8 
FOREST DEPARTMENT, SINGAPORE. 
Area. 
1. No additional land was taken over this year* so that the area remains at 
14,509 acres 1 rood and 3 poles. 
Staff. 
2. The same number of Forest Watchmen was employed as last year, viz., 
23 in all. All worked well. # 
Buildings. 
3. Four Forest Stations have been re-built, viz., at Changi, Bukit Timah, Sungai 
Jurong and Bukit Mandai, at the expense of $290.43 each. 
Farming. 
4. One pepper encroachment only was leased this year, the others and the old 
gambir plantation having ceased to be sufficiently productive to let. . 
Licenses . 
5. Passes for cutting mangrove for firewood, fishing stakes and rattans were 
given out in the reserves of Seletar, Sungai Jurong, Changi, Kranji, [Sungai Morai, 
Toas and Pandan, and brought in a revenue of $470 under the following items : — 
Mangrove — firewood, 
... $310 
Fishing Stakes, .. . 
... 139 
Rattans, 
14 
Lalang, etc., 
7 
$ 47 ° 
Planting. ' ■ 
6. The planting up of waste land has been carried on as rapidly as possible 
throughout the year. 
At Bukit Mandai 2,090 young plants of Para Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) were 
planted and 1,950 of these are growing very well and strong. With them 50 seed- 
lings of Castilloa elastica have been planted. This covers an area of 13 acres 
of previously useless land. In a few years these trees should produce a revenue from 
the sale of the India-rubber and will also be of value in producing a good stock of seed. 
At Upper Mandai 400 seedlings of the broad-leaved mahogany (Swietiena 
macrophylla) have been planted together with 500 seedling oaks (Quercus) covering 
an area of 10 acres. There are great hopes of the success of this mahogany in the Pen- 
insula. It grows well and strongly and does not seem at all inclined to die down on 
account of poverty of soil as. the common mahogany does. The oak gives a useful 
timber with a good figure. 
The fireguard at the 12th mile, Kranji, has grown well and the lalang has been 
kept down so that there is now but little fear of damage from fire here. Along the 
upper portion of the hill, an area of 15 acres has been planted up with various 
trees, upwards of 2,050 in number, including Penaga (Myristica elltptica ) , a good 
timber; Saga (Adenanthera pavonina ) , a rapid growing tree which will aid in 
keeping down the grass ; (Cassia siamea) ; Rasak (Vatica russak ), a good timber 
much in request and getting scarce; Ebony (Maba buxifolia) r known as " kayu 
arang ” (300 plants) ; Kranji (Dialium), three species, 700 trees, all good timbers, 
indeed equal in strength and durability to any timber in the Peninsula; and 540 other 
trees in small lots. % 
A nursery was started at Bukit Timah in which 6,000 seeds of Belian, 
(Eusideroxylon schwageri, Teysm.) have been planted, and seedlings of this most 
valuable tree raised from a small quantity of seed were planted here and there in 
other reserves. 
Along the edges of all the newly planted ground, a border of Gelam trees 
( Melaleuca leucadendron) has been planted and is coming up well. 
During the past ’two years many acres of worthless grass land have been 
planted up with timber trees, which in a year or two will be able of themselves to 
keep down the lalang, which otherwise would choke them. Unfortunately the vote 
for the Forests for next year (1893) has been so reduced that not only can no more 
