Fruits are abundant. There are no less than fifty-seven varieties of the banana. The fame of the Manila mango is universal in the East. There are many sorts of oranges, pines (ananas) in great quantities, guavas, rose-apples, and the mangosteen is found in Mindanao. The chico is a favourite fruit in winter, somewhat resembling the medlar, hut I must refer those who desire more extended information to Father Blanco’s Flora, imperfect though it be.
Among the riches of the Philippine Islands, the forest trees occupy an important place. A collection of 350 specimens was sent to the Royal Exhibition in London in the form of square-based prisms. In the year 1858 Colonel Valdes published a report on the character and resistance of Philippine woods for buildings (maderas de construction). The specimens on which the experiments were made were cubes of one centimetre and prisms of one centimetre square by one metre of breadth. The woods were allowed one year’s drying. Five experiments were made on each, and the average results adopted.
The abbreviations employed in the following tables, which give a synopsis of the results, are:—
| E | Elasticity. |
| F | Strength of cohesion. |
| f | Arc of flexion produced by a constant weight of 1 kilogram hung from the centre. |
| n | Arc at which fracture took place. |
| P | Weight applied at the centre of the arc. |
| c | Distance between the supporters of the wood: in
some 68 centimetres, in others 60. Section of prisms, 1 square centimetre. Length of the same, 1 metre. |
| R | Weight producing fracture at the bend. |
| T | Coefficient of fracture by bending, or
of maximum bend. Resistance is estimated in the direction of the fibres (diagonally) and perpendicularly upon them. |
Scale of Resistance and Special Qualities of Woods, extracted from the Table, pp. 266–71.
Those with an asterisk are little used for building, either on account of their cost, scarcity, or unsuitableness for the purpose.
| 1. Resistance. | 2. Elasticity. | Resistance to action of water. | |||
| Pressure. | Tension or Cohesion. | Tortion. | |||
| Horizontal with the fibre. | Perpendicular upon the fibre. | ||||
| *Ebano. | *Ebano. | Pototan. | Molave. | Malatalisay. | Molave. |
| Alupag. | Palma-brava | Malabugat. | Bitoc. | *Malatapay. | |
| *Balibago. | *Camagon. | Baliti. | Malarujat. | Molave. | Tangan. |
| *Santol. | Camayuan. | Molave. | Yacal. | Laneti. | |
| Molave. | Acre. | Alupag. | Guijo. | Bitoc. | Banabà. |
| *Alintatao. | *Alintatao. | *Balibago. | Alupag. | Malavidondao. | |
| *Camagon. | Ypil. | Yacal. | *Camagon. | Ypil. | Mangachapuy. |
| Palma-brava. | Molave. | *Ebano. | Camayuan. | Tangan. | |
| Calamansanay. | *Santol. | Malavidondao. | Banabà. | Malabugat. | Pototan. |
| *Narra. | *Malatapay. | Bitoc. | *Balibago. | Malacintud. | |
| *Malatapay. | Alupag. | Malacintud. | Amoguis. | Guijo. | Palma-brava. |
| Baliti. | Dongon. | *Pincapincahan. | Calamansanay. | *Narra. | |
| Acre. | *Balibago. | Palo-Maria. | Laneti. | Yacal. | |
| Calantas. | *Narra. | *Manga. | Malavidondao. | *Ebano. | |
| Yacal. | Yacal. | Banabà. | Mangachapuy. | Calumpit. | |
| *Tindalo. | Baliti. | Calumpit. | *Tindalo. | Palma-brava. | |
| Palusapis. | Palo-Maria. | Calamansanay. | *Manga. | Calamansanay. | |
| Mangachapuy. | *Manga. | Palma-brava. | *Alintatao. | Bolongita. | |
| Dongon. | Palusapis. | Palusapis. | Ypil. | *Balibago. | |
| Camayuan. | Pototan. | Malarujat. | *Santol. | Palo-Maria. | |
| Ypil. | Panao. | Bolongita. | Palma-brava. | Sampaloc. | |
| Pototan. | Aninabla. | Tugan. | Bolongita. | *Camagon. | |
| Palo-Maria. | Guijo. | Sampaloc. | Pototan. | Dongon. | |
| Malacintud. | Mangachapuy. | *Santol. | Aninabla. | *Manga. | Molave. |
| Panao. | Calamansanay. | Panao. | *Malatapay. | Acre. | |
| *Manga. | Amoguis. | *Camagon. | Antipolo. | Amoguis. | Yacal. |
| *Pincapincahan. | Banabà. | Anonang. | Dongon. | Lauan. | |
| Guijo. | Anonang. | *Malatapay. | Acre. | *Alintatao. | Palo-Maria. |
| Bolongita. | Bolongita. | *Alintatao. | Malacintud. | Tanguili. | |
| Malavidondao. | Laneti. | Guijo. | Palo-Maria. | *Tindalo. | Guijo. |
| Banabà. | Malabugat. | Lauan. | *Pincapincahan. | *Pincapincahan. | Antipolo. |
| Calumpit. | Malvidondao. | Tanguili. | *Narra. | Panao. | |
| Anonang. | *Tindalo. | *Narra. | Calumpit. | Banabà. | Malavidondao. |
| Malarujat. | *Pincapincahan. | Dongon. | Sampaloc. | Palusapis. | |
| Aninabla. | Malacintud. | Amoguis. | *Ebano. | Malarujat. | Calantás. |
| Bitoc. | Bitoc. | Antipolo. | Tagan. | *Santol. | Bancal. |
| Amoguis. | Tangulin. | Ypil. | Tanguili. | Camayuan. | |
| Laneti. | *Baticulin. | Calumpit. | *Baticulin. | Aninabla. | Malatalisay. |
| Tangan. | Sampaloc. | Malatalisay. | Calantás. | Antipolo. | |
| Sampaloc. | Lauan. | Camayuan. | Panao. | Baneal. | Lauan. |
| Malabugat. | Calumpit. | Aninabia. | Malatalisay. | Alupag. | Aninabia. |
| Tanguili. | Malarujat. | Acre. | Baliti. | Calantás. | Narra. |
| Malatalisay. | Antipolo. | *Tindalo. | Lauan. | Pototan. | |
| Antipolo. | Bancal. | Bancal. | Bancal. | Mangachapuy. | |
| Lauan. | Calantas. | Laneti. | Palusapis. | *Malacatbun. | Mangachapuy. |
| Bancal. | Tangan. | Mangachapuy. | Malabugat. | *Baticulin. | |
| *Baticulin. | Malatalisay. | *Malacatbun. | Anonang. | Anonang. | Calamansanay. |
| *Malacatbun. | *Malacatbun. | *Baticulin. | *Malacatbun. | Baliti. | Malacintud. |