316 



Figs, introduced, 1886 and 1888, have made but slow growth, but 

 have fruited from time to time giving fairly good fruit, but rather 

 flavourless. 



Grapes. — The vine was probably introduced in Portuguese times, 

 and frequently since. It has never been really successful, though 

 grapes, of the style known as sweet-water, were fruited formerly in 

 Singapore on one or two vines. 



The heavy rain storms of the Peninsula militate much against its 

 growth. 



The Saigon Vine, Vitis martini, was introduced in 1888. It 

 grows well and fruits heavily, but the grapes are poor, and hardly 

 eatable. An attempt was made to make wine of it in French Indo- 

 China, but the verdict of the connoisseurs was that the wine was 

 detestable. 



The Blackberry, Rubus fruticosus, was introduced in 189 1, and 

 failed to fruit, though it grew well at first. Mr. CURTIS introduced 

 to Penang Hill an Indian species with black fruit, which did very 

 well, for some years, and also the Rubus rosae fo/ius, an orange 

 fruited species from the hills of the Peninsula, which has several 

 times been in cultivation in Singapore. Another Rubus from 

 Uganda said to bear good fruit was introduced into Singapore 

 Botanic Gardens, in 1904. It has not fruited yet. The trouble 

 with these Blackberries consists in the difficulty of preserving the 

 fruits from the attacks of birds which plunder the bushes. 



Mangos. — Many good strains were introduced from all parts of 

 the world and distributed, the local strains being very poor. 



Barbados cherry (1888), Kugenia uniflora, E. braziliensis and E. 

 Pitango. — The tree tomato {Cyphomandra betacca, which fruits well 

 on the Perak Hills, and many other small fruits were introduced also 

 by the Botanic Gardens, Singapore. 



From the above account of the introduction of the various plants 

 most commonly cultivated in the Malay Peninsula, it will be seen 

 that the statement that most important plants have been introduced 

 by private persons is altogether erroneous. The plants of common 

 tropical cultivation, it is true, found their way into the uncultivated 

 parts of the Malay Peninsula, often, hundreds of years ago, but by 

 whom and how is quite unknown. Many, perhaps, came quite acci- 

 dentally. Of the rest of the important exotics, nearly every one 

 was introduced, cultivated, propagated and dispersed to various 

 parts of the Peninsula by the Botanic Gardens of Singapore and 

 Penang. These Gardens were maintained out of Colonial funds 

 only, but as it was clear very early that the Malay States would 

 eventually be the main agricultural district of the Peninsula, these 

 States, as they were gradually developed, were assisted by the 

 supply of plants, and information to the fullest possible extent, by 

 the Colonial Gardens at no cost to the Government of the Malay 

 States. J 



