Report on Government Botanic Gardens. 
Singapore, March 9th , 1870 . 
Gentlemen, 
I have the honour to submit to vou my first annual report of the progress and con- 
dition of the Botanic Garden during the year 1875. 
No very extensive alterations have as yet been made, as the five months which have 
elapsed since my arrival have been mostly taken up by the general routine. 
Much difficulty has been experienced with the flower-beds, which are infested with a 
species of sedge (Cyperus tuberosus ?) which has probably been introduced into the Garden 
by using partially decomposed animal manure. As a last resource I am now having a foot of 
the top soil removed and the remainder trenched to the depth of 3 feet, by which I hope this 
pest will be destroyed. The trend ing of the beds has given the Garden a barren appearance 
in some places, but a few months’ growth of the young plants will remedy that. 
Several of the walks and drives have been re-made where necessary, and many of the prin- 
cipal drives require re-metalling at once, which I have been unable to do owing to the difficul- 
ty of procuring laterite. The bridge leading into the Garden from the Barracks has been 
renewed. The old trees and shrubs which previously overgrew the clump of sago palms 
near the principal entrance have been removed, and a collection of young palms planted in 
front of the sago palms. 
A large number of old and dead trees and shrubs have been removed, and are being re- 
placed where necessary by young plants of a more ornamental character ; And the line of old 
betel-nut palms (Areea Catechu) bordering Napier Road has also been removed, and is being 
replaced by Seaforthia elegans. 
The two small ponds which contained the collection of Nymphseas and Victoria regia 
have been made into one, which is a great improvement to this part of the Garden, beside 
giving more space for the cultivation of aquatic plants. One part has been devoted to the 
sacred Lotus (Nelumbium speciosum), and at one end it is proposed to locate a pair of 
alligators. The bank of the pond near Napier Road has been planted with a collection of 
the various species of Seaforthia and Eentia, two genera of palms from Australia and Howe’s 
Island. On the garden side an extensive collection of ornamental trees and shrubs has 
been planted, which are already assuming a striking appearance. Nearly all the alterations in 
this part of the garden were necessitated in order to get soil for the levelling required for 
building the Rhinoceros-house. 
The Office mentioned in my report of August, 1875, has been commenced, and is now ra- 
pidly approaching completion. This will also accommodate the Botanical Library and the col- 
lection of dried specimens until the proposed Herbarium is erected. The large verandah 
around it will prove a boon to visitors, who hitherto have had no proper place of shelter from 
the heavy showers of rain. It is proposed to erect an Orchid House near the Office, in lieu of 
the one now existing, which is ill adapted to their growth. It is hoped that the verandah 
around the Office will afford facilities for ripening the orchids, and giving them a distinct sea- 
son of rest, by which I hope to secure a larger proportion of bloom than is usually obtained 
from orchids grown in Singapore. 
During the year large numbers of Phaloeuopsis Abides, Saceolabiums, Dendrobiums, <&c., 
have been established on the trees in various parts of the garden. 
A catalogue has been compiled of all the plants in the garden which I have as yet de- 
termined ; hut a very large number still remain to be identified. The catalogue is appended 
to this report. 
A good collection of standard botanical works has been ordered from England, in addi- 
tion to a microscope, which will afford very great assistance in the identification of the large 
number of plants which remain to he determined. 
The experimental garden is as yet in its infancy ; consequently I have little to report in 
this department. 
Trials are being made with the Liberian and Cape Coast coffees, in order to prove or 
otherwise their adaptability for commercial purposes in this colony. From all that is known 
of these new products, it is fully anticipated that they will prove the most useful aud re- 
markable introductions of the present century. The fruit is of much better flavour than, the 
old C. Arabica, and they produce berries nearly double the size of that species, and are said 
to be very prolific. I fear Singapore will not prove well adapted for the cultivation even of 
these species, but the Malay Peninsula promises a good field for this enterprise, and I shall 
endeavour to get some eligible planters in the Peninsula, Province Wellesley, and Penang to 
plant some of these species, and report on their progress, and I shall he glad to receive appli- 
cations for some at any time. 
Of Ipecacuanha the stock as yet is very limited, consisting only of a few plants given me 
by Dr. Thwaites during my stay in Ceylon, but I hope soon to be in a position to make some 
extensive trials with this valuable plant. The result of these trials will be very important, as 
it is disappearing from its native habitats, which may in a great measure be attributed to the 
small quantity of drug afforded by even a full-grown plant. Its importance in India as a 
remedy for dysentery, and the increasing costliness of the drug, have occasioned active mea- 
sures to be taken for attempting its cultivation there. 
With regard to these trials Dr. King, in his report for the year 1874, thus speaks — 
