107 



Miscellaneous. 



work lying to hand, yet as far as is possible this is done, and, when an Agricultural 

 Chemist and Entomologist are appointed, still more can be done. Briefly, the 

 functions of the Department are — 



(1) The study of various physiological, and pathological botanical questions 

 bearing on the economic plants of the Malay States. 



(2) The care of the health of all cultivated plants and constant watch for the 

 earliest signs of any disease, that steps may be at once taken to eradicate it ; 



(3) The carrying on of experiments in agriculture and horticulture ; 



(-1) The introduction and trial of new economic plants suitable for profitable 

 cultivation and the distribution of seeds and plants of these to those wishing to 

 begin the cultivation ; 



(5) The giving of advice and information on agricultural, botanical and 

 horticultural questions. 



I arrived in Malaya in June and proceeded at once to form plans for the 

 organisation and equipment of the department. Temporary accommodation was 

 found for my offices and laboratory in the Institute for Medical Research, where, 

 by the kindness of the Director, I got a room and laboratory. The distance 

 from Kuala Lumpur unfortunately necessitates loss of some time daily, and 

 hinders planters from making use of the information to be afforded by the depart- 

 ment by personal visits. 170 letters of enquiries for advice on matters agricultural 

 and botanical were received during the last six months of the year— 135 from planters 

 and others in the Federated Malay States, and 35 from other tropical countries and 

 from Europe and America. Reports on these letters were furnished, and where 

 relating to cases of diseases in plants these were investigated in the field and 

 laboratory and remedial measures recommended. Except in the case of coconut 

 palm diseases, which are energetically looked after by the Inspector of Coconut 

 Trees, Mr. L. C. Brown, all these diseases had to be investigated and reported on by 

 myself, and with various official duties to perform in connection Avith land applica- 

 tions for planting purposes, and the organisation and supervision of the depart- 

 ment, I have been unable to give to this most important part of the work of 

 the department as much time as was needful, and the investigating had necessarily 

 to be curtailed. 



CONDITION OF CROPS. 



A large proportion of my time has been spent in visiting estates in Perak, 

 Selangor and Negri Zembilan, and inspecting the rubber and other cultivations with 

 a view to prevalence of disease and of investigating the conditions under which they 

 are cultivated. These conditions do not vary in the Federated Malay States to the 

 extent that they do in other tropical agricultural countries, because only the plains 

 and small hills on the plains are at present used for agricultural purposes, and 

 the conditions of rainfall and temperature are approximately the same. Having 

 been engaged during the last six years in investigating the diseases of plants in a 

 tropical country, and devising and carrying out methods of prevention and cure, 

 I am satisfied that the staple cultivations of the Federated Malay States— coconuts, 

 rice, rubber, sugar, tapioca, nipah, etc, — are in a satisfactory condition as regards 

 health and sanitation. No one who is acquainted with plant life expects that any 

 species can be free from parasitic and environmental diseases, and with an increased 

 number of individual plants in any cultivation the danger of infection and con- 

 tagion is increased. 



DISEASE AND ITS PREVENTION : PROTECTIVE JUNGLE BELTS. 



The prevention of the spread of disease in large areas of one species of culti- 

 vation is of the first importance. At the outset of planting up of rubber in the 

 Federated Malay States steps must be taken to guard as far as can be done by 

 planting or leaving jungle and thus make barriers against the too easy distribution 



