PHILIPPIN E MAHOGANY

And The Magnitude Of The Forests Of Th E Philippine Islands

By D. J. CAHILL President Western Hardwood Lumber Co., Los Angelcs

The Philippine Islands are becoming increasingly im: portant as thi region to which we must look 'in'the future for a supply of hardwoods to meet the ever increasing demands of the building and 'manufacturing industries.

Nature has been eiceedingly generous to the Philippine Islands in providing an endless variety of trees, a large percentage of which are hardwoods. The repor,t of the Forestry-Bureau of the Philtippines shows over twenty-five hundred varieties of trees ir the Islands, four hundred of which are commercially valuable, while in the whole of thd United States and Canada there are fewer than seven hundred varieties, one hundred and twenty-five of which are suitable for commercial purposes.

There are forty thousand square miles of forests in the Philippines comprising what is said to be the finest stand of timbii on the fice oflhe globe. In additior to this there are over twenty thousand square miles of second growth timber. Many of the trees grown in the Islands attain immense propoitions, both in diameter and height, and be- gives evidence of the growing recognition of the merits of the woods.

The established dealers in Glifornia have handled Philippine Mahogany for a number of years, 1"4 by a persistenl- carnpaign of-education have succeeded in developing a market here which is probably eqlal to, if not greater than, any other section of the United States.

It is true that ad first dhere was considerable co,rnplaint becaus-e of the prevalence of worn holes in this lumber, but now tie m,anufacturers in the Islands are alrive to the requirements of the American market, and. at !h-e present -time the greater portion of the lumber received here is of the grade known as No. 1 Export, and is p-ractically free from ivormholes, the wormy lumber and other low grades going largely to China aird Austrialia.

Some of the low grade lu,mber is still brought to this market, but it is sold: for what it actually 'is, an{1! prices low enougth to perrnit it to be used instead of Fir{ in the sides the numerous species now in general use, for the more practical purposes, the forests yield a vast number of rare and beautiful woods wlhich delight the eye of the lover of hardwoods.

The more common varieties which have found their way into the commercial field are rthe 'Red and White Lauans, the Almon, and the Tanguile, all of which have been grouped under the general term "Philippine Mahogany." The White Lauan and Almon are light red in color, and the Red Lauan and Tanguile dark red, and lvhen stained and finished it is i,mpossible for the uninitiated, and difficult for even the expert, to identify the various woods.

Some of these Philippine woods are on rthe market under trade names, but while these distinguishing appellations give a certain musical attribute to a sales talk, the purchasers all get very much the same thing.

- Philiippine Mahogany has consistently advanced in the estimation of hardwood users rtihroughout the County, and especially in 'southern California, and the -constantly .incriasing- der4and, particularly for use as interior finish, moderately priced homes and apartments.

In addition to the woods used for interior finish and cabinet purposes, the Philippine Islands produce several varietties suitable for automobile and truck bodies; among which are Apitong, Lumbaya,o, and Guijon some 0f which are also handled under trade names. These woods sell at lower prices than'Oak or Ash, and have proven excellent substitutes.

The Philippine woods are here to stay' and their use will continue to increase as they become better known, and particularly because of the constantly increasing prices and growing sc,aroity of our native hardwoods.

A large pircentagl of ,t:h'e better ho'mes and apartments now being built here ard finished in hardwoods, a gener-ous proportion of which is Philippine Mahogany, and when bwners and' builders realize that it requires but a few hundred feet of lumber to finish a rooln, there will be few dwellings built writhout hardwood finish in at least the main rooms, as the cost of the small quantity of lumber required is burt very little more than the cost of soft woods.