Agricultural Bulletin of the Straits and Federated Malay States
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AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN of the STRAITS and FEDERATED MALAY STATES. No. g.] SEPTEMBER, 1906. [Vol. VIII. THIRD JOINT ANNUAL AGRI-HORTICUL¬ TURAL SHOW OF THE STRAITS SETTLE¬ MENTS AND FEDERATED MALAY STATES, 1906. Raffles Reclamation Ground, Singapore, Thursday, Friday and Saturday i6th, 17th and i8th of August. President. The Hon'ble The Colonial Secretary—Capt. Young Chairman—Hon. John Anderson Committee. Col. Alex Murray St. V. B. Down Dr. D. J. Galloway W. Nanson Col. Pennefather W. D. Barnes W. C. Michell W. G. St. Clair H. Payne-Gallwey John Somerville Hon. Tan Jiak Kim Hans Becker Seah Liang Seah Rajah Hitam Nongchi Choa Kim Keat C. B. Buckley J. Polglase • r. w. Egerton Eastwick Hon. A. T. Bryant Rev. Father Gex Honorary General Secretary.—H. N. Ridley Honorary Treasurer:—Wm. Macbean Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries 3°8 Honorary Secretary—Division A—W. Diepenheim ,, ,, B—Dr. Ellis ,, „ C—P. S. Falshaw ,, ,, D—L. E. Gaunt (Horses) ,, „ D—F. Hilton (Dogs) E—G. A. Hall E—E. F. H. Edlin (Schools) ,, „ F—C. Wreford Judges. Division A. D. W. Lovell, Robert Little, W. Dunman, L. C. Brown, W. Diepenheim, E. Bramall, A. J. C. Hart, F. H. Darke. Division B. St. V. B. Down, W. Nanson, Rajah Hitam Nongchi, Chua Kim Keat, Dr. Ellis. Division C. Cattle—H. A. Crane, P. S. Falshaw. Poultry—C. L. Van Cuylenburg, W. L. Hawtrey. Division D. Horses.—Major General Inigo Jones, C.V.O., C.B. Capt. Leveson Gower (The Sherwood Foresters). C. Sugden, — Major O. C. Woolley Dod, L. E. Gaunt, P. S. Falshaw, Lt.-Col. Pennefather. J. B. Young. Dogs.—J. D. Saunders, Esq., K. A. Stevens, Esq., Capt. The Hon. C. Baring, F. Hilton, Esq., P. S. Turnbull, Esq. Division E. A. Hale, W. S. Coutts, L. Wray, (Schools) E. F. H. Edlin, Rev. H. C. Izard, C. M. Phillips. Division F. A. F. G. Keller, K A. Stevens, A. J. Macdonald, F. C. Wreford. Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries 309 The Agri-Horticultural Exhibition, 1906. The third of the Agri-Horticultural exhibitions of the Colony and Federated Malay States was held at Singapore on August the 16th, 17th arid 18th, on the reclamation ground in front of the Raffles Hotel. The weather proved fine for the greater part of the time but a heavy shower during the second day caused the ground to become for a time very muddy and wet. This, however, inter¬ fered but little with the enjoyment of the general public whose interest in the exhibition was attested b}>- the great crowds which thronged to the entrance on all the three days, giving the working committee no small labour in taking the tickets and giving change. Two ticket offices were opened but these were insufficient for the purpose. A large number of subscribers and exhibitors and their assistants had free tickets but besides these no less than $5,300 were taken at the gates, so that upwards of 50,000 people visited the show grounds. On the previous occasions two exhibitions at Kuala Lumpur and Penang the gate money amounted respectively to $300 and $622.20. The price of admission to the opening ceremony was $2 and on all other occasions 25 cents a head. On the second day the school-children were admitted free and added not a little to the crowd of visitors. Programmes of events were sold at ten cents each and were readily bought. In spite of the vast crowd which attended the exhibition there was no disorder or trouble of any kind ; and there were no thefts of any importance. The few losses which did occur • of articles in the exhibition were mainly due to the careless¬ ness of exhibitors, who sometimes delayed for days after the ex¬ hibition was over to claim their exhibits. Buildings.—The general arrangement of the buildings was designed by a committee consisting of Mr. R. A. J. Bidwell, Mr. Down and Mr. Buckley. The plan and form of the various buildings was designed and executed by Mr. R. A. J. Bidwell, to whose untiring energy the suc¬ cess of the exhibition was largely due. The plan was very superior and in many ways much more convenient than that of previous shows, and the whole building was on a much more extensive scale. The Agricultural produce and native industries were housed in a long shed of poles and attap roofing, 450 feet long and 50 feet wide, half devoted to each division. The house for plants and vegetables, 225 feet long and 50 feet wide with two projecting wings of 50 square feet. The house for cut flowers and vegetables was 100 feet long by 50 wide. The poultry was housed in a separate shed, 75 feet long by 50 wide. The dogs occupied a space of 125 feet by 50. Besides these a very large area was occupied by the buildings of the different firms, refreshment rooms, lavatories, Secretary's office, a grand stand by the show ring, stalls for horses, and sheds for the cattle. The whole of the ground occupied was 1,400 feet in length and 300 feet broad, or 14,000 square yards in area. Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries 3io Management. The Committee for the show was a very large one, but the whole work of the show really devolved on a very small number of workers. Fortunately they had the assistance of a number of the visitors from the Native States, who materially assisted in the arrangement and judging of the exhibits. The buildings were planned and executed by Mr. R. A. J. Bidwell and were far the best both in design and plan of any at previous shows, and very much more extensive. The general arrangements for the exhibition were effected by Mr. Bidwell, Mr. Diepenheim, the Hon. Secretary and Mr. J. S. Isaac (Clerk of the Gardens Department) assisted after the opening of the exhibition by Messrs. Marriott, Hall, Edlin, Hilton and Buckley. The arrangement and judging of exhibits were as follows:—• Agricultural Section:—Mr. L. Brown, A. J. C. Hart, D. W. Lovell, F. H. Darke, Hon. Sec., Mr. W. Diepenheim, Mr. E. Bramall. Fruits, flowers and vegetables:—Mr. Down, Dr. Ellis, Mr. Pereira, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Main, Mr. Chua Kim Keat. Rubber:— Mr. Zacharias. Native Industries:—Messrs. Collinge, Wray, Simmons, Chevallier, C.M. Phillips, W. S. Coutts, E. F. H. Edlin. Cattle:— Mr. Falshaw, Mr. II. A. Crane. Poultry:—Mr. W. L. Hawtrey, Mr. C. L. van Cuylenburg. Horses:—Mr. Gaunt, Mr. Sugden, Payne-Gallwey, J. B. Young, F. Hilton, J. D. Saunders, Major-General Inigo Jones, Colonel Pennefather. Dogs:—Messrs J. D. Saunders, K. A. Stevens, Capt. Hon. C. Baring, F. Hilton and P. S. Turnbull. The thanks of the Committee are due to the Government of the F. M. S. who were good enough to carry exhibits free and exhibitors over their railways and to the Manager of the Singapore Railway who did the same. The Straits Steamship Company also gave a rebate of 25 per cent, of the freight of exhibits and the native visitors had also the use of the " Sea Belle" to come and return from Malacca and Penang. The number of native visitors from the Native States was about 750, and there was some difficulty in housing them at first. The only available building in Singapore large enough for them was the new Tan Tock Seng Hospital ward, but this was so far away from town as to be practically inaccessible to them, and even¬ tually they were housed in various parts of the town, their expenses being paid out of the exhibition funds. There were also visitors from Ceylon, Burmah, India and two delegates from the Botanic Gardens of Buitenzorg and many others from the Dutch Colonies. Exhibitors. The whole of the Federated Malay States and the different parts of the Colony sent exhibits to the show, viz., Singapore, Malacca, Penang, Province Wellesley, Johore, Muar, Pahang, Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries 3" Negri Sembilan, Selangor and Perak. The Siamese States in the north of the Peninsula were however not represented. Of these Perak came first in competition winning 133 prizes of the value of 837 dollars and besides carrying off the Governor's Cup. It is to the credit of this State too that nearly every exhibitor succeeded in securing a prize, showing a careful selection in what was to be • sent, by the district officers. Eighty of the prizes were taken by Malays and twenty-one schools also carried off prizes, only seven of the prize winners in this State were Europeans. This in itself shows that the exhibitions are well considered by the natives and that they take a great interest in the competitions. The total number of exhibitors from Perak was three hundred and sixty- four. The exhibits from the Native States would have probably been poor were it not for the energy and perseverance of the various district officers and other officials of the Federated Malay States also. Singapore came next to Perak both in number of exhibitors and in the prizes taken. In this calculation horses and dogs naturally were more easy to show at the seat of the exhibition than from elsewhere, are excluded or Singapore would be first. The small amount of cultivation of agricultural produce in Singapore as might be expected lowered its average, though it had some advan¬ tages in the horticultural section. There were 252 exhibitors, the greater part of whom were Europeans, and 124 prizes fell to them valued at 647 dollars.