o 
very much better when the ground is under grass. This part of the Garden, although 
not much visited now, will, it is hoped, be more frequently visited as the trees grow up 
and become more interesting. 
12. Some experiments were made in making paper from various fibres, such as 
lalang, ginger plant stems, the sheaths of various palms, &c., with a fair amount of 
success. As these and some other experiments have been detailed more 1 fully in 
Bulletin No. 4, I need not further allude to them here. 
Inspection of Coco-nut Trees. 
13. Two hundred and fifty-eight (258) notices calling upon occupiers to destroy 
1,800 trees and stumps were served during the year, and in two cases only was it 
found necessary to prosecute, small fines being inflicted in both cases. In August 
last, the Inspector was dismissed by order of the Government for misconduct; and as 
in the opinion of the Government it was not considered necessary to keep up the 
post, the inspection of plantations and the working of the Ordinance is now carried 
on hy one man only, which hardly needs pointing out is quite inadequate to do the 
work properly. In support of this, I may quote some figures taken from a letter sent 
me by Mr. ALLINSON, who was lately in charge of the Grove Coco-nut Estate, Tanjong 
Katong. He says : — “ Three beetle-men are constantly employed on the estate, whose 
“ duty it is to search for and destroy the beetles found in the trees. The crop of 
“ beetles averages about 25 per diem. In addition to the searching of the trees, just 
" described, a regular examination of stumps has been initiated with startling results, 
“ the figures are given in the Appendix. 
"Appendix. 
“ Result of Daily Searches for Beetles. 
“ B'lack. Red. Trees cut down. 
“April, 
526 
1 
30 
“May, 
637 
2 
16 
“June, 
52i 
5 
1 4 
“July, 
612 
“ August, 
084 
* 
“September, ... 
680 
4 
“October, 
759 
20 
28 
“November, ... 
700 
9 
15 
“December, ... 
5E5 
3 
1 1 
‘ f 5.-534 
44 
1 14 
“ Inspection 
of Stumps. 
“ Black . 
Red. 
Larva 
“ November, 724 
5 
5,000 
“ December, 228 
2 
2,000 
" 95 2 
7 
7,000 
14. The above figures bear eloquent testimony to the fertility of the beetles, m 
spite of the greatest efforts to keep them in check, for if such numbers are to be 
found on one of our very best and most highly cultivated estates, what are we to ex- 
pect from the less cultivated ones, to say nothing of the countless numbers of small 
holdings which carry a few coco-nut trees? There can be no doubt that, if we are to 
combat the scourge successfully, greater efforts will have to be made to carry out the 
Ordinance more effectively, and this can only be done by an increased staff working- 
under an intelligent Inspector. (This will, however, form the subject of a separate 
report to Government.) 
