of Liberian Coffee. Para rubber, Brazil rubber, and Lie “ Ceara »cl*ap ' rubber, have been 
planted at; Durian Sabataug and Kwalla Kangsa for trial purposes, and plants of Ipecacuanha 
have been forwarded to Sungie Ujoiig as well an plants of Assam and Chinese tea tor the 
S?,ni ’ 1 The" 1 Liberian coffee plants sent to Larut in lSfo arc making good growth, with large 
bealthv foliage, forming a great contrast to the Arabian -offee growing beside it. 
,\‘ t the request of-Hir J. D. Hooker, c.b., Ac. I obtained fr.om Cochin-China plants ot 
‘■an enormous and apparently little known variety of the sugarcane called the elephant cane 
which has been stated to reach a height ot 4- teet and a 
diameter of f inches iu ti months. , ... , , ,• • ^ 
Plants of this var.dmve been sent to Kew for forwarding to the \V est indies, 
r ‘have been very successful during the past year in raising the various species ot 
Eucalyptus, which hitherto have proved very difficult to raise from seed in this ehmatc. 
A number of plants of Eucalyptus as well as other plants have, been supplied to the r. . 
Department for planting in the reservoir grounds near Government Hill and also tor the 
reservoir grounds at Thomson road 
A ^ the Saltbush (Ehagodia liastatata and 1L parabolical may probably be unknown m 
the Straits .Settlements, f extract the following from the report oi: the Director ot the 
Brisbane Botanies* gardens for 1875 : • 1 ... ' ... , 
'‘ These 'two species of salt bush, possessing wholesome and nutritious qualities and. 
much relished bv stock have been tested, and upon account of their easy cultivation, and the* 
ranklin' with which (when protected from stock) they grow into large and handsome shrubs, 
together with theirceapabi.litv of resisting Loth heat and drought, they are strongly recom- 
mended for artificial cultivation Sal ‘ biwh might abo be ndvan- 
1 -ureouslv triven in a cut state, m coipunctioit with dry food to sheep and cattle. 
‘ ° | u 'Sku-apore they seem better able to resist heat and drought than prolonged wet 
weather, but when -the plants become well established they will doubtless survive Lie vet 
" e ' M A wood deal has latel y been written about the prickly comfrey (8y mphy turn aspemmum ) 
f oi r ai ; e plant for India, but I fear that it will prove of but little use m the Strait*, as the 
climate and temperature of- this Colony affords too great a contrast to that ot its native 
habitats in the Caucasus Int$; . , * . 
Planters in Ceylon are much disappointed with it and some speak m strong terms oJ 
the expense they have been put to in introducing and planting it. T . , , 
Tdie plants at present in Singapore, which have been introduced by .Dr. Little, give 
litLe promise of being capable of producing CO tons per a ere per annum— the quantity 
advertisers promise on ordinary soils. _ . . . . 
Too much care cannot be exercised when reeotnmcndiug the introduction and cultivation 
of any plant into a colony, as it has often happened that the vexation and disappointment 
attendant on the failure of "one trial have prevented others being carried out, as tor instance, 
the recommendation to plant Cinchona in Province Wellesley, a _ proposition which wouk 
never be carried out if its habits and the temperatures of its native habitats were studied 
and more especially since it has been proved not to succeed as a commercial enterprise at 
2,000 feet elevation 4° farther north. • 
The object that will be kept steadily in \iew,ip the working ot the new Economic 
Garden, if the introduction of new plants of economic valufe, and thoroughly testing their 
capabilities of production in Sm ...pore, before • recommending ‘them for general cultivation, 
\Vhile it wii, ''iso afford V- opportunity to intending planters in the Malay Peninsula off 
seeing the va •*»•- aiiojed foy their cultivation, and the amount of success or otherwise 
attendin' 1 ' eac* .‘■ion. 
As reoar/ native fruit trees, a good deal could be done with the co-operation of 
persons poss/ nroTid varieties, as for instance, of the rambutan, durian, Ac., which 
are W o" »no'\vn to' exm. ii the Straits : as native gardeners can be instructed in the art ot 
inarching and budding as v, 11 here as amongst the Chinese in China, of whose handiwork 
"'■--wo 1 ‘kin 0- fro 4 ’ Gees I have several illustrations. . ... 
grasses have been tried, as the American rat-tailed and \irgimau blue 
severe proved too much tor them, and they have made but tittle 
lid to .1 chore and Grunong Pulai in August, and although 1 met with 
, or valuable, several interesting plants not previously represented m our 
u with and introduced into the gardens. _ . 
.evs have been made to various parts of Singapore fur the purpose oi. 
introduce as many of the indigenous plants aty possible into the garden 
identlv not far distant when they will cease to exist in their native habitats 
mtiniiG to be of such frequent occurrence. 
uion to. Perak was undertaken in October ■ December, a report ot which lias 
already been s 'bmitted to you. • • . 
A letter was received from the Colonial Secretary, Straits Settlements, m -lime, sug- 
gesting that tracts of Crown land should be selected on the Mount Faber range of hills for 
tree planting, and an estimate of the probable ■ cost was prepared and forwarded to him. 
but no further steps have been taken. , 
I regret that after a lengthened trial with the labels put down last year as described 
in my last report, I cannot report very favourably of the phm I have adopted, as F bud that. 
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