594 



No. I alone, or mixed with red soil (No. 2) are both good com- 

 posts suitable for a great number of pot plants, but as in the case 

 of many other plants the advantage of adding manure can be seen 

 by the difference in the growth of the manured and un manured 

 Balsams. Red soil alone is wanting in the requisites of plant food 

 and is too binding, it should be mixed with a liberal quantity of old 

 cattle manure of leaf-mould or both. 



Co co-nut- fib re refuse by itself is very poor but saturated with 

 manure it will grow many things, and as a means of keeping soil 

 open and free it may often be used in small quantities as an ad- 

 mixture, 



C. CURTIS. 



AGRICULTURAL SHOWS. 



The Editor has received the following Correspondence dealing 

 with Mr. CURTIS' proposals for making our Agricultural Shows 

 more systematic and useful."* The suggestions and emendations 

 seem to be mostly very suitable. The Resident of Perak points 

 out that it would be unfair to allow Botanic Gardens to compete 

 with individuals- This I think goes without saying, nor do I think 

 it has ever been done in the Straits at least so far as Singapore 

 and Penang is concerned. But all Government gardens should 

 exhibit new or well grown plants, samples of produce etc. not for 

 competition. This brings new cultivations to the sight of the 

 visitors to the Show, Native and European. The same applies to 

 persons trading in plants, not bond fide private cultivators. 



The British Resident. Selangor, suggests that certificates should 

 be given by the District Officer or some other trustworthy person 

 as to the genuineness of the exhibits, that they are bond fde the 

 produce of the exhibitor's land. This would entail a very great 

 deal of extra work on the part of all, and I fear in many cases 

 would be impracticable, and certainly so in the case of mineral 

 exhibits which he suggests. Undoubtedly, I have seen specimens 

 of produce which were certainly not grown in the district, at some 

 shows, but in many cases, the fact is obvious to any judge. 



Manufactures and Art Industries. It would not be easv if pos- 

 sible to have the process of actual manufacture shown in all cases. 

 The definition of what should be classed as a manufacture and 

 what as a work of art should be left to the local Committee. Pot- 

 terv, e.g. put under Works of Art by the Resident of Perak could 

 come under either heading. 



Minerals are suggested as suitable for exhibition by the Resident 

 of Selangor. Personally 1 do not agree. In the first place it would 

 be very difficult to decide where the specimens came from. Again 

 I do not see any advantage in exhibiting mineral specimens for 

 prizes, as beside the lortune of finding a lode or deposit t lie exhi- 

 bitor has not dene anything in the way of work, to make competi- 

 tion justifiable, nor probably would exhibits of mineral be of much 



* No, 1 2-? , 505, 



