Economic Garden. 
A considerable part of the hill in this Garden was cleared, dug and planted with 
grass, and some fresh land was opened in the swampy portion near the ramie beds, 
but the greatest amount of labour was expended in clearing the scrub around the 
Para rubber trees. This had grown up so high as to make it impossible to find the 
seeds of the trees, which fell among it. . c 
The demand for plants and seeds of Para rubber was greatly in excess of 
the supply, but 21,035 plants and 10,875 seeds were supplied to planters in 
Singapore, Selangor, Malacca, Pahang, British Borneo and elsewhere. Various 
experiments were made as to methods of propagation, tapping and yield of rubber' 
the results of which have been published in a Bulletin on the subject. A large nuirr 
ber of planters and others interested in the cultivation of this plant from different 
parts of the Peninsula, Java, Sumatra and Borneo visited the Garden to see the rubber 
trees and the various methods of cultivation and preparation of the rubber. 
The demand for ramie, which was very large last year and at the beginning of this, 
fell off considerably, as rubber came into favour. This is partly at least due to the 
low price offered by manufacturers for the ribbons. Nearly four thousand plants and 
a few boxes of seed were disposed of. 
Experiments were made also with Curculigo recurvaca , the f ‘ Lumbah ” of the 
Malays. It is a well known ornamental plant belonging to the order Hypoxidece, and 
supplies from its leaves a fibre of considerable value used by the Dyaks. The 
plant grows easily, but it remains to be seen whether the yield of fibre per acre 
will be enough to recommend its cultivation. 
Over a hundred plants of gutta-percha from Sumatra were planted out for experi- 
ment. Among the economic plants of importance introduced this year, Kickxia 
Africana , the African tree rubber, occupies the first place. It had been received on 
one or two previous occasions, but always dead : the plants received this time were in 
grand condition. From the same establishment came also Landolphia senegalensis, 
one of the African rubber vines. It appears that the Landolphias are stouter growing- 
plants than our Willughbeias and Melodious, and will probably be more satisfactory 
to cultivate, so that an additional species is welcome. 
Pentadesma bntyracea {Gut life rad), the butter and tallow tree of Sierra Leone, 
was also obtained from Kew. It produces a valuable oil. 
The new green aloe, Furcroya macrophylla , a good fibre plant, was received 
from Barbados, and Lahia kutkfensis , the Borneo durian, which is stated to possess 
the full flavour of Durio sibethinus without its odour, was received from the Botanic 
Gardens, Buitenzorg. 
Upkeep of Economic Garden. 
Vote, 
Salaries of Mandore and Coolies, $1,330.83 
Attaps, Baskets, &c., ... 43-74 
Tools, &c., ... ... 67.96 
Flower-pots, ... ... 35,00 
Manure,' ... ... 17.50 
Balance in Treasury, ... 4.97 
$1,500.00 
Total, ... $1,500.00 
Inspection of Coco-nut Trees. 
Three hundred notices were served on persons who had dead or dying trees or 
piles of rubbish. One thousand five hundred and seventy-five dead trees and two 
hundred and sixty-nine stumps and thirty heaps of rubbish and cow-dung were des- 
troyed. There were only nine prosecutions, and fines amounting to $21 were inflicted. 
The vote for the year was .. ... $350.00 
Expenditure 
Salaries, ... ... ... $240.00 
Transport, ... ... ... 92.74 
Uniforms, &c., ... ... 5.05 
Balance, ... ... ... 12.21 
Total, ... $350.00 
