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ed to the several branch nurseries where they could be grown on 

 and sold to the native cultivators at cheap rates. By this scheme it 

 was hoped that the branch nurseries would become self supporting and 

 prove valuable agents in* the distribution of improved strains of native 

 fruits. It was also proposed to train native Instructors at the central 

 establishment who in turn could instruct the native in the up-to-date cul- 

 tural methods. Further it was proposed that seeds and plants of fruits 

 from other tropical countries should be obtained and distributed. 



This scheme in a slightly modified form, was adopted by Govern- 

 ment and is now in operation. It is hoped as time goes on that this new 

 departure will develop and form the nucleus of a thoroughly organized 

 system throughout the Federated Malay States and Straits Settlements. 



Until such a scheme matures • 'and instruction is available it is 

 scarcely reasonable to expect that the native cultivator will abandon 

 his present haphazard methods and adopt more up-to-date ideas ; but 

 in the meantime much can be done by estate owners and others who 

 are in the habit of growing fruit for their own use or for sale. Their 

 efforts would certainly demonstrate to the natives in their immediate 

 neighbourhood the advisibility of adopting the same methods. The 

 increased price of the produce from those estates should form the 

 strongest argument in favour of their adopting the same methods. 



The formation of fruit being influenced by different methods of 

 cultivation and the grower having it within his power to determine the 

 development of flower to a great extent it is hoped that to those who 

 are interested in the improvement of the cultivation of tropical fruits 

 the following few remarks may be of some value. 



In all our agricultural efforts we seek to increase the value of our 

 plants by increasing the quality and quantity of their crops or by de- 

 creasing the time necessary for their production. The means at our 

 disposal for attaining this desired end are many and in adopting these 

 the agriculturist is making use of general experience which has been 

 accumulated during years of practice. 



In all cases in which the market value of a plant lies in its flowers, 

 or in the resulting product of those flowers, — the fruit, — it is desirable 

 to increase as much as possible the number of flowering buds. To do so 

 it is necessary to discourage the formation of needless vegetative organs 

 (leaves) and encourage the development of the flowering buds by induc- 

 ing the plant to store up a plentiful supply of food material in the 

 stems and branches as reserve material. In practice it is' common to 

 observe that the excessive formation of leaves and sappy branches is 

 detrimental to the production of flowers. In all cases it proves to be 

 advantageous to counteract this by pruning. By this means the food 

 material is thrown into the dormant flower buds which consequently 

 develop in greater numbers. 



If left to itself for any length of time a fruit tree in the tropic soon 

 develops a great number of these barren branches and the crown 

 becomes a tangled mass which prevents the entrance of light and air 

 and uses up a needless quantity of the food reserve at the expense of 

 the fruit crop. It can therefore be seen that pruning is necessary in 

 fruit trees if the best results are desired. This is particularly the case 

 with Mangosteens, Rambutans, Mangoes and other Jclose growing fruit 



