309 



13. A short summary of the work it is intended to carry out on 

 the Experimental Plantations forms the subject of appendix B. 



I have, etc., 



STANLEY ARDEN, 

 Snpt., Experimental PI ant at 1012s. 

 The Secretary to the Resident-General, F.M.S. 



Appendix B. 



1 2th February, ig02. 



Sir, — I have the honour to enclose for your information the fol- 

 lowing short sketch of the work it is intended to carry out in con- 

 nection with the Experimental Plantations. 



2. The initial work must of necessity consist of working up a initial work, 

 collection of economic plants, for experimental purposes and for 

 distribution, if necessary ; of erecting buildings — cooly lines, stores, 



etc. — making roads, drains, etc. Plants of economical value will 

 be introduced from other parts of the tropics and a collection of 

 local economic plants will also be maintained. 



3. Attention will be directed chiefly to those plants of the A botanical 

 greatest utility, but not exclusively, as 1 think it would be a mistake ^J! e ^^ air 

 not to avail ourselves of the opportunity of bringing together a ^ ne £ main " 

 botanical collection, as such a collection would probably contain 



plants destined to become economically important. 



4. Experiments as to the best method of extraction and coagu- 

 lation of rubber will be continued on the older trees on the dif- 

 ferent estates, and new rubber-producing plants will be introduced 

 and their adaptability reported upon. Attention has been drawn 

 to the disparitv in yield of the " Para " rubber, and experiments 

 with a view to accounting for this will be made. 



5. A portion of the ground will be utilised for the growth of Coffee, 

 this important product. An endeavour will be made to establish 

 species new to this country, and the hybridisation and grafting 



of Coffea liberica with other species will receive special attention. 



6. A collection of the various fibre-producing plants will be Fibres, 

 maintained, samples being sent to London for valuation, and the 



cost of upkeep, yield per acre, and other matters regarding the cul- 

 tivation thereof will be reported on from time to time. 



7. There are several acres of land on the sites selected for the Rice. 

 Experimental Plantations suitable for the cultivation of " padi. " it 



is my intention to use this with a view to improving the quality and 

 yield per acre of this product by the introduction of new seed and 

 a process of selection. I believe that in a few years much might be 

 accomplished in this line and possibly a hardier and more robust 

 variety, which would withstand the vary ing conditions of the climate, 

 might be established, thereby considerably reducing the risk of 

 failure. Considering the importance of rice as a staple food, and 

 in view of the important irrigation works being carried out by 



