57 



Bri riSH Residency. 

 No.. 2304/1903. Pahang, 20th November, rgoj % 



Subject : 



Encouragement of Agriculture among Natives. 



Sir,— 



I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 

 7259, on the subject of the encouragement of agriculture among 

 natives. 



2. I am of opinion that the scheme suggested by the Superin- 

 tendent, Experimental Gardens, would, if well carried out, greatly 

 promote the improvement and extension of agriculture. Its suc- 

 cess would, however, depend almost entirely on the personality of 

 the officer who was entrusted with the duty of bringing it into 

 operation, and I recommend that no action be taken in the matter 

 until the post of Director of Agriculture has been rilled and the 

 Agricultural Advis'ory Board been established. 



I have, etc., 



WAR REX D. BARNES, 

 Acting British Resident, Paining. 

 The Resident-General. F.M.S. 



British Residency, 

 R.-G.O. 7390/03 Perak, Taiping, 23rd November, /<joj. 



Subject : 



Encouragement of Agriculture among Natives. 

 Sir,— 



In reply to your letter No. 7259/03, of the 7th of November, 1903, 

 in which you invite an expression of my opinion upon the views ut 

 the Superintendent of Experimental Plantations on the subject of 

 the encouragement of agriculture among natives. I have the honour 

 to offer the following remarks. 



2. Mr. Arden's proposals are based upon the assumption that 

 the principal obstacle to the extension of native agriculture is the 

 difficulty experienced in the preparation and disposition of produce. 

 That is a conclusion with which I am unable to agree, i do nut 

 think that the mind of the Malay padi planter, the Javanese gardener 

 or the Chinese vegetable grower has ever been troubled either bv 

 the condition in which his produce is put upon the market, or by a 

 desire to dispose of it to better advantage. The only market which 

 he thinks about is that which lies immediately at his door. If he 

 finds that there is a profit worth making in growing produce for 

 that market, he will do so, but whenever he finds that he can make 

 more monev at something else he will abandon his cultivation. 



3. As I have had occasion to point out on more than one occa- 

 sion, the real cause of the backward condition of native agriculture 



