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74. Soil for potting was burnt once a month. It is not feasable to take 
just any soil as the end-product varies greatly. Soil from below the overseer's 
quarters has proved to be the best found for sometime, though even this 
tends to be a little too sandy. 
75. The nursery and vegetable garden were maintained, but some of 
the orchid beds were removed to the potting yard to keep them under closer 
supervision. The kitchen garden produced vegetables, particularly salad 
vegetables such as spring onion, parsley, mint, cucumber and lettuce. Corn 
(Zea mays), long beans (Vigna sinensis ), Lady’s fingers ( Hibiscus esculent us), 
brinjals {Solarium melongena), spinach (A mar ant h us), Kangkong (Iponuea 
replans ) and sayor puteh ( Brassica chinensis) were also grown. 
76. The old machine shed behind the Guard Room was pulled down 
and a new one built near the potting yard. The potting shed was extended 
by an area of some 300 square feet and a concrete approach made to it so 
that lorries can be driven to its entrance. 
77. The horticultural staff of the Domain competed in the 1958 Singa¬ 
pore Flower Show, winning two first and two third prizes. 
78. Monthly visits were paid to Changi cottage and occasionally loads 
of compost and plants were taken for special occasions. The grass was top 
dressed with compost and sterameal and all the shrubs received applications 
of the same fertilizers. 
XXIII. ORCHIDS 
79. The plant house on Lawn L in which orchids used to be displayed 
was enclosed with expanded metal by the Public Works Department. No 
orchid had been on view to the public there since August 1956 when valuable 
material was stolen by thieves breaking through the wire netting enclosing 
the house. This period was as much a loss of pleasure to the public as it was 
an embarrassment and nuisance to the staff, who had often to deal with dis¬ 
appointed and sometimes testy visitors who felt aggrieved at there being 
nothing displayed. With the completion of expanded metal walls, orchids in 
prime bloom along with other choice and interesting plants have been out on 
display since June. Yet even though a labourer is permanently on duty in 
the house petty pilfering still takes place. One point will serve to indicate the 
problem. For long the rapid deterioration of prime orchid blooms soon after 
they had been placed in the display house had caused perplexity and some 
annoyance. Eventually it was discovered that private orchid fanciers were re¬ 
moving pollinia from the blooms on display for cross fertilizing their own 
plants." This emasculation of the flowers led to accelerated withering. Fore¬ 
warned is forearmed: the labourer is now wise to this sleight of hand. 
80. In the orchid enclosure expansion continued at the expense of 
nursery plants of the plant introduction section which is now in the process 
of being moved out to the nursery on Lawn Y. Old beds were re-dug, re¬ 
planted" and top dressed with half rotted compost; new beds were made. A 
problem experienced is the rate at which wooden post rot; and there is many 
a bed replanted not because the plants were ready for it but because their 
stakes had collapsed. 
81. In Singapore orchid circles, foliar feeding has found great favour, 
and certain proprietary manures are now well established. In our own work 
a favourite one has been found to speed up growth initially but after prolonged 
application a deposit is formed on the leaves which inhibits further growth. It 
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