500 



TUE rnoptcAt AGmcvLTvmsf. 



[SEinf* Ig lS%6, 



Ord. Gbamine^. — Belong, Gynotochloa aspera ('/) : — 

 A bamboo the yoi'Dg shoots of which are exteusively 

 u>ed amoug the? Chinese as a ve^jetable aud tor pre- 

 serves. 



Jaggong, (Maize): — Is grown to some extent and 

 usp'l greeu as a vegetable. 



Ord. Paljie.i;. — I'iaang, Klapa, Areca and Oocos : — 

 Heart or growing point used as salad. Supply very 

 limited. 



2. From the foregoing it will be seen that there 

 are about eighty kiuds of vegetables at present more 

 or Ipss iu cultivatiou in the colony. Of that number, 

 but few are exclusively Chinese, but a good deal of 

 the seed from which they are grown comes from 

 China. Tfle cultivation is, however, much at fault, 

 there being a tendency to produce qnanti'y instead 

 of quality, and some control over present system of 

 cultivation seems necessary. 



o. The following 45 kinds of vegetables of species 

 cultivated iu England have been tried, in Penang, at 

 1,000 feet elevation, and in Singapore at about loO 

 feet, with results as follows : — 



II.— Vegetablks Groav.m for Trial. 

 Giant As2iarayvs, in Penang grew freely, but not 

 to a large size. 



■D A -nr- A -D ) Flowered iu Singapore and 



Broad ^\mdsor Beans. } p^^^j,g,^^^tf^il^^|o»;^.t fruit. 

 Scarlet Runners, ... Failed quite everywhere. 

 Egyptian Turnip, rooted ) j^j^^ ^^,1 j^ p^^^^^g 



JjCCtJj ••• ••• «•• ) 



Delt's Flower Garden ) Grew fairly well in Singapore, 



Beet, J not tried in Penang, 



B.occoli, ^ 



Brussels Sprouts, ... j Grew leaves only in the open 

 Cabbage, Large White | ground, makes better centre 

 Erfurt, }- when grown in Pots. Pen- 



Cabbage, Early Blood | ang and Singapore experi- 



Eed, I ments gave same results. 



Cabbage, Savoy, ... J 



Carrots-Early short ^ ^^^^ ^g^ ^^^^j^ j^ p^^^^g and 



n ?T^ r 4.'"^ T > Singapore, but of inferior 

 Carrot Earhest French T ^ JV^ .^, gj^ 



forcmg, ) 



Cress, Curled, | All grew well in Penang and 



Oress,American, ... > Singapore- Succeeded better 



Cress, Indian. ... ... J in Penang. 



Grew fairly well in Penang 



Failed in Singapore. 



Sundringham Celery, ) Grew fairly in Penang- 



Cos defiant Celery, "1 



Williams' Matchless 



Telegraph Cucumber' 



Celery, 



Major Clark's Ked 

 Celery, 



Dandelion 



Musselburgh Leek, ... 



Kole Rabi 



Lettuce, Cabbage, 



Lettuce, Tom Thumb, 



Carter's Giant White 

 Cos, ,. 



Carter's Giant Brown, 



Melon, 



Mustard, 



Onion, ThR Queen, .. 



The Student Parsnip, 



Parsley, 



Peas, Ring-leader, .. 



Peas, Best of all, 



Potatoes, Early Ash- 

 leaf, 



Raddish, 



Horse Raddish, 



Rhubarb, 



Sea Kale, 



Turnip, Early French, 



"Grew to leaves 

 gapore. 



only 



m 



Sin- 



Grew weli iu Peuaug aud 

 Singapore. 



Grew well iu Penang. 

 Do Do. and Singapore. 



L 



.Succeeded perfectly iu Penang 

 f and fairly well in Singapore. 



, Failed everywhere. 

 , Grew freely everywhere. 

 , Grew well in Penang. 

 Grew well in Peuaug, 

 . Everywhere a success. 

 . Grew fairly well iu Peuaug. 

 . Failed in Singapore. 



}Grew to a fair size, but rather 

 watery in quality. 

 ,. All kiuds grew well. 

 . Grew well. 



1 Grew well for u time iu I'eu- 

 •• 5 ang. Failed in Singapore. 

 .. Failed everywhere. 

 ) Grew well in Penang; not 

 ( tried in Singapore, 

 Turnip, .\mericau Strap I Grew well in Singapore ; not 



leaf, ) tried in Penang. 



„, , 7 All kinds grew well, ebpecially 



aonaatoes, , ^ tte amaJJ variety. 



Jerusalem Artichoke, Failed in Singapore. 



"1 Failed in Singapore, but pro- 

 Globe Do ... > duced a few flowers in Pen- 



j ang. 



vox HEBB.S. 



Sage "1 



Thyme, ... j^ ^j ^^.^^ ^^^.jj in Penang aud 



'" )■ Siugupore. Sage and Thyme 

 " ', best in Penang. 



Sweet Mar jorum 

 Spear Miut. 

 Pepper Miut, ... 

 Sweet Ba.sil, J 



4. It will be admitted that these results carry 

 with them a large amount of success, and all 

 that seems required to keep up a supply is the 

 issuing of a standing order to a seedsman to send a 

 regular supply of seeds of such as have succeeded 

 and the appointment, for a year or two, of an intelligent 

 person well acquainted with vegetable cultivation to 

 superintend the distribution of seeds and regulate 

 bazaar supply. 



He should keep a register of all growers for sale 

 aud submit, for the information of Government, 

 periodical reports on the progress of new vegetables, 

 and encourage cultivators by liberal assistance. 



5. By this means private enterprise would be stim- 

 ulated and the object desireil obtained without 

 causing the iujm-y to cultivators which the estabUsh- 

 ment of a Government, vegetable garden for bazaar 

 supply woidd entail upon them. 



III.— Other Economic Plants. 



6. Coca-leaf. — The seed of coca was much iu 

 demand during the early part of the year, but the 

 value of the leaf has now fallen so low that it would 

 hardl y pay to cultivate it in the Straits. 



7. Ct'M'l'-f. — There is at present but little cubeb 

 pepper in cultivation iu the Straits. Some plants 

 lately received from Dr. Treub have been placed in 

 the Experimental Nursery for trial. Samples of a 

 large consignment from India of prepared cubeb pepper 

 were received at the Garden from a Smgapore mer- 

 chant for botanical determination. The samples turned 

 out to be only one-third cubebs, the remaioder Pi- 

 per nigrum, or some allied specimens. Cubebs can 

 always be distinguished from Piper nigrum by the 

 berries having little stalks. 



9. Blo.ck Pepper.— Tlhe rise in the price of black and 

 white pepper has stimulated the cultivation of the 

 plant both in the colony and elsewhere. Several 

 demands from other colonies have been made for the 

 Singapore variety, which is acknowledged to be of 

 superior quality- 



10. I made a special visit to the Achiuese plantr 

 atious in Province Wellesley, where the plant is 

 wdtivated differently from the mode practised by the 

 Chinese, but the difference only proved to be be what 

 may be summed up in the word neglect, and bore 

 no comparison to the better and higher cultivation 

 as practised by the Chinese. The adoption of living 

 supports by the Achinese (Badup) is a point I would 

 recommend, however, as in everyway more natural 

 and economical than dead wood as used by the Chinese. 



11. Tea.—'Iha cultivation of tea is likely to prove 

 a success in the Straits if handled with forethought 

 aud care. The chief drawback is the tendency the 

 soil has to rent aud fissure, even during a short 

 period of drought, but this could be remedied by 

 making special compost and planting in large holes. 



12. Cardamoms. -Further experiments with Carda- 

 moms show that the atmosphere in Siug^ipore and 

 Penang is apparently too dry for the proper cultiv- 

 ation of the plant, but it would no doubt succeed 

 admirably iu some parts of the Native States. 



13. 0/ow/)ier.— Observations have .shewn that the 

 gambier plant may be cultivated for forty or fifty 

 years on the same land without the land becoming 

 e.xhausted, if properly cultivated. This is the opposite 

 to the general opinion. I measured the stems of 

 some plants of the age mentioned and found them 

 about 18 inches in circumference clo-e to the ground 

 and still bearing large quautitips of leaves. 



14. Croto?i Oil— The Crotow Oil plant produces 

 geed freely in Singapore, and could no doubt b» 



