421 



culverts that were silted up. Perhaps there are no records which 

 would show that tlie Malacca river is less constant than formerly, 

 hut it is more than probaible that it is less constant as a consequence 

 of the extensive clearing- of the rolling ground about the Malacca- 

 Negri Sembilan boundary. 



Virgin forest soils are, in Malaya, most interesting. They 

 can l)e destroyed in a few years ; but it would seem that they can 

 only be build up by several tens of years ; perhaps it takes one 

 hundred to restore them. At any rate the real forest trees appear 

 to demand one hundred years§ of preparation 'before they are again 

 at home. Belukar in all its stages is the evidence of soil unfit for 

 them. What they need and the soil hais not got when carrying 

 belidcar is probably porosity plus the Tight soil fauna; and of soil 

 fauna here we are extremely ignoran,t. 



I. H. BURKILL. 



SOME TESTS OF GARDEN VEGETABLES IN 

 SINGAPORE-LETTUCES. 



If reference be made to this Bulletin Vol. 2, No. 1, 1918, p. 

 9, a note will be found by Prof. C. P. Baker upon lettuces tried by 

 him in the Economic Garden,', Singapore. Since then, O'ther lettuces 

 have been tried, and the last of the experiments done, will be re- 

 ported on here. 



The seed came from tliree different firms, Messrs. Sutton and 

 Sons, Reading, England; Messrs. Vilmorin, Paris; and Messrs. 

 Dreer & Co. Philadelphia V. S. A. The lettuces of different origin 

 could not be tried against each other, as it was impossible to sow 

 them together, but those from each firm were grown side by side. 



The metliod of cultivation was as follows : — 



Soil and site. The soil selected for growing these was of two 

 sorts (1) sandy loam; and (2) rich damp loam obtained from peat 

 by constant eultivation, good drainage, and incorporation of lime. 

 The soil was dug over twice, manured with cow manure at the same 

 time, and then left exposed to the sun. After a week or so, beds 

 3 ft. l)road and long according to the site, were made, and kept 

 ready to receive the seedlings. 



As for the sites, they were two : tlie first was above the zone of 

 floods wliich have become somewhat frequent in the Economic 

 Garden in the early part of the year; while the second was liable to 

 flood. The first situation answered well while the weather was wet 

 and in the dry spells with precautions, in giving water, keeping a fine 

 dust mulch and giving shade in the middle of the day. 



Germination and growtti. Soon after the seeds were received 

 they were sown in boxes in a soil with an addition of sand to run 

 off extra water and to prevent damping off. Tlie seed^ usually 



§ Cf. in the Gardens' Bulletin II No. 5, pp. 145—157, an account of 

 Secondary jungle thirty years old, 



