33
NO. 1904
HONGKONG.
REPORT ON THE BOTANICAL AND AFFORESTATION DEPARTMENT, FOR THE YEAR 1903.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government.
No. 18.
BOTANICAL AND AFFORESTATION DEPARTMENT, HONGKONG, 11th April, 1904.
SIR, I have the honour to submit, for the information of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, the Annual Report on this Department for the year 1903.
STAFF.
The Department was administered by the Assistant. Superintendent from the beginning of the year until the arrival of the Superintendent on May 4th.
The Superintendent was absent from September 30th to November 16th, on an official visit to Weihaiwei for the purpose of reporting upon the agricultural and forestry possibilities of that Dependency, during which period the Department was again in charge of the Assistant Superintendent.
The post of Chinese Head Forester left vacant by the death of YUNG CHING was filled by WONG SING PO.
BOTANIC GARDENS.
Management. The Gardens have of late years become so crowded by Chinese visitors in fine weather that it was deemed advisable to restrict their use on cer- tain days in order to provide opportunities of visiting them in a less crowded state by those desirous of doing so for scientific or other purposes. Each of the two gardens were accordingly closed once a week during August, September and October. admission being granted only to visitors presenting their cards. 26 op- portunities were thus offered to the public of visiting the gardens under favourable conditions and 627 persons (of whom 334 were Europeans) availed themselves of them. The result is interesting as showing the small demand that there is at the present time for an uncrowded garden. The privileged entrance should per- haps be tried again from time to time to test the wishes of the community.
During the latter part of the year two gardeners were used as Park Keepers to encourage visitors to observe the Regulations of the Gardens. A marked improvement in the behaviour of the Chinese working men who visit the Gardens in large numbers has resulted from this plan, thus rendering the Gardens more attractive to other visitors.
Some amendments were made in the Regulations in August, by one of which visitors are now allowed to bring in their dogs on leash.
Improvements.---One of the points brought out by the occasional closing of the Gardens referred to above was the comparatively small use made of the New Gardens by visitors. This has probably been due in some measure to the small number of seats there and this defect was reinedied in the autumn by the addition of 30 new ones. The opportunity was taken of opening up the trees and shrubs in front of some of the seats in order to give good views of the harbour. seats were also placed in Glenealy Ravine.
Some
Horticulture.-Some of the chief attractions to visitors during the latter months of the year may be briefly summarized as follows. In August Eichornia speciosa flowered round the fountain. Its peculiar inflated leaf-stalks have long been a feature there, but this is the first time that its handsome mauve flowers bave been seen. Throughout the same month the Chinese red variety of Amaran- thus produced fine patches of colour on the lower terrace.