XXII. ADVISORY SERVICE 
51. Requests for advice came from innumerable sources and on a very 
f SUbj “ S ‘ The most usual to P ic was on g^en plants and 
landscaping. It is obvious that there is need in Singapore for a nucleus of 
r® 1 rj™ 6 " competent and able to provide such a service on a commercial 
basis. The Police and Customs Department were again regular requirers for 
determ, nation of plants thought to be ganja (Cannabis saliva). The Veterinary 
ZZTmS 7n St6d h£,P in 3 ° aSe ° f Pigs bein ® d, and the 
("“ PartmCnt ° n “ aUt ° PSy inVO ' VinS 3 P ° iSOnOUS ,0adSt001 
n 52 ” Dr ' Wee ' Lek S ave a talk on “The work of the Botanic 
Gardens to the Science Society of the Anglo-Chinese School, and Mr 
A. G. Alphonso gave a talk on “Orchids of the Malaysian Region” to the 
same society. 
XXIII. PLANT COLLECTING 
„ t 5 k\* TW ° ^ aj0r botan,c aI expeditions were undertaken, both as a 
con n u ion to UNESCO’s limestone flora research programme: Dr. Chew 
Wee-Lek Botamst collected on Tiang Bakap and Gunong Santubong in 
itesmn ?n'T» f arawak ’ and Mr Hardial Sin § h - Botanist - visited the 
limestone hills of Pukae and Khao Yai in Peninsular Thailand. Many shorter 
expeditions to obtain herbarium material were also made. Those outside 
Singapore are listed in Appendix VII. 
54. Mr - A. G. Alphonso undertook three main expeditions to collect 
plants for cultivation, principally orchids, gingers and ferns. These expeditions 
were to northwest Malaya into areas previously rich in orchids but where 
*^ aia s P ecies are threatened with extermination by avaricious or ignorant 
collectors. On two of the trips he was accompanied by Mr. Cheang Kok Choy, 
Superintendent of the Penang Waterfall Gardens. Plants collected have been 
divided between the Penang and Singapore Gardens so that even if some 
cukivTtioT C ° 6Cted t0 eXt ' nCti0n they wiU at least be Preserved under 
XXIV. HERBARIUM MATERIALS 
i 55 \ S ° m ® I0 - 000 "umbers were mounted, registered and indexed, and 
aid in the herbarium. 5,000 sheets were repaired. Damage to old specimens 
mounted on to paper which has become brittle is a growing problem and 
will necessitate a considerable amount of attention. 
56. Exchanges were continued and the Herbarium received 5 951 
specimens from 15 botanical institutions the bulk of these coming from’ the 
Forest Research Institute, Kepong, Malaya, the Forest Department, Lae, 
New Guinea, and the Forest Department British Solomon Islands. Despatches 
from the Herbarium amounted to 4,045 numbers sent to 24 institutions 
principally to the Rijksherbarium, Leiden, Holland, Royal Botanic Gardens. 
U ; K -; and the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, U.S.A. Parti- 
culars of all exchanges are given in Appendix VI. 
38 
