64 
formation  of  a Forest  Department  here  some  slight  modifications 
will  be  found  convenient. 
With  respect  to  the  reclaiming  of  abandoned  mining  land,  I would 
first  urge  that  if  possible  the  miners  on  abandoning  the  land  should 
be  compelled  to  level  the  large  spoiiheaps  as  these  are  very  trouble- 
some to  deal  with  in  planting.  I have  examined  the  abandoned 
land  at  Pudu  and  notice  that  there  is  but  little  lalang  there,  but 
that  the  ground  is  being  covered  with  a vegetation  of  common 
grasses,  weeds  and  small  shrubs,  and  I think  it  is  clear  that  there 
will  be  no  great  difficulty  in  replanting  it  now  with  trees  if  suitable 
kinds. are  used.  1 should  recommend  the  following  trees  for  these 
places  : — 
Kelat  (Eugenia  lineata),  Bintangor  Bunga  (Calophyllum  inopyl- 
lum),  Tembusu  (Fagraea  fragrans).  These  trees  are  useful  tim- 
' bers,  the  latter  one  of  our  most  valuable  kinds  of  which  there  is 
but  little  in  the  State.  Also  the  following  inferior  timbers  which 
would  serve  to  cover  the  ground  and  aid  in  forming  humus; — Ru 
(Casuarina),  Jambu  Ayer  Laut  (Eugenia  grandis),  Ketapang  (Ter- 
minalia  Catappa),  Gelam  (Melaleuca). 
This  latter  to  be  planted  where  water  has  accumulated.  The 
trees  should  be  planted  in  blocks  at  first  pretty  close  together,  so 
as  to  form  small  woods  and  eventually  the  interspaces  would  fill 
up  or  could  be  planted  up.  The  trees  would  have  to  be  protected 
against  the  attacks  of  goats  and  cows  till  they  were  grown  up 
sufficiently.  Seeds  or  young  plants  of  the  trees  above  mentioned 
could  be  procured  from  Singapore.  1 he  (wpenses  need  not  he 
very  heavy  especially  if  the  seeds  are  raised  in  nurseries  near  the 
places  to  be  afforested. 
H.  X.  KIDI.EY. 
'June  I iSq6, 
RED  BEETLES  IN  COCONUTS. 
Mr.  Dun  MAN  who  owns  large  Coconut  Estates  in  Singapore 
writes;  “There  are  still  a few  red  beetles  about  Tanjong  Katong, 
1 have  recently  got  half  a dozen  on  the  old  worn  out  trees  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  ‘^grove’C  Considering  that  4 years  ago  we  had 
to  cut  away  some  15  or  20  acres  of  trees  for  this  reason,  it  is  mar- 
vellous that  there  are  so  very  few  of  them  about.”  'I'he  greater 
part  of  these  beetles  came,  1 think,  from  the  small  native  gardens 
in  the  Gaylang  and  Kochore  district.  The  one  or  two  trees  in 
each  little  patch,  having  been  attacked,  the  owner  never  thought 
it  worth  while  to  do  anything  to  the  tree  to  save  it,  and  simply 
gathered  what  nuts  there  were  till  the  tree  was  dead.  All  these 
infected  trees  were  destroyed  by  the  Inspector,  and  the  breeding 
ground  of  these  red  beetles  was  practically  cleared  away.  Hence 
the  disappearance  of  the  pest. — (EDITOR). 
