434 
e<3 to the several branch nurseries where they could be grown on 
and sold to the native cultivators at cheap rates. By this scheme it 
was hoped that the branch nurseries would become self supporting and 
prove valuable agents in the distribution of improved strains of native 
fruits. It was also proposed to train native Instructors at the central 
establishment who in turn could instruct the native in the up-to-date cul- 
tural methods. Further it was proposed that seeds and plants of fruits 
from other tropical countries should be obtained and distributed. 
This scheme in a slightly modified form, was adopted by Govern- 
ment and is now in operation. It is hoped as time goes on that this new 
departure will develop and form the nucleus of a thoroughly organized 
system throughout the Federated Malay States and Straits Settlements. 
Until such a scheme matures 'and instruction is available it is 
scarcely reasonable to expect that the native cultivator will abandon 
his present haphazard methods and adopt more up-to-date ideas ; but 
in the meantime much can be done by estate owners and others who 
are in the habit of growing fruit for their own use or for sale. Their 
efforts would certainly demonstrate to the natives in their immediate 
neighbourhood the advisibility of adopting the same methods. The 
increased price of the produce from those estates should form the 
strongest argument in favour of their adopting the same methods. 
The formation of fruit being influenced by different methods of 
cultivation and the grower having it within his power to determine the 
development of flower to a great extent it is hoped that to those who 
are interested in the improvement of the cultivation of tropical fruits 
the following few remarks may be of some value. 
In all our agricultural efforts we seek to increase the value of our 
plants by increasing the quality and quantity of their crops or by de- 
creasing the time necessary for then- production. The means at our 
disposal for attaining this desired end are many and in adopting these 
the agriculturist is making use of general experience which has been 
accumulated during years of practice. 
In all cases in which the market value of a plant lies in its flowers, 
or in the resulting product of those flowers —the fruit —it is desirable 
to increase as much as possible the number of flowering buds. To do so 
it is necessary to discourage the formation of needless vegetative organs 
(leaves) and encourage the development of the flo wering buds by induc- 
ing the plant to store up a plentiful supply of food material in the 
stems and branches as reserve material. In practice it is common to 
observe that the excessive formation of leaves and sappy branches is 
detrimental to the production of flowers. In all cases it proves to be 
advantageous to counteract this by pruning. By this means the food 
material is thrown into the dormant flower buds which consequently 
develop in greater numbers. 
If left to itself for any length of time a fruit tree in the tropic soon 
develops a great number of these barren branches and the crown 
becomes a tangled mass which prevents fcl|p entrance of light and air 
and uses up a needless quantity of the food reserve at the expense of 
the fruit crop. It can therefore be seen that pruning is necessary in 
fruit trees if the best results are desired. This is particularly the case 
with Mangosteens, Kambutansj Mangoes and other jclose growing fruit 
