227
No. 96.
17
No. 15.
HONGKONG.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE BOTANICAL AND AFFORESTATION DEPARTMENT FOR 1895.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
BOTANIC GARDENS. HongKong, 2nd May, 1896.
SIR-I have the honour to subunit for the information of His Excellency the Governor the Annual Report on this Department for the year 1895.
GENERAL.
2. Freedom from typhoons and release from the great amount of work in contending with the caterpillar plague which characterised the previous year permitted greater attention being given to the general work of the department.
3. Although the production of revenue is not an object aimed at in conducting the work of this department, receipts gradually increase year by year. The work involved in connection with the sale of plants and forestry products, and additional work imposed in office routine, necessitates a propor- tionate contraction of work in other branches, as the staff remains stationary.
4. The total revenue for the year was :-
From Plant Sales,
Loan of Decoration Plants, Forestry Products,
•
$ 649.75
128.00
657.97
$1,435.72
This money being paid into the general revenue account of the Colony means that, so far as the Gardens are concerned, the more money that is expended in the propagation and cultivation of plants ➡for sale and loan the less is that available for ordinary maintenance of the Gardens.
BOTANIC GARDEN.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES.
5. The Bands of the Rifle Brigade and the Hongkong Regiment were kindly allowed by their respective Colonels and Officers to play in the Gardens from 9.30 to 11 p.m. on moonlight evenings during the summer.
The number of visitors averaged about 2,000 on each night. Although about five constables were in attendance the visitors were not always confined as closely to the walks as desirable, and mischievons people took advantage of the opportunity to damage property to some extent, and thieves to steal plants.
HOT-WATER APPARATUS.
6. My recommendation in paragraph 12 of the Annual Report for 1894 that the glass-houses should be artificially heated in the cold season has been adopted. A boiler and four-inch diameter iron pipes were obtained from England and fitted before the beginning of the cold season. Honses and pits aggregating about 240 feet in length were fitted with two rows of piping. The whole apparatus has worked perfectly and provided exactly the heat required. Fires were used on 74 days and nights, for which five tons of coal were consumed at a cost of $37.78.
GARDEN SEATS.
7. A new lot of iron and teakwood seats of a more elegant pattern than the old wooden ones were provided in order to accommodate about 200 more visitors. The walks on the terraces are now as well furnished with seats as they can be without being a disfigurement to their surroundings.
DISTRIBUTION AND INTERCHANGE OF PLANTS And Seeds, &c.
8. The receipts were 1,534 plants, and 22 lbs. of seeds, in 387 packages and one wardian case, and 11 birds. The chief donors were :--
Ackroyd, E. J.
Acclimatizing Association, Southern California. Barton, J.
Bodinier, Rev. E.
Botanic Gardens, Adelaide.
11
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23
1:
Bangalore. Brisbane. British Guiana.