in houses of
certain pretensions I have often seen split-bamboo flooring, which is
highly effective, as it is always clean and takes a beautiful polish
when rubbed over a few times with plantain-leaves. In the parish
church of Las Pinas, near Manila, there was an organ made of bamboo,
of excellent tone, extant up to the year of the Revolution.
When the poor village native wants to put up his house he calls
a _bayanin_, and his neighbours assemble to give him a hand. The
bowie-knife is the only indispensable tool. One cuts the bamboo to
lengths, another splits it, a third fits it for making the frame-work,
another threads the dried nipa-leaves for the roofing, and thus a
modest _bahay_ is erected in a week. The most practicable dwelling
is the bamboo and nipa house, the only serious drawback being the
risk of fire.
Rafts, furniture of all kinds, scaffolding, spoons, carts, baskets,
sledges, fishing-traps, fleams, water-pipes, hats, dry and liquid
measures, cups, fencing, canoe-fittings, bridges, carrying-poles for
any purpose, pitchforks, and a thousand other articles are made of
this unexcelled material. Here it serves all the purposes to which the
osier is applied in Europe. It floats in water, serves for fuel, and
ropes made of it are immensely strong. Bamboo salad is prepared from
the very young shoots, cut as soon as they sprout from the root. The
value of bamboo in Manila varies according to the season of the year
and length of the bamboo, the diameter of course being proportionate.
_Bojo_ (Tagalog, _Buho_) is a kind of cane, somewhat resembling the
bamboo in appearance only. It has very few knots; is brittle, perfectly
smooth on the outer and inner surfaces--hollow, and grows to about
25 feet high by 2 inches diameter, and is not nearly so useful as
the bamboo. It is used for making light fences, musical instruments,
fishing-rods, inner walls of huts, fishing-traps, torches, etc.
_Bejuco_, or Rattan-cane, belonging to the _Calamus_ family
(Tagalog, _Hiantoc_, also _Dit-an_), is a forest product commonly
found in lengths of, say, 100 feet, with a maximum diameter of
half-an-inch. It is of enormous strength and pliancy. Its uses are
innumerable. When split longitudinally it takes the place of rope
for lashing anything together; indeed, it is just as useful in the
regions of its native habitat as cordage is in Europe. It serves for
furniture and bedstead-making, and it is a substitute for nails and
bolts. Hemp-bales, sugar-bags, parcels of all kinds are tied up with
it, and hats are made of it. The ring through a buffalo's nose is
made of whole rattan, to which is often attached a split strip for
a guiding-rein. Every joint in a native's hut, his canoe, his fence,
his cart, woodwork of any kind--indeed, everything to be made fast,
from a bundle of sticks to a broken-down carriage, is lashed together
with this split material, which must, when so employed, be bent with
the shiny skin outside, otherwise it will infallibly snap. The demand
for this article is very large.
_Bush-rope_ (_Calamus maximus_) (Tagalog, _Palasan_) is also a forest
product, growing to lengths of about 100 feet, with a maximum diameter
of one inch and a quarter. It is immensely strong. It is used for raft
cables for crossing rivers, stays for bamboo suspension-bridges, and a
few other purposes. It is sometimes found with knots as far apart as 30
feet. It is a species quite distinct from the _Walking-stick Palasan_
(_Calamus gracilis_) (Tagalog, _Tabola_) the appreciated feature of
which is the proximity of the knots. I have before me a specimen 34
inches long with 26 knots.
_Gum Mastic_ (_Almaciga_) is an article of minor importance in the
Philippine exports, the supply being very limited. It is said that
large quantities exist; but as it is only procurable in almost
inaccessible mountainous and uncivilized districts, first-hand
collectors in the provinces, principally Chinese, have to depend
upon the services and goodwill of unsubdued tribes. It is chiefly
obtained by barter, and is not a trade which can be worked up
systematically. The exports of this product fluctuate considerably
in consequence. For figures of _Gum Mastic_ shipments, _vide_ Chap,
xxxi., "Trade Statistics."
_Gutta-percha_ was formerly a more important article of trade in these
Islands until the Chinese drove it out of the market by adulteration. A
little is shipped from Zamboanga.
_Wax_ (Tagalog, _patquit_) and cinnamon are to be found in much the
same way as gum mastic. There is a large consumption of wax in the
Islands for candles used at the numerous religious feasts. The cinnamon
is very inferior in quality. It is abundant in Mindanao Island, but,
like gum mastic, it can only be procured in small quantities, depending
on the caprice or necessities of the mountain-tribes. Going along the
seashore in Zamboanga Province, on one occasion, I met a mountaineer
carrying a bundle of cinnamon to Zamboanga Port--many miles distant--to
sell the bark to the Chinese at [Peso}8 per picul. I bought his load,
the half of which I sent to Spain, requesting a friend there to
satisfy my curiosity by procuring a quotation for the sample in the
Barcelona market. He reported that the quality was so low that only
a nominal price could be quoted, and that it stood nowhere compared
with the carefully cultivated Ceylon product.
_Edible Bird's Nest_ (_Collocalia troglodytes--Coll. nodifica
esculenta_ Bonap.) is an article of trade with the Chinese, who readily
purchase it at high prices. It is made by a kind of sea-swallow, and
in appearance resembles vermicelli, variegated with blood-coloured
spots. The nests are found in high cliffs by the sea, and the natives
engaged in their collection reach them by climbing up bush-rope
or bamboos with the branch-knots left on to support themselves with
their toes. It is a very dangerous occupation, as the nests are always
built high in almost inaccessible places. The Filipino risks his life
in collecting them, whilst the Chinaman does the safe and profitable
business of trading in the article. In the Philippines the collection
begins in December, and the birds deprived of their nests have then
to build a second nest for laying their eggs. These second nests are
gathered about the end of January, and so on up to about the fourth
collection. Each successive nest decreases in commercial value, and
the last one is hardly worth the risk of taking. Even though there
might be venturesome collectors who would dislodge the last nests,
the wet season fortunately sets in and prevents their being reached,
hence the bird is at length able to continue propagation. Bird's-nest
soup is a delicacy in great demand in China.
These nests are chiefly found in the Calamities group of islands,
particularly in Busuanga Island. The Sulu Archipelago and Palauan
Island also furnish a small quantity of edible birds'-nests.
_Balate_, or Trepang, is a species of sea-slug, for which the natives
find a ready sale to the Chinese at good prices. The fish is preserved
by being gutted, cooked, and sun-dried, and has a shrimp taste. It
is found in greatest quantities off the Calamianes and Palauan Islands.
_Sapan-wood_ (_Caesalpina sappan_) (Tagalog, _Sibucao_, or _Sapang_),
of an inferior quality compared with the Pernambuco wood, is a
Philippine product found in most of the large islands. It is a short,
unattractive tree, with epigeous branches spreading out in a straggling
manner. The leaves are small and sparse. The wood is hard, heavy,
crooked, and full of knots. It sinks in water, and is susceptible
of a fine polish. It is whitish when fresh cut, but assumes a deep
red colour on exposure to the air. The only valuable portion is the
heart of the branch, from which is taken a dye known in the trade as
"false crimson," to distinguish it from the more permanent cochineal
dye. The whole of the colouring-matter can be extracted with boiling
water. It is usually shipped from Manila and Yloilo as dunnage,
a small quantity coming also from Cebu. For figures of _Sapan-wood_
shipments, _vide_ Chap, xxxi., "Trade Statistics."
The _Saps_ of certain Philippine trees serve to give a polished
coating to the smoothed surface of other woods. The kind which I
have experimented with most successfully is that of the _Ipil_ tree
(_Eperna decandria_). This gives a glazed covering very similar to
Japan-ware varnish. It takes better to the wood in a cold climate than
in the tropics. I have tried it both in the Philippines and in Europe.
_Dye Saps_ are also numerous--for instance, that of the species
_Marsedenia_, called in Bicol dialect _Payanguit_ and _Aringuit_,
with which hemp can be dyed blue; the juice of the skin of a root,
known in Bicol as _Morinda_, is used for dyeing hemp red; the sap
of the _Talisay_ tree (_Terminalia mauritiana_) gives a black dye,
and that of the _Calumpit_ tree (_Terminalia edulis_) is a good
straw-coloured dye.
_Hardwoods_.--These Islands are remarkably rich in valuable
timber-trees. For some of the details which I will give of the
properties and applicability of the varieties in general demand,
I am indebted to Mr. H. G. Brown (of H. G. Brown & Co. Limited,
[148] steam saw-mill proprietors in Tayabas Province), admitted to
be the most experienced person in this branch of Philippine trade.
_Aranga_ (_Homalium_) gives logs up to 75 feet long by 24 inches
square. It is specially used for sea piling and all kinds of marine
work which is subject to the attacks of sea-worm (_Teredo navalis_).
_Acle_ (_Mimosa acle)_ gives logs up to 32 feet by 28 inches square. It
is strong, tenacious, and durable, whilst it has the speciality
of being difficult to burn, and is much used in house-building; it
polishes well, and is much prized by the natives. It is supposed to
be identical with the _Payengadu_ of Burmah.
_Anagap_ (_Pithecolobium montanum_, Benth.) gives logs up to 18 feet
long by 16 inches square. It is sometimes used for house furniture
and fittings and for other purposes where a light durable wood is
wanted and is not exposed to sun and rain.
_Apiton_ (_Dipterocarpus griffithi_, Miq.) gives logs up to 70 feet
long by 24 inches square. It contains a gum of which incense is made,
is light when seasoned, works well, and will serve for furniture and
general joiner's purposes.
_Antipolo_ (_Artocarpus incisa_) is much esteemed for vessels' outside
planking, keels, etc. It is light, very strong, resists sea-worm
(_Teredo navalis_) entirely, and effects of climate. It does not warp
when once seasoned, and is a most valuable wood.
_Anobing_ (_Artocarpus ovata)_ is said to resist damp as well as
_Molave_ does, but it is not appreciated as a good hardwood. It is
plentiful, especially in the district of Laguna de Bay.
_Betis_ (_Azaola--Payena betis?_) gives logs up to 65 feet long by
20 inches square. It is proof against sea-worm, is used for salt or
fresh water piling, piers, wharves, etc.; also for keels and many other
parts of ship-building, and where a first-class wood is indispensably
necessary. It is somewhat scarce.
_Batitinan_ (_Lagerstroemia batitinan_) gives logs up to 40 feet long
by 18 inches square. Is very strong, tough, and elastic; generally
used for ships' outside planking above water. It stands the climate
well when properly seasoned; is a wood of the first quality, and can
be used for any purpose except those involving interment in the ground
or exposure to ravages of sea-worm. This wood is very much stronger
than Teak, and could be used to advantage in its place for almost
all purposes. It makes a good substitute for Black Walnut in furniture.
_Banaba_ (_Munchaustia speciosa--Lagerstremis speciosa?_)--a strong
and useful wood much used in house- and ship-building; it is thoroughly
reliable when seasoned, otherwise it shrinks and warps considerably.
_Bansalague_ (_Mimusops elengi_, Linn.) gives logs up to 45 feet long
by 18 inches square. It seems to be known in Europe as bullet-tree
wood. It can be driven like a bolt, and from this fact and its
durability it is frequently used for treenails in ship-building
in Manila, etc. It is also used for axe and other tool-handles,
belaying-pins, etc., and on account of its compact, close grain it
is admirably adapted for turning purposes; it lasts well in the ground.
_Bancal_ (_Nauclea gluberrima)_ gives logs up to 24 feet long by
16 inches square. This wood is of a yellow colour and very easy to
work. It is used for general joiner's work in house-building, etc.
_Cedar_ (_Cedrela odorata_), of the same natural order as Mahogany
(Linn.), gives logs up to 40 feet long by 35 inches square, and
is used principally for cigar-boxes. In the Colony it is known as
_Calantas_. It makes very handsome inside house-fittings.
_Camagon_ or _Mabolo_ (a variety of _Diospyros philoshantera_) is
procured in roughly rounded logs of 9 feet and upwards in length,
by up to 12 inches in diameter. It is a close-grained, brittle wood,
and takes a good polish; its colour is black with yellow streaks,
and it is used for furniture-making. It might be termed the Philippine
Coromandel wood, and is sometimes referred to as "false ebony."
_Dungon_ (a variety of _Herculia ambiformis--Sterculia cymbiformis_,
Blanco) grows up to 50 feet long, giving logs up to 20 inches
square. It is sometimes called _Ironwood_, is very hard and durable,
and specially strong in resisting great transverse pressure,
or carrying such weight as a heavy roof. It is used for keels on
account of its great strength--it does not resist the sea-worm; it is
applied to all purposes in Manila where more than ordinary strength
is required when _Molave_ cannot be procured in sufficiently great
lengths and _Ipil_ is unattainable.
_Dinglas_ (_Decandria--Bucida comintana_) gives logs up to 30 feet
by 16 inches square--occasionally even larger sizes. This will also
serve as a substitute for Black Walnut in furniture; it is very strong,
hard, and durable.
_Ebony_ (_Diospyros nigra_) is also found in very limited quantities.
_Guijo_ (_Dipterocarpus guijo_) gives logs up to 75 feet long by 24
inches square--is very strong, tough and elastic. In Manila this wood
is invariably used for carriage wheels and shafts. In Hong-Kong it
is used, amongst other purposes, for wharf-decks or flooring.
_Ipil_ (_Eperna decandria_) gives logs up to 50 feet long by 26 inches
square. It has all the good qualities of _Molave_, except resistance to
sea-worm (in which respect it is the same as Teak), and may be as much
relied on for duration under ground; for sleepers it equals _Molave_.
_Lanete_ (_Anaser laneti_) gives logs up to 25 feet long by 18 inches
square. It is useful for sculpture, musical instruments, decoration,
turning, and cabinet purposes.
_Lauan_ (_Dipterocarpus thurifera_) is obtained in sizes the same as
_Guijo_. It is a light, useful wood, and easily worked. It is said
that the outside planks of the old Philippine-Mexican galleons were
of this wood because it did not split with shot.
_Molave_ (_Vitex geniculata_) (Tagalog, _Molauin_), gives logs up to 35
feet long by 24 inches square. It resists sea-worm (_Teredo navalis_),
white ants (_Termes_), and action of climate, and consequently
is specially valuable for work on the surface of or under ground,
and generally for all purposes where an extra strong and durable
wood is required. Often growing crooked, it is commonly used (where
produced and in adjacent countries) for frames of vessels. Owing to
its imperviousness to ligniperdous insects and climate, it cannot
possibly be surpassed for such purposes as railway-sleepers. This wood
is practically everlasting, and is deservedly called by the natives,
"Queen of the Woods." It pays better to sell _Molave_ in baulks or
logs, rather than sawn to specification, because this tree has the
great defect of being subject to heart-cup.
Mr. Thomas Laslett, in his work on timber, [149] says, in reference to
_Molave_, "It can be recommended to notice as being fit to supplement
any of the hardwoods in present use for constructive purposes." From
the same work I have extracted the following record of experiments
made by Mr. Laslett with this wood:--
TENSILE EXPERIMENTS.--AVERAGE OF FIVE SPECIMENS
Dimensions of each piece. 2'' x 2'' x 30''
Specific gravity. 1021.6
Weight the piece broke with. 31,248 lbs.
Direct cohesion one square inch. 7,812
TRANSVERSE EXPERIMENTS.--AVERAGE OF THREE SPECIMENS
_Deflections_.
Total weight required to break each piece. 1.25 lbs.
Specific gravity. .166
Weight reduced to specific gravity 1,000. 5.166
Weight required to break one square inch. 1,243.3 lbs.
With the apparatus weighing 390 lbs. 1013
After the weight was removed 1231
At the crisis of breaking. 310.83
N.B.--It breaks on test with a scarf-like fracture.
_Mangachapuy_ (_Dipterocarpus mangachapuy--Vatica apteranthera_) gives
logs up to 55 feet long by 20 inches square. It is very elastic and
withstands the climate, when seasoned, as well as Teak. It is used
in Manila for masts and decks of vessels and for all work exposed to
sun and rain. It is much esteemed and in great demand by those who
know its good qualities.
_Macasin_ can be used for interior house work and floors. It is
somewhat inferior to _Banaba_, but supplies its place when _Banaba_
is scarce. It can be got in greater length and square than _Banaba_.
_Malatapay_ (a variety of _Diospyros philoshantera_), veined black
and red. It resembles _Camagon_.
_Mancono_ is a very hard wood found in Mindanao Island; it is classed
as a species of lignum-vitae.
_Narra_ (_Pterocarpus palidus santalinus_) gives logs up to 35 feet
long by 26 inches square. It is the Mahogany of the Philippines,
inasmuch as it is always employed in Manila in the manufacture of
furniture, for notwithstanding its somewhat open grain, it polishes
well, and is prettily marked. There is a variety of shades in different
logs varying from straw colour to blood-red, the former being more
common; all are, however, equally esteemed. It is a first-rate wood
for general purposes. In the London market it is classed with the
_Padouk_ of Burmah.
_Palo Maria de Playa_ (_P. Polyandria--Calophyllum inophyllum_)
(Tagalog, _Dangcalan_), is greatly appreciated for crooks and curves,
but as a rule cannot be found of suitable dimensions for large
vessels. It is better than _Molave_ for this purpose, for, due to
the absence of acrid juices, iron bolts do not corrode in it. It is
exceedingly tough and not so heavy as _Molave_.
_Supa_ (_Sindora wallichii_, Benth.) gives logs up to 40 feet long
by 28 inches square. It produces an oil, and is a strong wood for
general purposes, polishes well and can be used advantageously for
house decorations and furniture.
_Tindalo_ (_Eperna rhomboidea_) is about the same as _Acle_ in
its principal features, but not notable for resisting fire. It is
useful for general purposes, and in particular for decorations and
furniture. It is somewhat brittle, and takes a high polish.
_Yacal_ (_Dipterocarpus plagatus_) gives logs up to 50 feet long by
22 inches square. It is proof against white ants, has great strength
and tenacity, and is much valued in Manila for house-building, etc.
Natives employed in the felling of timber often become very expert
in the selection and appreciation of the standing trunks.
The approximate order of resistance of the best woods, estimated
by their practical employment and not by theoretical comparative
experiments, would be as follows, viz.:--
HARDWOOD STRAINS
Tensile Strain. Transverse Strain.
1 Dungon. 8 Acle. 1 Molave. 8 Banaba.
2 Yacal. 9 Narra. 2 Camagon. 9 Yacal.
3 Ipil. 10 Tindalo. 3 Ipil. 10 Mangachapuy.
4 Mangachapuy. 11 Molave. 4 Acle. 11 Lauan.
5 Guijo. 12 Lauan. 5 Dungon. 12 Guijo.
6 Banaba. 13 Cedar. 6 Tindalo. 13 Cedar.
7 Camagon. 14 Lanete. 7 Narra. 14 Lanete.
The hardwoods of the Philippines, suitable for building and
trade requirements as described above, are those in general use
only. Altogether about fifty kinds exist, but whilst some are
scarce, others do not yield squared logs of sufficient sizes to be
of marketable value. Amongst these are the _Quercus concentrica_
(Tagalog, _Alayan_), a sort of oak; the _Gimbernatia calamansanay_
(Tagalog, _Calamansanay_); the _Cyrtocarpa quinquestyla_ (Tagalog,
_Amaguis_), and others.
To carry on successfully a timber trade in this Colony, with ability
to fulfil contracts, it is necessary to employ large capital. Firstly,
to ensure supplies by the cutters, the trader must advance them sums
amounting in the total to thousands of pesos, a large percentage of
which he can only nominally recover by placing them against future
profits; secondly, he must own several sailing-ships, built on a
model suited to this class of business. Several Europeans have lost
the little money they had by having to freight unsuitable craft for
transport to the place of delivery, and by only advancing to the
native fellers just when they wanted logs brought down to the beach,
instead of keeping them constantly under advance. With sufficient
capital, however, a handsome profit is to be realized in this line
of business, if it is not killed by too much new legislation.
So far Philippine woods have not met in London with the appreciation
due to their excellent qualities, possibly because they are not
sufficiently well known. In China, however, they are in great demand,
in spite of the competition from Borneo (Kudat and Sandakan) and
Australian shippers. Since the American occupation, large shipments
of Oregon Pine have been made to the Colony: how this wood will stand
the climate is not yet ascertainable.
_Fruits_.--There are few really choice, luscious fruits in the
Philippines which can compare with the finest European species. Nothing
in this Colony can equal our grape, peach, cherry, or strawberry.
The _Mango_ (_Manguifera indica--Pentandrie_, Linn.) ranks first in
these Islands. It is oblong--oval-shaped--flattened slightly on both
sides, about five inches long, and of a yellow colour when ripe. It
is very delicious, succulent, and has a large stone in the centre
from which fibres run at angles. To cut it, the knife must be pressed
down from the thick end, otherwise it will come in contact with the
fibres. Philippine mangoes are far superior to any others grown in the
East. This fruit has a slight flavour of turpentine, and, as to smell,
Manuel Blanco [150] doubts whether it more resembles bugs, onions,
or tar. The trees are very large and majestic--the leaves are dark
green, and the whole appearance strikingly noble. Great care is needed
to rear the fruit. The natives cut notches in the trunk, and from the
time the tree begins to flower until the fruit is half matured, they
light fires on the ground under its branches, as the smoke is said to
hasten the development. The tree begins to bear fruit at ten years old.
The first mangoes of the season are forced, and even picked before
they are ripe, so that they may more quickly turn yellow. They are
brought to the Manila market in February, and fetch as much as 20
cents each. The natural ripening time is from the end of March. In
the height of the season they can be bought for two dollars per
hundred. Epicures eat as many as ten to a dozen a day, as this
fruit is considered harmless to healthy persons. Mango jelly is also
appreciated by Europeans as well as natives. Luzon and Cebu Islands
appear to produce more mangoes than the rest of the Archipelago. From
my eight mango-trees in Morong district I got annually two pickings,
and one year three pickings from two trees.
There are other species of mango-tree of the genus _Terebinthaceae_,
viz.:--_Manguifera anisodora, M. altissima, M. rostrata_ and
_M. sinnata_.
The _Banana_ or _Plantain_ (_Musa paradisiaca_) is plentiful
all over the Islands at all seasons. It grows wild, and is also
largely cultivated. It is the fruit of an herbaceous endogenous
plant of the natural order _Musaceae_. It is said that the specific
name _paradisiaca_ is derived, either from a supposition that the
plantain was the forbidden fruit of Eden [151], or from an Arabic
legend that Adam and Eve made their first aprons of the leaves of
this tree, which grow to a length of five to six feet, with a width
of 12 to 14 inches. Some 10 to 12 distinct varieties of bananas are
commonly to be seen, whilst it is asserted that there are over 50
sorts differing slightly from each other. The Tagalog generic name
for this tree and fruit is _Saguing_. The species known in Tagalog
dialect as _Lacatan_ and _Bongulan_, of a golden or orange tinge
when the skin is removed and possessing a slight pineapple flavour,
are the choicest. The _Tondoc_ is also a very fine class. The stem
of the banana-plantain is cut down after fruiting, and the tree
is propagated by suckers. [152] Renewal of the tree from the seed
is only necessary every 12 to 18 years. The fruit is borne in long
clusters on strong stalks which bend over towards the earth. As the
suckers do not all rise simultaneously, the stages of growth of the
young fruit-bearing trees vary, so that there is a constant supply
all the year round. Moreover, it is customary to cut down, and hang
up in the house, the stalk sustaining the fruit before it is ripe,
so that each fruit can be eaten as it matures. The glossy leaves
of the banana-plantain are exceedingly beautiful. They are used for
polishing hardwood floors; they serve as a substitute for plates at
the _tianguis_ and for wrapping-paper at the small native and Chinese
grocers' shops. In rural places if a _carromata_ driver cannot find
a leather horse-collar, he improvises one of banana-leaf.
The _Papaw_ tree (_Carica. papaya_) flourishes wild--a prolific
growth--attains a height of 20 to 25 feet, and is very picturesque. The
leaves emerge in a cluster from the top of the stem, and are about
20 to 30 inches long. They can be used as a substitute for soap for
washing linen. The foliage has the peculiar property of making meat
or poultry tender if hung up in the branches. The fruit is of a rich
olive green, and remains so almost to maturity, when it quickly turns
yellow. Both in shape and flavour it is something like a melon, and,
although more insipid, it is refreshing in this climate. Containing a
quantity of pepsine, it is often recommended by doctors as a dessert
for persons with weak digestive organs.
Besides these fruits, there are _Pomelo_ oranges, about four times
the size of the largest European orange; ordinary-sized _Oranges_
of three sorts; _Citron; Jack fruit_ (_Anona muricata,_ Linn., or
more probably _Artocarpus integrifolia_) (Tagalog, _Nangca); Custard
Apples (Anona squamosa,_ Linn.) (Tagalog, _Atis_); _Bread-fruit_
(_Artocarpus camansi)_ (Tagalog, _Dalangian_ or _Dalamian_); _Lomboy_
(_Calyptrantes jambolana--Icosandrie_, Linn.), which looks like a
damson; _Santol_ (_Sandoricum ternatum--Decandrie_, Linn.), delicious
prepared in syrup; _Condol_, (_Monoecia syngenesia--Cucurbita
pepo aspera_), a kind of white pumpkin for preserving; _Limes_
(Tagalog, _Limonsuangi_); small green _Limes_ (Tagalog, _Calamansi_)
for preserving; another kind called _Lucban_; a diminutive _Mango_
(_Manguifera altissima_) (Tagalog, _Paho_), which is brined and then
put in vinegar; _Pomegranates_ (_Punica granatum_); a very inferior
species of wild _Strawberry_; _Chico_ (_Achras sapota--Hexandrie_,
Linn.), the _Chico sapoti_ of Mexico, extremely sweet, the size and
colour of a small potato; _Lanson_ (_Lansium domesticum_), a curious
kind of fruit of an agreeable sweet and acid flavour combined. The
pericarp is impregnated with a white viscous fluid, which adheres
very tenaciously to the fingers. When the inner membrane is removed
the edible portion is exhibited in three divisions, each of which
envelops a very bitter stone. It is abundant in La Laguna.
_Guavas_ (_Psidium pyriferum guyava_, Linn.) (Tagalog, _Bayabas_) of
very fine quality, from which jelly is made, are found wild in great
abundance. They are so plentiful on waste lands that I have never
seen them cultivated. The peel is an excellent astringent. _Lemons_
[153] of two kinds are grown--sometimes as many as a dozen of the small
species, about the size of a walnut, may be seen hanging at one time
on a tree only 18 inches high; a well-known small species is called
_Dayap_ in Tagalog. _Mangosteens_, the delicate fruit of the Straits
Settlements, are found in the islands of Mindanao and Sulu. In Mindanao
Island, on the neck of land forming the western extremity, the _Durien_
thrives. It is about as large as a pineapple, white inside, and when
ripe it opens out in three or four places. It is very delicious eating,
but has a fetid smell. The seeds, as large as beans, are good to eat
when roasted. The tree bears fruit about every 20 years.
_Pineapples_ (_Bromelia ananas_, Linn.) are abundant in the Southern
Islands, where they are cultivated exclusively for the sake of the
leaves, the delicate fibres of which are used to manufacture the fine,
costly texture known as _Pina_ (q.v.). This fruit, which is not so
fine as the Singapore and Cuban species, is in little demand in the
Philippines, as it is justly considered dangerous to eat much of it.
_Grape_ acclimatization has been attempted in the Philippines, but
with very mediocre results. Cebu seems to be the island most suitable
for vine culture, but the specimens of fruit produced can bear no
comparison with the European. In Naga (Cebu Is.) I have eaten green
_Figs_ grown in the orchard of a friend's house.
_Tamarinds_ (_Tamarindus indica_, Linn.) (Tagalog, _Sampaloc_)
are never planted for the sake of the fruit. The tree grows wild,
and the fruit resembles a bean. Picked whilst green, it is used by
the natives to impart a flavour to certain fish sauces. When allowed
to ripen fully, the fruit-pod takes a light-brown colour--is brittle,
and cracks all over under a slight pressure of the fingers. The whole
of the ripe fruit can then be drawn out by pulling the bean-stalk. The
ripe tamarind appears to be little appreciated by any one, and it is
extremely seldom seen, even in the form of a preserve, in a native
dwelling. Containing, as it does, a large quantity of tannin, it is
sometimes used by the Manila apothecaries, and I once heard that a
small parcel was being collected for shipment to Italy.
The _Mabolo_ (_Diospyros discolor_) (Tagalog, _Mabolo_, also _Talang_)
is a fruit of great external beauty and exquisite aroma. It is
about the size of a large peach, the pubescent skin being of a fine
red colour, but it is not very good eating. _Chillies_ (_Capsicum
minimum_, Blanco), _Ginger_ (_Zingiber officinale_, Linn.), _Capsicums_
(_Capsicum tetragonum_, Mill), _Capers_ (_Capparris mariana_) and
_Vanilla_ are found in a wild state. _Sago_ is produced in small
quantities in Mindoro Island, where the sago-plant flourishes. The
pith is cut out, washed, sun-dried, and then pounded. The demand for
this nutritious article is very limited. In 1904 I found the _Cassava_
plant growing near the south coast of Mindanao Island.
There are many other kinds of orchard and wild fruits of comparatively
inferior quality, chiefly used by the natives to make preserves. There
is also a large variety of tuberose and other vegetable products,
never eaten by Europeans, such as the favourite _Sincamas_
(_Decandria--Pachyrhizus angulatus_), resembling a small turnip. The
natives have a taste for many fruits plucked half ripe.
The _Flowers_ of these Islands are too numerous for their description
to come within the scope of this work. To the reader who seeks
an exhaustive treatise on the Botany of the Philippines, I would
recommend Manuel Blanco's "Flora de Filipinas," [154] from which I
have taken the following brief notes.
_Philippine Flowers_
_According to Manuel Blanco_
Orders. Genera. Species. Varieties. Sub-varieties.
Dicotyledones 126 842 2,571 349 5
Monocotyledones 26 325 1,425 270 25
Acotyledones 3 56 483 11 --
155 1,223 4,479 630 30
Some of the most curious and beautiful botanical specimens, not
already described in the preceding pages, are the following, viz.:--
_Arum (?) divaricatum_, Linn. (Tagalog, _Gabigabihan_).--A delicate
bulb. Common in Pasig and Manila.
_Amaryllis atamasco_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Bacong_).--A bulb. Grows to
3 feet. Beautiful large red flower. Blooms in February.
_Agave americana_ (Tagalog, _Magui_).--It is one of a large variety
of Aloes. (Mexican origin?)
_Asplendium nidus._--The beautiful Nest-fern.
_Bignonia quadripinnata_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Pinca-Pincahan_).--A
curious flower.
_Clerodendron longiflorum_, D.C.--An extremely beautiful and delicate
white flower.
_Cactus pitajaya_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Flor de Caliz_).--Gives a grand,
showy flower.
_Caryota urens_, Linn (Tagalog, _Taquipan_).--A beautiful palm. Grows
to 22 feet. The fruit, when tender, is masticated like the _Areca
catechu_.
_Caryota onusta_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Cauong_).--A fine palm. Gives a
sweet juice which turns into good vinegar. The trunk gives a Sago,
called by the natives _Yoro_. The ripe seeds are a deadly poison. An
infusion of the seeds in water is so caustic that it has been used to
throw on to Moro pirates and thieves; wherever it touches the body
it burns so terribly that none can suffer it or cure it. Sometimes
it is thrown into the rivers to stupefy the fish, which then float
and can be caught with the hand. When _unripe_ the seeds are made
into a preserve. The seeds have also medicinal properties.
_Cryptogamia_.--Nine families of very luxuriant ferns.
_Cryptogamia_.--_Boletus sanguineus_ (Tagalog, _Culapo_).--A curious
blood-red Fungus.
_Dillenia Reifferscheidia_ (Tagalog, _Catmon_).--A very singular,
showy flower.
_Exocarpus ceramica_, D.C.--A curious Cactus.
_Euphorbia tirucalli_, Linn.--A curious Cactus.
_Erythrina carnea_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Dapdap_).--Grows to 20
feet. Gives a lovely red flower.
_Hibiscus syriacus_, Linn. (Several varieties of Hibiscus.)
_Hibiscus abelmoschus_, Linn.
_Mimosa pudica_, Linn.--_Mimosa asperata_, Blanco (Tagalog,
_Mahihin_).--The "Sensitive Plant," so called because at the least
contact with anything it closes up all the little petals forming
the leaf. It is one of the most curious plants in the Islands. It
has a small red flower. Grows only a few inches from the ground,
among the grass.
_Mimosa tenuifolia_, Blanco.--The "Sensitive Tree," which has the
same property of closing the leaf on contact.
_Mimosa scutifera_, Blanco.--A tree with seed-pods hanging down
like curls.
_Momordica sphoeroidea_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Buyoc-buyoc_).--Climbs high
trees. The fruit is eaten when cooked. Soap is obtained from the roots.
_Nelumbium speciosum_, Wild (Tagalog, _Baino_; Igorrote, _Sucao_).--An
aquatic plant found in the Lake of Bay and other places. Beautiful
pink or red flower. The natives eat the roots and seeds.
_Passiflora laurifolia_, Linn.--A curious Passion-flower, quite
different to the European species.
_Pancratium zeylanicum_ (Tagalog, _Catongal_).--A bulb giving a very
peculiar flower.
_Pinus toeda_.--The only kind of Pine known here. To be found in the
mountains of Mancayan (Lepanto) and Benguet.
_Spathodea luzonica_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Tue_).--Grows to 15 feet. Gives
a gorgeous white flower. Common on the sea-shores. The wood is used
for making guitars and clogs.
_Philippine Orchids_
_The principal Orders_
** Natural crosses or hybrids--rare and valuable.
Genera. Species.
Aerides Augustiarium
Lawrenciae
Marginatum
Quinquevulnerum
Roebelinii
Sanderianum
Bulbophyllum Dearei
Cymbidium Pendulum
Pendulum atro purpureum
Cypripedium Laevigatum
Boxallii
Stonei
Argus
Dendrobium Anosmum
Aurem philippinense
Crumenatum
Erythroxanthum
Dearei
Macrophyllum
Superbum
Superbum giganteum
Platycanlon
Taurinum
Gramatophyllum Measuresianum
Multiflorum
Multiflorum tigrinum
Speciosum
Phalaenopsis Amabalis
**Casta
**Intermedia
**Intermedia brymeriana
**Intermedia portei
**Intermedia lencorrhoda
Luddemaniana ochracia
Schilleriana
Rosea
Sanderiana
Sanderiana punctata
Stuartiana
Stuartiana bella
Stuartiana nobilis
Stuartiana punctatissima
Schilleriana vestalis
Veitchiana
Veitchiana brachyodon
Platyclinis or Cobbiana
Dendrochilum Filiformis
Glumacea
Uncata
Renanthera Storiei
Saccolabeum Violaccum
Blumei
Blumei majus
Sarcochilus Unguiculatus
Vanda Sanderiana
Sanderiana albata
Sanderiana labello viridi
Batemanii
Lamellata boxallii
The generic name for Orchid in Tagalog is _Dapo_.
_Some interesting facts relating to Philippine Botany_
Sweet-smelling _Flowers_ are very rare. Of the few, the most popular
in Manila is the _Sampaguita_ (probably a corruption of the Spanish
name _Santa Paquita_), which is sold made up in necklet form on cotton.
Looking on to the Pasig River at Manila in the early morning,
one often sees large masses of floating verdure of a small-cabbage
appearance. This aquatic plant is the _Pistia stratiotes_, Linn.,
(Tagalog, _Quiapo_).
The firewood in common use as fuel, in great demand, and known as
_Raja de Tangal_, is the _Rhizophora longissima_. It is also useful
for fencing, roof-framing, etc. Another well-known firewood is the
_Rhizophora gynnorhiza_ (Tagalog, _Bacauan_). _Langary_ is also used
as firewood of an inferior quality. They are swamp-trees.
The species _Pteclobyum_ gives the "Locust-bean," as sold at
every little sweetmeat shop in London. This tree (when raised
on or transplanted to highlands) may be called the friend of the
coffee-plant, for it opens its leaves in the sunshine to shade it and
closes them when rain is about to fall, so that the coffee-plant may
be refreshed by the water. Also, at night, it closes its leaves to
give the coffee-plant the benefit of the dew. Another peculiar feature
is that the branches lopped off for household fuel can, when barked,
be used at once, without needing to be dried or seasoned. Its natural
habitat is the mangrove swamp, and the trunk and root give market fuel.
_Colot-colotan_, or _Manquit_, is the Tagalog name given to the
_Chrysopogon aciculatus_, Trin. (Spanish, _Amor seco_)--the little
particles like pointed grass-seeds which stick to one's trousers or
skirt when crossing an uncultivated field and can only be removed by
picking them out one by one.
The Tagalog affix _aso_, to the name of a botanical specimen,
means _pseudo_, i.e. not the genuine species; v.g., _Sincamas_
is the _Decandria--Pachyrhizus angulatus_ (_vide_ p. 321), whereas
_Sincamas-aso_ is the _D.--Pachyrhizus montanus_.
Many places take their names from trees and plants, v.g.:--
Antipolo (Rizal) a tree.
Bauang (Batangas) garlic.
Bulacan (Bulacan) a tree.
Capas (Pangasinan) the cotton-tree (Igorrote
dialect).
Camagon Is. a tree.
Cabuyao (Laguna) a tree.
Calumpit (Bulacan) a tree.
Culasi (Antique) a tree.
Iba (Zambales) a plant.
Lucbang (Tayabas) a small lime.
Lipa (Batangas) nettle.
Quiapo (Manila suburb) an aquatic plant.
Sampaloc (Manila suburb) the tamarind-tree.
Salomague (Ilocos) the tamarind-tree. (Igorrote
dialect).
Tabaco (Albay) the tobacco-plant.
Taal (Batangas) a tree (same as _Ipil_).
Talisay (Batangas) a tree.
_Medicinal Herbs, Roots, Leaves, and Barks_ abound everywhere. Nature
provides ample remedies for dysenteric, strumatic, scorbutic, and
many other diseases. An extensive work on the subject was compiled by
Ignacio de Mercado, the son of a Spanish Creole father and Tagalog
mother, born in 1648 at Paranaque, seven miles from Manila. He was
parish priest in Lipa in 1674, and subsequently held several other
incumbencies up to his death, which took place in Bauang (Batangas)
on March 29, 1698. His MS. passed from the pharmacy of one religious
corporation to another to be copied, and for over a century after
the British occupation of Manila (1762-63) it was supposed to be
lost. Finally, in 1876, it was discovered by Don Domingo Vidal y Soler,
who gave it to the Augustine friars for publication, but I am not
aware that it was ever printed. According to Manuel Blanco, Ignacio
de Mercado's MS. describes 483 medicinal specimens, and attached
to the description are 171 coloured sketches of medicinal plants,
leaves, woods, and barks, and also 35 coloured sketches of plants,
etc., without any description of their medicinal properties. The only
one of these remedies which I have had occasion to test on myself
is _Tagulauay Oil_, extracted from the leaves of the plant called in
Tagalog _Tangantangan_. It is an excellent styptic.
_Ylang-Ylang_ (_Anona odoratissima_, Blanco; _Cananga odorata_,
Hook) and _Champaca_ (_Michelia champaca_, Linn.) yield odoriferous
essential oils, and these fine perfumes are, especially the former,
exported to foreign countries. The export of _Ylang-Ylang_ in the
years 1902 and 1903 amounted to 3,949 and 5,942 gallons respectively.