THE 



GARDENS' BULLETIN. 



5TR3IT5 5t:TTLEnENT5. 



Vol. II. Issued November Hth. No. 3 



THE ROZELLE— HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA. 



In March, 1916, seeds of several races of the Eozelle were re- 

 ceived in the Botanic Gardens, and in 1917 one of them, — a rac-e 

 called " Archer '" — gave in the Economic Garden the splendid crop 

 here figured. It was the second generation of the race grown 

 in Singapore. 



As the Rozelle has been described in the Agricultural Bulletin 

 of the Federated Malay States so recently as 1913 (J. Lamborne, 

 in vol. 11^ p. 57) no general account is called for here: but the 

 means by which this enormous crop was got will be detailed. The 

 seedlings were raised in seed pans and were planted out on low 

 ridges two feet apart, the rows being three feet apart, in March. 

 The planting was too close and there appeared no signs of fruit for 

 A long time. Then to hurry the plants every other row was re- 

 moved in July, and every other plant in the row's, whereupon the 

 flowering commenced. 



Before this happened ]:)lants which had been grown in pots 

 had produced a small crop of fruits — say 25 to a plant, — at 

 6 months and had died. What they produced w^as not a tithe of 

 wliat the bed outside produced. The excellent result with it is 

 .ascribed to the conditions having caused the flowering to be held 

 back until the full vegetative vigour of the plants was established. 

 In pots flowering commences while the plants are weak. 



No records M'ere ke])t of the return; but the photograph was 

 taken when the plants had already been much picked over. 



Jelly was experimentally made and with success, and fruit 

 widely distributed in Singapore. 



" Archer " is a white-fruited race. Therefore a little coche- 

 nille is desirable in the jelly to improve its appearance when it is 

 intended to l)e used as an alternative for Red Current Jelly. 



Mr. P. J. Wester in the Philippine Agricultural Review, VII, 

 191-1, p. 267, says he had received the race "Archer" from Mr. 

 A. S. Archer, of Antigua, British West Indies, in 1913. 



I, H. BUKKILL. 



