AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITS 



AND 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



No. 9.] SEPTEMBEE 1909. [Vol. VIII 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



KEPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE 

 FOR THE YEAR 1908. 



The fourth annual report of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, Federated Malay States, records a year of satis- 

 factory progress in agriculture, especially in regards to 

 rubber cultivation. 



No outbreak of serious pests or diseases has to be 

 chronicled, and good growing weather prevailed all the year 

 round. 



The Department of Agriculture has progressed in 

 equipment and staff. The Government Entomologist, Mr. 

 H. C. Pratt, has been transferred to the staff, an addition 

 of much gain to agriculture, since he can now devote his 

 entire time to problems of insect pests on cultivated crops 

 and demonstrate the best methods for preventing such at- 

 tack and for treating a disease when it has begun its in- 

 juries. The importance of such work in a country possess- 

 ing large acres of valuable cultivations cannot be over- 

 estimated. 



The Government Entomologist gives a detailed report 

 of the work he did since joining the department in Sep- 

 tember. He has, after investigating on estates in different 

 districts the habits of the Termes gestroi, the white ant 

 attacking rubber, commenced a series of experiments with 

 various curative and preventive measures, some of which 



