AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITS 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



THE HERBARIUM. 



Thi s month we give a photograph of the Herbarium and Museum 

 Elding put up in the Gardens in 1903 at a cost of $5,926.00. 

 . The little building measures IOO feet by 28 feet, and is divided 

 Mo t W p portions, the larger of which contains the herbarium, the 

 smaller a collection of specimens of fibres, rubbers, dammars, 

 Wans and other useful local products. The collection of wood 

 ^ecimens is also housed in this building The pillars of the verandah 

 J the ornamental work around it is^made of branches and stems 

 me rou 8 h barked Tembusu tree Fagraea fragrans. 

 p J H he im Portance of forming a collection of local vegetable 

 EsS e u refer ence and study is recognized by all Botanic 

 build- S and an attempt was made to obtain a suitable 



umT g f ear, y as ^84 and at later dates but these were 

 JJ successful. There being no place to even store these useful 

 such" * 55 ,9 ° 3 ' to form an ade q uate representative collection 

 Mr ut 1S P° sse ssed by other Botanic Gardens was useless. 

 Ms Re Coll INS, the first Government Botanist, well known for 

 of P° n 011 the Caoutchouc of Commerce, made a good collection 

 some and resins, rubbers, fruits, drugs, etc., which was kept for 

 the M yearS m the Raffl es Museum, but eventually transferred to 

 collert,J? m of the Botanic Gardens. Other specimens were 

 of „.J!y ater » a * means was found to store them. The collection 

 specif S P ecim ens was commenced in 1889 and continually 

 °f local W ; ere added > making it a very fairly complete collection 

 ^nie s ers nearl y a11 accurately identified with their scientific 



G i! I l rbarium was started by Mr. Murton, the first head of the 

 from i: , 1 Mr Collins had brought a number of dried plants 

 s Pecime r' mostl y fr om Ward's collections and containing 

 ^\VW- 0m lnd, 'a and the peninsula collected by WALLICH 

 Plants u aS Wel1 as ma "y European, Australian and American 

 iviany G f these were in poor condition and had been 



