GENERAL REPORT ON THE RESIDENCY OP SINGAPORE. 754 
proportions of their kindred elements being contained in the soil on 
which they grow. Of inorganic substances the bark of a tree 
contains the greatest proportion and the heart the least, may it 
therefore not be asked with reference to the bark diseases in 
nutmegs (a cultivation now producing 178,000 Spanish dollars 
annually in the Straits settlements) may they not in a great 
measure be placed to the want of their constituent substances in the 
soil, may not the disease in the rind that envelopes the nut, now 
so prevalent in Pinang, a cause of enormous loss to the planters 
there, be ascribed to this cause, and which disease has lately shown 
itself here. This presents a subject fitted for the investigations of the 
Chemical Analyst, and is of the gravest import to the proprietors 
of spice gardens. The practical results of the applications of 
chemical substances to tne soil, in a few remarkable instances as 
stated by Johnston may not appear uninteresting—a crop of hay 
dressed with sulphate of soda produced 5,288 lbs., undressed 4,480 
lbs. increase 808 lbs.; clover hay dressed with nitrate of soda pro¬ 
duced 3 tons 4 cwt., undressed 2 tons 12 cwt. Barley dressed with 
the same substances produced 32 bushels and undressed 18 bushels—• 
wheat dressed with common salt produced 26^ bushels, undressed 
13|; many substances have been applied by the experimentalists 
with more or less success such as diluted sulphuric acid—saltpetre, 
gypsum, charcoal, ammoniacal liquor &e. the details of which 
would take up too much space. 
Steam and Water Power. There is one Steam Engine at 
Balestier and one Water Mill at Kallangdale in Singapore Island, 
both of which are employed on Sugar Estates—the former is 8 
horse power and the latter by gauging the stream that drives it, 
was found to be equal to 11 horses; 25 per cent may be deducted for 
loss of power by friction, the effective power or modulus of the 
machine will therefore he about 8,®. The valleys of Singapore 
being generally level they do not present much field for the 
application of water power, the rise per mile can hardly exceed 2 to 
3 feet, in any place, a fall of four or five feet is consequently all 
that can be obtained with moderate outlay, and as manual labour 
is cheap there is little chance of the mechanical power obtainable 
by this means being availed of, when the other can be employed 
instead. The Kallang supplies the greatest power on the island ; 
next to it are the Rochor, Kranjee Pulo, Seletar Tawar, Kranjee, 
Batang Kiri, and Balestier. The power of the mill driven by the 
Kallang has been already mentioned and each of the rest might be 
applied to machinery of 4 to 6 horse power. In pursuing this 
subject I gauged the three following streams several times—and 
obtained the result given below:— 
