265
Plant Collecting.
14. One of our staff was sent to Hainan to collect living plants, and to obtain and dry specimens for the herbarium. He was absent for about seven months and was successful in sending back about 400 dried specimens, a fair proportion of them new to our collections. I have spent as much time as could be obtained in determining them, those which are indeterminable here will be forwarded to Kew for completion there with the kind consent of the Director and assistance of the Herbarium Staff, from all of whom very valuable services are always rendered as their time will permit, when plants are sent for identification.
In addition to the dried plants about 900 living ones were sent up in good condition, besides a quantity of seeds. Amongst the plants were several orchids of a showy character which are welcome acquisitions for the orchid houses.
My best thanks are due to the Rev. A. E. STREET, of Nados, for having most kindly given much assistance in looking after the collector, paying his wages, and forwarding the collections to Hongkong, I have also to thank Mr. G. J. LITTON, of Canton, for having, when he was in Hainan, kindly taken the collector with him into districts which otherwise would not have been entered by the collector.
7
Rainfall Observations.
15. Records of rainfall observed in the Gardens are given in appendix A., and for the sake of comparison those taken at the Observatory at Kowloon are attached in appendix B. The observations at each establishment were taken at 10 a.m. I am indebted to Dr. DOBERCK for kindly supplying me with the Observatory records.
Herbarium and Library.
16. Some hundreds of plants have been mounted and incorporated in the collections in cabinets. These collections are composed of Hongkong, Chinese and Japanese plants, and various species which have flowered for the first time in the Gardens.
17.. A collection of about 350 well preserved plants were purchased from a Japanese botanist in Japan. They were all Japanese plants.
18. Hitherto the collection of Hongkong plants has been. incorporated throughout the General Collection, but in consequence of the large number of plants in the latter it was becoming inconvenient to retain them any longer together, therefore I have separated the General from the Hongkong Collection, so that for purposes of reference when Hongkong, plants only are wanted the work is greatly facilitated.
19. Books, journals, &c. received are here recorded:--- Agricultural Gazette, New South Wales, 1892 Agricultural and Livestock Returns Colony of
Cape of Good Hope, 1892-3:
Bibliography of Australian Economie Botany:
Part 1, 1892.
Bulletin (Brisbane) of the Department of Agri-
culture, 1898.
Bulletin (Jamaica) of Botanical Department, 1893.. Bulletin (Kew) of Miscellaneous Information,
1893.
Bulletin (Trinidad) of Miscellaneous Informa-
tion, 1893.
Bulletin (Brisbane) Our Stock Foods and How
to use them, 1893.
Bulletin Koloniaal Museum, Haarlam, 1892. Colonial Office List, 1893. Purchased. Chemical Papers from the Research Laboratory.
by W. R. Dunstan. From Pharm. Society of Great Britaru. Exposição Sobre Estado e Necessidades. From
Jardim Botanico, Rio de Janeiro. Enumeratio Plantarum in Horto Botanico Flu-- minonsi Cultarum. From Botanic Gardens. Rio de Janeiro,
Economic Botany of China by AUG. HENRY.
Parehased.
Fauna of British India, Vols. I and II. Purchased. Flora of British India, Part 14. From Royal
Gardens, Kew:
Flore Forestiere de la Cochinchine Dis-Septieme Fascicule, 1891. From Royal Gardens, Kew.
Hooker's Icones Plantaruin, Vol. II, Parts II and IN. From the Bentham Trustees, through Kew.
• Handbook of the Bromeliacea by J. S. BAKER.
Purchased.
Handbook of the Irides by J. S. BAKER. Pur-
chased.
Handbook of the Flora of New South Wales.
From New South. Wales Government.
Indian Forest Reports from Indian Forest Department.
Forest Administration of the Forest Survey
Branch in India, 1891-2.
Forest Administration in Andamans, 1891-2. Forest Administration in Ajmere-Merwara 1891-
1892:
Forest Administration in Baluchistan, 1891-2. Forest Administration in Bombay Presidency in
Sindh, 1891-2.
Forest Administration in Coorg, 1891-2 Forest Administration in Hyderabad Assigned
Districts, 1891-2.
Forest Administration in Lower Province of
Bengal, 1891-2.
Forest Administration in Lower Burma, 1891-2. Forest Administration in Lower Punjab, 1891-2. Forest Administration in Provinces of Assam,
1891-2.
Forest Administration in Madras Presidency,
1891-2.
Forest Administration in Upper Burma, 1891-2.