Annual Report of the Botanic Gardens, Singapore 
and Penang, for the Year 1906. 

Staff. 
1. — -There was no change in the Staff during the year., except that an apprentice Sub- 
Overseer, by name of Silvester Paul, was taken on in May. The Superintendent of Penang 
went on sick leave for a year, in March, and it was suggested that the Assistant Superin- 
tendent of the Singapore Gardens should take his place during his absence as has had to be 
the system previously, but, in view of the Agricultural Exhibition in August, and the heavy 
increase of work of the department due to the rapid development of the agriculture of the 
Peninsula of late years, it was found impracticable to reduce the staff to the Director only, 
so that Mr. Peel (Ag. Collector of Land Revenue) superintended the work of the Penang 
Gardens. The Clerk of the Department, Mr. J. S. Isaac, and the Artist, Mr. C. De Alwis, 
were on leave for three months each during the year. The coolies were as poor a lot as 
ever, the demand for labour on estates at higher wages than is allowed for the Botanic 
Gardens made it impossible to secure men other than sickly and worn-out labourers 
rejected by planters. 
Visitors. 
2. — A very large number of visitors, sometimes as many as six in a morning, came 
during the year to consult the Director, chiefly on the subject of rubber planting. The 
opening up of the Federated Malay States, due to the immense development of rubber culti- 
vation, has immensely increased the number of visitors to the Garden in search of information, 
and has equally increased the correspondence of the department, and the prospective opening 
up of the territory of Johore which will follow on the completion of the railway will, without 
doubt, largely increase the work in the near future. 
Among the more important scientists, agriculturists and others who visited the Gardens 
and spent some time there were P. Olson-Seffer (Mexico), Dr. Schlechter, Dr. Deisler, 
Mr. Unger (Yokohama), Professor Campbell (Stanford University, U.S.A.), Mr. Shaw- 
Hei.lier (Jamaica), Mr. A. W. Prautch (Manila), Mr. Ryan (Ceylon), Mr. Taupin 
(Madagascar), Dr. A. FI. Suggett (Mexico), Mr. FI. Price (Boston, U.S.A.), Mr. 
Bienenfels (San Francisco), M. Vernet, Dr. Wegener (Berlin), H. H. Prince Yugala 
(Siam). 
Thefts. 
3. — The most important theft during the year was of five hundred rubber seedlings by 
natives at night from the Economic Gardens. Very extensive thefts had occurred of this 
nature all over the Peninsula, and seedlings -were being shipped in vast quantities to Dutch 
Borneo. A Malay was arrested with a large number of the source of which he could give 
no credible account, but the case against him was not considered sufficiently clear so that it 
was dismissed. A Chinaman w-as caught in the evening collecting Wormia leaves, and fined 
five dollars, and there w^ere a few thefts of flowers, fruit, etc., of the usual style. 
The regulations as to dogs admitted to the Gardens when led by a string only having 
been allowed to be relaxed somewhat, as has previously happened, certain visitors brought 
dogs under no control which did damage in the Gardens, and the rule had to be strictly 
enforced again, and some little trouble rvas caused by thoughtless riders galloping their 
horses on the turf and spoiling it. 
Roads and Drives. 
4. — The exceptional humidity of the year caused much damage to the Garden drives, 
and the following urgently needed repairs were executed and paid for out of the Gardens 
Vote. 
The drive from the top of the plant house to the cross ways below the band -stand was 
remetalled with three inches of laterite, gravelled and rolled, being of length of 200 yards 
and width of 11 feet. 
The drive from the terrace steps to the cross ways by the end of the red-stemmed palm 
avenue was remetalled with three inches of laterite, gravelled and rolled for a length of So 
yards by 18 feet width. 
The road from the godown to the plant house was remetalled with three inches of 
laterite, gravelled and consolidated for 95 yards and n ft. width. 
The four-foot way from the main entrance to the drive near the old aviary was 
regravelled for 135 yards. 
