Changi Cottage 
65. The Curator in charge of the Domain also visited and gave advice 
on the maintenance of the garden at Changi Cottage. 
Singapore House, Kuala Lumpur 
66. The Domain nursery was used to prepare planting material for 
the garden of this house. These amounted to 1,500 pots excluding hedging 
material. The Curator visited Kuala Lumpur on 6th November, with the 
Superintendent, City Parks, and the P.W.D. architect to prepare landscape 
plans. 
XXII. ORCHIDS 
67. The collection of species and hybrids continues to expand. Seventy- 
two field numbers were collected by Gardens’ staff while on field work at : 
Gunong Pulai, Johore; Cameron Highlands and Fraser’s Hill, Pahang; Pulau 
Undan and Pulau Nangka, Malacca; Ulu Gombak, Selangor; and Kedah 
Peak. Others were received from outside sources, in particular from Sarawak. 
Brunei, North Borneo, New Guinea, Nepal and Costa Rica. Dendrobium 
longicorum received from Nepal obligingly flowered at Singapore six months 
after receipt. The collection was greatly added to by exchange : 260 plants, 
cuttings and seedlings were received and 257 given. Individuals and organi- 
sations concerned are listed in Appendices VI and VII. 
68. Sixty -one hybrid pods were harvested from the Gardens nursery, 
five were received from Singapore growers, four from the Federation of 
Malaya, eight from Queensland, Australia, one from Sarawak and seven 
from the U.S.A. Of these 86 pods, seed from 80 have been successfully ger- 
minated. Excellent results have been achieved with the use of banana pulp 
added to the flasks and growth of seedlings is accelerated. Good results have 
also been achieved with addition of a sterilised aqueous solution of "‘Foliar 
Gaviota” (1 gm. in 500 ccs.) to the flasks containing older seedlings. 
69. Over 1,000 flasks were constantly in use during the year. Seedlings 
from 500 were planted out in “community” pots. Manuring and insecticide 
and fungicide spraying was conducted on a weekly basis throughout the 
year. Root and foliar manuring was alternated weekly. Two efficient pro- 
prietary fungicides were also alternated weekly. One thousand seedlings from 
the houses went out into the open or into beds. 
70. The problem of space in the orchid nursery becomes more acute. 
This was commented on in the Gardens’ Report for 1960, and its repetition 
here is no cry of “wolf”. The time when saturation in the nursery will be 
reached is in sight. There is already a shortage of seedling houses and accom- 
modation asked for has not been approved. Seedlings which should be potted 
on from the flask stage have had to be held back in the flasks. Thus is 
frustrated the speeding up of growth in the flasks referred to above (paragraph 
69) which has been achieved by diligent research. And at the mature stage 
new Aranda and Arachnis plants which should be grown in beds — and multi- 
plied for sale to the public and industry — have had to be retained, and 
retarded, in pots. The Botanic Gardens has pioneered orchid research in 
Malaya and a growing orchid nursery industry has come into being because 
of this work. Not one of the commercial nurseries, nor even an amalgamation 
of nurseries has the combination of facilities and knowledge that are at the 
disposal of the Gardens. Without research this promising industry will stagnate 
and die. If the Botanic Gardens are to continue to serve the industry its 
activities have created, more land to accommodate the living collection must 
be provided. 
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