Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-03-30
WOODS OF THE PHILIPPINES
A Greater Variety Than in Any Other
Country of the World.

The Philippine islands produce a
greater variety OF woods than any
other country in the world, and yet
her forests have scarcely been in
vaded by the agents of commerce. A
limited amount of dye woods Is taken,
and the natives cut for their own use,
but the most valuable woods of the
country are scarcely known beyond
the China coast. No less than so
varieties of hard woods that could
speedily win n place in art and COM
merce thrive throughout the islands,
but very few Of them have ever been
offered in the markets of the world.
China and Japan are the only heavy
buyers, and II samples of the wood
worked up have found their way to
Europe or America their identity as a
product of the Philippines has, as a
rule, been lost. There are several
firms engaged in the trade, and the
amount of local business is quite
large, but the trade does not seem to
have ever been worked up on the
large scale that the merit of the woods
demands.
The chief drawback seems to have
been inaccesslbility, for the best of
the hardwood forests are in the least
civilized localities, and first costs made
it difficult to compete with the other
wood producers of the East. Still, 1t
Is strange that the manifest superior
ity OF the finer woods of the islands
has not won them recognition even
when allowance Is made for the diff
cultles of operating and the expense of
transportation.
The so odd varieties run the scale
Of color from the Jet black ebony to
the lighter shades of cedar, and many
OF them offer as much resistance to
the elements as steel. Dozens of them
withstand the teredo, so troublesome
IN Pacific coast waters, and several
OF them are impervious to the at
tacks of the famous white ants of the
East, White ants are viciously de-
struCtive, and but few substances be-
sides metal are capable of withstand
ing their attacks.
The best known of the Philippine
woods is molave. II is a heavy
brown wood, almost as hard as steel.
The teredo and white ant respect 1t,
and the trying dampness and burn
ing heat Of its native country do not
affect 1t. 1t has come into general
use. and In Manila you may see 1t in
use MS a railway sleeper In a panel In
some drawngroom, as the keel OF
a ship, or fashioned into the figure of
some saint in u church. 1t possesses
immense strength, and enters very
largely into the heavier building OPP
eratlons, but 1t seems almost unfor-
tunate that 1t cannot be preserved for
more artistic purposes, rhe interior
of the Jesuit church of Manila is fin
ished In molave, and there are few
prettier pieces of woodwork in the
world The carvings are by master
hands and are Of surprising beauty.
The wood takes n splendid polish. The
trees are nearly all defective, In that
they have heart cup, but hat does not
affect the wood.
Dungeon Is the substitute for molave
when the latter cannot be obtained IN
sufficient sizes for the purposes de-
sired. 1t is variety of the Herculia
ambiformis, and Is generally known
, as ironwood. 1t is largely used for
ship building. although it is said that
1t does not resist the teredo, and is
also used In building. 1t is rarely put
to finer uses.--New York Tribune.