55. Innumerable requests for advice received from private individuals 
and commercial firms by post and telephone and from callers at the office 
were dealt with. The Singapore community as a whole is entitled to receive 
the best assistance available in these matters and in this work the Botanic 
Gardens has a major role to play in implementing Government’s policy for 
the beautification of Singapore. To provide such a service, there is need for 
the relevant grades of staff and nursery facilities to be augmented. 
XXVIII. EXHIBITIONS 
56. The most important exhibition of the year was held at Los Angeles 
U.S.A. in conjunction with the Fifth World Orchid Conference 13-22 April. 
The Botanic Gardens sent a consignment of over 400 sprays of orchid 
blooms, and this exhibit was awarded the prize for the best in its class. 
Awards to individual plants went to Vanda Candlelight, a Botanic Gardens 
hybrid, and to Aeridachnis Bogor, an introduced hybrid raised at the Botanic 
Gardens. Mr. Alphonso was a member of the International Judging Panel 
for classes other than those with Botanic Gardens exhibits. 
57. The Singapore Gardening Society Flower Show was held bv 4-6 
March and . the Malaysian Orchid Society Show on 14-16 October, and at 
both of these the Botanic Gardens contributed extensively in exhibits and 
manpower, judging and administration. The Botanic Gardens sent a railway 
wagon load of orchid and foliage plants to Kuala Lumpur for display at the 
Malayan Agri-horticultural Association exhibition on 28-31 July. To enable 
Federation residents to have easier access to Botanic Gardens planting 
material, a larger quantity of orchid seedlings and other plants were taken 
to this exhibition, and $2,248 was realised as revenue as compared with 
$1,917 in the 1965 exhibition. 
58. Orchid blooms were sent to the following overseas exhibitions: 
Floral Festival Taranaki, New Plymouth, New Zealand. 
Delhi Agri-horticultural Society Show, New Delhi, India. 
Westminster Abbey Flower Festival, London, England. 
Selangor Orchid Society Show, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
59. Participation in these exhibitions play a very important part in 
publicising the Singapore cut-flower trade which is based primarily on orchid 
blooms and the basic research work of this Department. Statistics for the 
value of cut-orchid blooms exports show a remarkable increase* 1957 
$34,000: I960— $128,000; 1964— $270,000; 1965— $362,000; 1966— $750,000. 
XXIX. CULTURAL SOCIETIES 
60. The Department gave considerable assistance to the Malaysian 
Orchid Society and the Singapore Gardening Society. Mr. Ang Gek Choo 
was a committee member of the former, while Mr. Lim Hin Cheng and Mr. 
Tan Kim Ho were respectively the Vice-President and Hon. Secretary of the 
latter. Most of the monthly meetings of the latter were held in the Gardens. 
Mr. H. M. Burkill was a Committee Member of the Singapore Branch of 
the Malayan Nature Society. 
12 
