No. 1903
19
HONGKONG.
REPORT ON THE BOTANICAL AND AFFORESTATION DEPARTMENT, FOR THE YEAR 1902.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
No. 11.
BOTANICAL AND AFFORESTATION DEPARTMENT,
HONGKONG, 4th April, 1903.
SIR,-I have the honour to submit the Annual Report on this Department for the information of His Excellency the Governor.
STAFF.
2. The Superintendent left for home on the 6th of August on four months' vacation leave, with the intention of retiring at the end of that time.
3. The Assistant Superintendent was acting as Head of the Department from the 7th August until the end of the year.
4. Sickness amongst the Chinese Staff was very prevalent throughout the year, 1,218 days having been recorded. Much of the sickness was attributable to the epidemic of Dengue Fever last summer.
BOTANIC GARDENS.
5. Plant Sales and Louns.-The revenue derived from these last year was $936.01 as compared with $958.18 for the previous year. Of this amount the sum of $688.13 was received for 1,596 plants sold, and $247.88 for 3,182 plants on loan.
6. Drought. Much time and labour were expended during the first four months of the year on account of the exceptionally dry weather and the inadequacy of the water supply for the Gardens. Coolies were employed to carry water from the Garden Road Nullah where there is always a good supply.
7. Typhoons. These were very frequent during July, but did very little dam- age to trees and shrubs. On the 2nd of August, however, there was a strong gale accompanied by a heavy rainfall which wrecked many large trees in the streets and did some damage to the Gardens, but not so much as might have been expected from the force of the wind. Two landslips occurred in the New Garden-one at the east end of the Gallery Walk and the other above the same walk.
8. Rockeries.—Most of the plants in the large rockeries at the north-east entrance to the Old Garden, and those in the small rockery at the west end of the Rose-bed Terrace were taken up; those which were worn out thrown away and new ones planted in their places.
9. Plant Houses.---Nos. 2 and 3 houses, mentioned in last year's report as being in course of construction, were finished during the year and are a great im- provement on the former structures. The rockery at the south end has been pro- vided with a bamboo roof similar to the roofs of the plant houses.
10. Walks. In paragraph 13 of last year's report it is stated that repairs to walks were suspended between March, 1900, and October, 1901. As a matter of fact, about 600 square yards were re-surfaced with cement and granite during that time, rather more than was done between October, 1901, and the time the report was written.
11. Elephant's Head Banana.-When Mr. E. H. WILSON, who was from 1899- 1902 collecting plants and seeds in China for Messrs. J. H. VEITCH & SONS, was here in 1899, he gave me a few seeds of a Banana he had collected in Yunnan, and informed me that the plant was known by the natives, who grew it for the centre of the stem which they used as food, as the Elephant's Head Banana. Three of the seeds germinated and two of the plants thus obtained arrived at maturity and
Page 285Page 286