157 



"Whereas it is provided by "The Destructive Pests Ordinance 

 1908" that the Governor in Council may from time to time make 

 such Orders as may to the Governor in Council appear expedient 

 for preventing the introduction into the Colony of any insect, fungus 

 or other pest destructive to agricultural or horticultural crops, or to 

 trees, or plants and for preventing the spreading in the Colony of any 

 such insect, fungus, or other pest" 



"AND WHEREAS information has been received to the effect 

 that a disease of the coconut palm, believed to be the disease known as 

 "WHITE FLY" (Aleyrodicus destructor) has apppeared among 

 coconuts in the Philippines Islands." 



"NOW, THEREFORE the Governor in Council in exercise of 

 the powers conferred on him by the aforesaid Ordinance prohibits 

 until further notice the landing in the Colony of any palmi;, alive or 

 dead, or any stems or foocs or parts of stems or roots of palms or of 

 any products of palms other than such as are expressly exempted 

 from the operation of this Order, from the Philippine Islands, and 

 authorizes the destruction of any such article, if lanrled in the Colony 

 from the Philippine Island. This Order does not apply to dried copra 

 or to oil expressed from coconuts." 



(Sd.) M. S. H. McArthur, 



Clerk of Councils. 

 Council Chamber, 



Singapore, 28th May, 1912. 



THE CASTOR OIL PLANT. 



Having received enquiries from Planters as to the suitability or 

 otherwise of the Castor Oil Plant as a " Catch Crop " for Rubber, it 

 may be helpful to others with like ideas, if a few of the details of this 

 plant are enumerated for their guidance. 



The Castor Plant {Riciniis communis) is probably well known to 

 many Planters in the Peninsula, as scattered plants are generally to 

 be found growing round Tamil Coolie Lines, the coolies sowing a few 

 seeds in order to obtain the oil from the plants thus sown. 



Belonging to the Natural Order Euphorbiaceae, it is thus related 

 Hevea brasiliensis and many other plants yielding valuable oil seeds. 

 It is generally believed to have been originally a native of North 

 Africa, but the plant is now largely cultivated throughout the world, 

 in Tropical and sub-tropical and occasionally in Temperate regions. 



It is said to occasionally attain a height of from 20 to 30 feet, but 

 it rarely if ever attains a larger size than from 5 to 7 feet in the 

 Peninsula. 



