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LABORATORY 
The building housing the present director’s and clerks’ 
offices and the laboratory was built in 1920. Until a few months 
ago the clerks’ office also housed the Library, 
Plant Paintings and Drawings 
Since 1890 there has always been an artist on the Gardens’ 
staff, who prepares botanical drawings and paintings for the 
specialist staff. In 1890 Mr. Ridley employed James de Alwis 
from Ceylon, who stayed until 1894, while Charles de Alwis 
was transferred from the Public Works Department, where he 
was photographer, to the Gardens in 1900 and stayed until 1908. 
The plant paintings of these artists are of an extremely high 
standard, more especially the latter, and it would be difficult to 
find more accurate or more artistic plant portraits anywhere in 
the world. A small selection of their paintings is exhibited. 
Orchid Breeding 
Mr. Ridley had a great liking for orchids and was an authority 
on this family of plants. As early as 1889 he reports that orchids 
were becoming firm favourites among local amateurs and he got 
together a very fine collection of orchids growing in the Gardens. 
In 1929 Mr. Holttum, then Director, began the first scientific 
breeding of orchids in Singapore and developed the technique 
of flask culture seen in this laboratory. The process of breeding 
and raising orchid hybrids from seed to flower can be seen in 
this demonstration. 
