EXPERIMENTAL PLANTATIONS. 
REPORT FOR 1901. 
Kuala Lumpur, i$th February , igo2. 
Sir,— I have the honour to forward my report in connection with 
the Experimental Plantations for the year 1901. 
2. The selection of a suitable site for the Experimental Planta- Selection of 
tions has proved to be a somewhat difficult matter, there being site * 
many questions to be taken into consideration which do not affect 
the average planter. Above all, it was considered essential that 
these plantations should be situated as centrally as possible, and the 
Klang district was fixed upon as being, perhaps, the chief agricul- 
tural district in the States, and easily accessible from any part of the 
Peninsula, being in touch with the railway and in close proximity 
to Port Swetlenham. Unfortunately, most of the land in this dis- 
trict has been alienated. A block of land near the Padang Jawah 
station — the only available land near the railway which was likely 
to meet the requirements— was inspected, hut after a thorough ex- 
amination was deemed unsuitable. 
3. I desire here to record my thanks to the Chairman of the °™ledg- 
United Planters’ Association (E. V. Carey, Esq.), the Chairman of J^tanee 
the Selangor Planters’ Association (W. W. bailey, Esq.), and other afforded, 
members of these Associations, for the kind assistance rendered in 
the exploration of this land. 
4. On behalf of the Selangor Rubber Syndicate, Mr. Bailey very 
kindly offered to allow Government to resume 200 acres of their 
estate subject to the approval of his Directors. This offer was 
accepted, Government agreeing to pay the sum of $500 as compen- 
sation for survey tees and other expenses incurred. 
5. The site selected is part of portion G. 2,357. ^ situated Situation of 
about midway between Kuala Lumpur and Klang, being close to proposed site, 
the Batu Tiga station. It has a railway frontage of about three- 
quarters of a mile, which forms the northern boundary, the eastern 
and south-eastern boundaries being the Damansara river. 
6. The transfer of the land has taken a considerable time, a cir- Delay in 
cumstance apparently unavoidable, but, nevertheless regrettable, as transf er. 
the work has been seriously handicapped in consequence. In the 
meantime, some nurseries have been commenced on Government Nurseries 
land close by, where it will be possible to work up a considerable commenced, 
stock of plants ready for planting as soon as the proposed site be- 
comes available. For experimental purposes, it would have been 
advantageous to have procured a site which comprised, to some ex- 
tent, the various character of soils in use on the different estates. 
These, however, differ so wicfely that it was impossible to represent 
them on one small block of land. The ground on the site selected 
is chiefly undulating, the soil being somewhat. heavy and rather de- ^?j ture ° f 
ficient in organic matter. There are suitable sites for the erection 
