54* 



"That for a second offence no excuse shall be expected by the 

 Inspector. 



" That the burying of uprooted trees should not under any cir- 

 cumstances be allowed, the Enactment being amended, if necessary 

 to provide against this. 



"That the Inspector should pay special attention to the enforce- 

 ment of section 6 of the Enactment with respect to the breeding 

 places of beetles. 



" That all other palms which are infested .by the coconut beetle 

 shall be deemed to be 'breeding places' within the meaning of the 

 Enactment and dealt with accordingly. " 



It was agreed to alter the draft resolution and to insert the word 

 European before Inspector. 



The Chairman said he was in a position to state that the High 

 Commissioner had interested himself in the matter and it was satis- 

 factory to know that he had his sympathy. As regards the breeding 

 places of the beetle he considered that all rubbish heaps, serdang, 

 and sago trees where the beetles are known to breed should be 

 treated as such, and that uprooted trees should on no account be 

 buried. 



There seemed to be no complaint of beetle in either Negri Sem 

 bilan or Perak, and he thought that wh.-n the Enactment was pro- 

 perly carried out Selangor would also be free from them. 



Mr. MEIKLE said that he concurred entirely with what the Chair- 

 man had said, but if the matter was not taken in hand at once he 

 was afraid that coconut cultivation would be impossible. He went 

 over an estate a few days previously which was covered with dead 

 serdang and other palms in which the beetle breeds, but the coconut 

 trees showed no signs whatever of being attacked, proving that if 

 the pest is taken in hand at once there need be no fear of the beetle 

 attacks becoming dangerous. 



Meeting terminated at .1.30 p.m. 



Eor the Committee, 



HERBERT M. DARBY, 

 Hon, Secretary, U. P. A., F.M.S. 



A LARGE INDIAN MELON. 



A very fine fruit of the Indian Melon {Cucumis melo var momor- 

 dica) was grown at Government House, Singapore, in sandy soil. 

 It was dark green mottled with lighter colour, and weighed sixteen 

 pounds and a-half with a length of 2 feet 3 inches and a circum- 

 ference at the broadest end of 1 fcot 10 inches. It had not much 

 flavour but is said to be very wholesome and is an important article 

 of food in India. 



II. X. R. 



