3°7 



EXPERIMENTAL PLANTATIONS, 



REPORT FOR 1901. 



Kuala Lumpur, 15th February, 1902. 



Sir, — I have the honour to forward my report in connection with 

 the Experimental Plantations for the year 1901. 



2. The selection of a suitable site for the Experimental Planta- Selection of 

 tions has proved to be a somewhat difficult matter, there being Slte * 

 many questions to be taken into consideration which do not affect 



the average planter. Above all, it was considered essential that 

 these plantations should be situated as centrally as possible, and the 

 Klang district was fixed upon as being, perhaps, the chief agricul- 

 tural district in the States, and easily accessible from any part of the 

 Peninsula, being in touch with the railway and in close proximity 

 to Port Swettenham. Unfortunately, most of the land in this dis- 

 trict has been alienated. A block of land near the Padang Jawah 

 station — the only available land near the railway which was likely 

 to meet the requirements —was inspected, but after a thorough ex- 

 amination was deemed unsuitable. 



3. I desire here to record my thanks to the Chairman of the Ackr »owledg- 

 Unifed Planters' Association (E. V. Carey, Esq.), the Chairman of J^Stsmcc 

 the Selangor Planters ' Association (W. VV. Bailey, Esq.), and other afforded, 

 members of these Associations, for the kind assistance rendered in 



the exploration of this land. 



4. On behalf of the Selangor Rubber Syndicate, Mr. Bailey very 

 kindly offered to allow Government to resume 200 acres of their 

 estate subject to the approval of his Directors. This offer was 

 accepted, Government agreeing to pay the sum of §500 as compen- 

 sation for survey fees and other expenses incurred. 



5. The site selected is part of portion G. 2,357. ^ ^ s situated Situation of 

 about midway between Kuala Lumpur and Klang, being close to proposed site, 

 the Batu Tiga station. It has a railway frontage of about three- 

 quarters of a mile, which forms the northern boundary, the eastern 



and south-eastern boundaries being the Damansara river. 



6. The transfer of the land has taken a considerable time, a cir- Delay in 

 cumstance apparently unavoidable, but, nevertheless regrettable, as transfer, 

 the work has been seriously handicapped in consequence. In the 

 meantime, some nurseries have been commenced on Government Nurseries 

 land close by, where it will be possible to work up a considerable commenced, 

 stock of plants ready for planting as soon as the proposed site be- 

 comes available. For experimental purposes, it would have been 

 advantageous to have procured a site which comprised, to some ex- 

 tent, the various character of soils in use on the different estates. 



These, however, differ so widely that it was impossible to represent 

 them on one small block of land. The ground on the site selected 

 is chiefly undulating, the soil being somewhat heavy and rather de- ^* ure ° £ 

 ficient in organic matter. There are suitable sites for the erection 



