56 
circulation among officers who have a knowledge of the country 
and native character, 
I have, etc., 
A. M. BURN-MURDOCH, 
Conservator of Forest s, F.M.S. a?id S S. 
The Resident-General, F.M.S. 
British Resident’s Office, 
No. R-G. 4967/03 Negri Sembilan, Federated Malay States, 
Sereinban, 17th November, 
Subject : 
Encouragement of Agriculture among the Natives. 
Sir, — 
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter No. 
7259/03 of the 7th instant, forwarding a letter by the Superintendent, 
Government Experimental Plantations, 011 the subject of the en- 
couragement of agriculture among natives. 
2. I am of opinion that the introduction of such a scheme as 
Mr. Arden suggests would be of great benefit, but fear that it 
would be very difficult to ensure a sufficient supply of any product 
to render the scheme self-supporting. 
3. I'he hesitation of natives to follow advice tendered to them 
by Government officers in regard to cultivation, and probably their 
reluctance even to cultivate rubber at present, is due to the losses 
they incurred some years ago by cultivating coffee at the instance 
pf Government. 
4. I am afraid it is too late now to take any action in regard to 
coffee cultivation, otherwise arrangements might be made with the 
Port Dickson Coffee Curing Company to buy by the pikul cherry 
collected in small quantities by Government. 
5. I he difficulty of finding a market for small quantities of pro- 
duce will disappear with the development of the States. I might 
instance that in Malacca the roots they grow on their sinali allot- 
ments are readily sold by Malays to competing tapioca planters ; 
while the owners of dusuns at Labu now find a market in Kuala 
Lumpur for the duriens they export by rail. 
I have, etc., 
W. EGERTON, 
The Resident-General, F.M.S. British Resident. 
