Extracts from the annual report of the Inspector of 
Coconut trees, Federated Malay States, 
for the year 1902. 
_ 3 - . hi 'October, I was able to make a partial inspection of the 
districts of Kuala Lumpur, Klang and Kuala Selangor, and owing 
to the serious harm l found being done by the beetles in these 
localities, I deemed it best to confine my attention to the State of 
Selangor at first, and with the exception of a short visit to Ne^ri 
Sembilan, I have devoted my attention entirely to this State. 
5. 1 found trees cut down under instructions either lyincr 0 n the 
ground or halt buried, rotten and simply full of the grub and 
beetles, while the stems that remained, perhaps three feet or so 
above the ground, in an equally infected condition. In addition to 
this, no proper steps had been taken by the authorities to have the 
numerous rubbish, refuse and manure heaps lying about in the 
\ icinity of the towns and villages destroyed, the dumping grounds 
in a most unsatisfactory state and the owners of cattle sheds ulterly 
callous as to the removal or where they put their manure, in fact 
the general state of affairs was such that no one with any experi- 
ence at all could have been surprised at the inroads and havoc done 
by the beetles to the trees adjacent with such a harvest of •'hot- 
beds tor breeding grounds for these pests. 
6. It is true that many of the owners were shamefully neglect- 
ful of their plantations, but the surroundings so conducive to the 
harbouring of the beetles, placed them without doubt at a great 
disadvantage. I may mention here that the few trees belonging 
to Government themselves were in a very bad state and as an ex 
ample appeared to me to be deplorable. 
7. With this state of affairs, by no means exaggerated, and the 
evil spreading, it is easily accountable how some hard thincrs which 
appeared in the Straits Times regarding the difficulty of "coconut 
cultivation in the States should be taken as having more than a 
semblance of truth in it. 
8. Referring especially to the localities where the beetles have 
proved most troublesome, I feel sure, slowly perhaps, but surelv 
and in time, it will be possible to eradicate the evil and bring- about 
a distinct change for the better in the appearance of the plantations, 
PCe u 6 7 remove a " g round s of complaint on 
xx Inch the correspondence above alluded to was founded 
9 It is very noticeable how much the plantations improve the 
further vou proceed from the towns and villages, which strengthens 
T •'hTu n r h !n h hrSt ° rmed that the evil toa great exteht was 
attributable to the large quantity of grub in the manure and rub- 
bish heaps that have been allowed to collect in these vicinities 
and the beetles, taking advantage of these breeding places and the 
shelter made by them in the trees attacked, have gradually spread 
their nay to the plantations further away ; in a word the nlanta 
.ons situated at any long distance from the towT’and vft 
lave not been infected by these pests m nearly as serious a degree 
