523 



2. Nearly 600 holes were treated on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 

 some of those treated on Tuesday were opened on Wednesday for 

 demonstration purposes and were found to contain dead rats. With the 

 exception of two holes, which probably escaped notice when the liquid 

 was being applied, all those treated remained closed; and on Saturday the 

 Malays could find no open holes. The justifiable inference is that all 

 the rats had been poisoned and were then dead in the burrows. 



3. The liquid was carried in a beer bottle with a special glass 

 stopcock passing through a hole in the cork. The two assistants from 

 the Department poisoned the first dozen holes to show the natives 

 how the work was done. After that it was left to the Malays themselves, 

 but under my supervision or that of my laboratory assistant. 



4. The work was carried on from 10 o'clock to 4 o'clock as all or 

 nearly all the rats are at this time in their burrows. 



5 Two beer bottles were sufficient for 550 holes, but the results 

 of numerous experiments I have carried out lead me to believe that with 

 proper care and improved methods of application one bottle should do 

 quite 500 holes. The quantity contained in one beer bottle costs, de- 

 livered in Kuala Lumpor, between 58 and 59 cents. 



6. Mr. Daly believes that if remedial measures were not taken the 

 rats would totally destroy the padi (nice) in these fields. 



7. The Malays were deeply interested in the work, and seemed so 

 convinced of the efficacy of the liquid that they wished to keep some for 

 future emergencies. 



W. J. Gallagher. 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



Report op the Director of Agriculture for the Year, 1907. 



The report of the third year's work of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, Federated Malay States, records progress made in various 

 directions. 



The buildings in Swettenham Road, where over 100 acres of land 

 suitable for experimental purposes has been reserved, were finished in 

 August, and the various officers of the department took possession of 

 them on the 26th August. 



The light for working purposes in the laboratories is good and 

 the library is suitably housed. The arrangement and fitting of labora- 

 tories, library and offices naturally occupied some time, and the 

 Government Mycologist began the arranging and cataloguing of the 

 books and pamphlets in the library. Much time is lost in answering 

 enquiries or making investigations by the absence of a comprehensive 

 catalogue which enables any notes on a technical subject to be found 

 at once without searching through various books or pamphlets where 

 the information is most likely to be found. The card catalogue system, 

 universally found to be best for such libraries, has been adopted. 



Mr. W. J. Gallagher, the Government Mycologist, took up his 

 appointment on the 4th April. He devoted himself at first to arranging 

 and cataloguing the library and making himself familiar with the 



