13 
permit repairs to the retaining wall. They were one of the most decorative 
attractions for early morning visitors to the Gardens and continuous efforts 
will be made to get them growing again. It is thought that the turtles ( Trionyx 
cartilagineus ) are responsible for eating their roots. Salvinia auriculata Aubi., 
which was introduced some years ago, has recently spread rapidly on the Lake, 
taking as it were, the place vacated by the water lilies. Regular collection and 
destruction is carried out lest it become a pest. Like that great pest of water- 
ways in many countries, Eichomia crassipes, which is grown in nearly every 
pond in Singapore and Malaya for fish and pig feed, and is yet not a problem 
in the Peninsula, Salvinia may possibly be benign or even useful in fish 
farming. 
XXL PESTS AND DISEASES 
77. The long-tailed macaque monkeys (Macaca irus ) remain the worse 
pests and much damage is attributable to them. About thirty were shot thanks 
to the services of an assistant from Raffles Museum. Four others were caught 
alive in trap cages for the Department of Zoology of the University of Malaya. 
78. Misguided people occasionally release monkeys from captivity in 
the Gardens. Most conspicuously are those with collars or wire attachments. 
Release in the Gardens not only contravenes the Gardens’ by-laws, but exposes 
the. wretched monkey to certain cruelty at the hands and teeth of its own kind 
for trespassers in each troop’s preserve suffer a prolonged chastisement inevit- 
ably ending in some permanent disability, if not death. 
79. No less than thirty plants were mauled by monkeys and six tree 
saplings were killed. Cannas received regular uprooting. These depredations 
have to be combatted by enclosing the more valuable permanent plantings in 
wire netting gages till the plants are big enough to withstand being swung on 
and pulled about. Forty plants have been so enclosed. 
80. There has been a marked check in the incidence of the Rhinoceros 
Beetle ( Oryctes rhinoceros ) and there has been less damage done to palms. 
Constant watch is kept on compost heaps and the grubs are collected and 
destroyed. More serious is the damage done by the Red Stripe Weevil 
( Rhyncophorus jerruginea ) as control is much more difficult. Regular patrols 
were kept on the palms involving climbing to the crown, sometimes 60 ft. 
high, to spray and dust powder into the leaf brackets. Infected trees unfortu- 
nately show the symptoms of attack when it is too late to save the tree. Speci- 
mens of the following died during the year: Coelococcus carolinensis, 
Stevensonia grandifolia, Adonidia muellerii, Acrocomia fuciformis, Sabai 
princeps, Acanthorhizia aculeata, Hyophorbe amaricaulis, Oreodoxa regia 
and Phoenix madagascariensis. 
8 1 . There has been no serious fungal disease. Helminthosporium oryzae 
is present on the Manila grass (Zoysia sp.) in the plant house quadrangle, but 
its activity has not been enough to be as unsightly as in previous years. Phy- 
thophthora palmivora and Pectobacterium caratovorum were diagnosed on a 
number of orchid seedlings and fully grown plants. Regular spraying against 
commoner pests and diseases was carried out. 
XXII. ISTANA NEGARA DOMAIN 
82. The grounds were kept in a tidy condition, but difficulty was ex- 
perienced with some of the mowers which were constantly breaking down. 
83. The Gardens in front of the Istana Negara and the lower garden and 
the gardens attached to the other houses in the Domain were all upkept. That 
