2£4 
throw light on the history of the cultivation and introduction of 
plants, as far as I could procure from these various sources. 
It must be remembered, however, that this article is not a review 
of the work of the Botanic Gardens Department, but merely a review 
of that part which relates to the development of agriculture in the 
Colony and the Federated Malay States; The introduction of new 
and useful plants, their propagation and dispersal to whatever place 
they could be of use, forms but a small part of the work, extensive 
though it is. In a properly organized Botanic Garden, experiments 
have to be made not only with the plants which have proved suc- 
cessful but also with a larger number of plants which may prove 
failures. Before the Botanic Gardens were founded, planters lost 
money, often to a large extent, by introducing and attempting to 
cultivate plants highly recommended as valuable crops in other 
countries, but which were complete failures in this country. MuRTON, 
for instance, mentions that, before his arrival in the Colony, much 
time and money was wasted in an attempt to grow the Prickly 
Comfrey, Symphytum tuberosum, a native of the Caucasus, as a fod- 
der plant ; utterly unsuited for this country it failed. Hundreds of 
other plants, possibly suited for this country, and of considerable 
value, if successful, have been at different times introduced, and 
failed to grow satisfactorily. Thus several attempts were made here 
to grow the opium poppy, and seed was distributed, to all parts of 
the Peninsula. It failed to stand the wetness of this climate, but 
though the experiment was not successful it was of the utmost 
importance that it should be tried, for the knowledge that a plant of 
economic importance will not thrive in this country is of nearly as 
much importance as the knowledge that it will prove successful. 
For, in these cases, if no profit can be made on the plant, still, there 
is no need that any money should be thrown away on it, as was too 
often the case formerly. 
Again, the researches in propagation, cultivation and preparation 
of different vegetable products, the study of the Botany of the coun- 
try, pi the various insect and fungus pests, and the means of com- 
batting them, and the immense mass of corresponde nce with planters, 
merchants, enquirers of all sorts, form no small items of the work of 
a large Botanic Gardens Establishment, none of which labours can be 
gone into in this paper which simply deals with one branch of the 
various works of the Botanic Gardens, viz,, the part which it has 
played in the introduction of the more useful plants of cultivation. 
But it may be mentioned that since the foundation of the Botanic 
Gardens to the present day, the Federated Malay States have 
enjoyed the benefits of all these various works of the Colonial Gar- 
dens fully as much as the Colony itself has. 
Our first records of what was cultivated in the Malay Peninsula 
dates from the close of the sixteenth century, when the Portuguese 
were occupying Malacca. At that time and for centuries later 
what are now known as the Federated Malay States were entirely 
uncultivated trackless forests, as also were Singapore and Penang. 
They produced nothing but a little jungle produce and tin and gold. 
