not amount to very much, to the squatters for the use of land which had been brought into an improved condition There is no ground available for new nurseries but that which is in the possession
of squatters.
25. Through the kind assistance of my friends the Rev. B. C. HENRY and Mr. MOH SIH CHUI of Canton, in procuring seeds from localities on the North and West Rivers, I was enabled to introduce the Chinese Varnish-tree—Aleurites vernicia—and we now have three plantations of this, containing 26,000 healthy seedlings about a foot high. Judging from what I saw of this tree, and the situations in which it flourished, when I was up the West River, there seems great promise of its succeeding in Hongkong, and being, when old enough, of considerable economic importance.
26. Of the Mahogany-tree, Swietenia Mahogani, 322 were planted, and they have made very good progress; a well-sheltered ravine, with fairly good soil, having been selected for them. From Reports of the Indian Forest Department, I notice that the mahogany trees in India are much subject to the attacks of boring insects, which destroy the ends of the young branches. The same thing has occurred here with our older trees, but those planted last year have not shown any signs of attack. For the seeds from which these trees were obtained, we were indebted to Mr. H. PRESTOE, the Superintendent of the Trinidad Botanic Gardens.
27. Eucalyptus citriodora, the lemon-scented Gum-tree, planted in 1880, is succeeding fairly well where it was planted amongst pine trees which had attained sufficient height to protect the young gum-trees. Of five trees measured, the mean height was 18 feet, and the mean circumference at one foot from the ground was 10 inches. Of this and other kinds of gum-trees planted experimentally on hills where there were no other trees to nurse them, the trees have failed. From this, we may learn that, with the pine as a nurse tree, other exotic trees of certain kinds can be successfully reared.
28. From the one small tree of Persea nanmu, the celebrated Chinese Coffin-wood-tree, which was introduced from Yun-nan, with the kind assistance of Mr. WATTERS, in 1880, we propagated 64 by layering; eleven of these were planted out in permanent positions.
29. Seeds of the Toon-tree, Cedrela Toona, were received from the Indian Forest Department, but I regret to say we could not get any of them to germinate. In a Report just to hand from Mr. HORNE, Director of Forests in Mauritius, I see that he likewise could not get any seeds of this tree received from India to grow, and that consequently he has procured seedlings in Ward's cases from India. As this is a valuable and quick-growing tree, I shall try to get a quantity of seedlings introduced.
30. The first revenue derived from tree planting was obtained from thinnings of one of the plantations made in 1875. The plantations having arrived at that condition when thinnings are required, there will be a portion coming in with each succeeding year that should be attended to, and as the plantings were gradually increased in area with each year, the number of trees to be felled will also be larger each succeeding year. The number of trees felled this year was 1,460, for which we obtained $48, or about 33 cents for each tree. The whole cost of planting the trees was three cents each. Those which we felled being the weakly ones, and those which are left being at least half as big again as those taken out, we may calculate the value of the standing trees at about five cents each, which is an increase in value in eight years of about 66 per cent, which, from a financial point of view, might be looked upon as a satisfactory investment of Government money, in addition to the advantages of tree planting, which cannot be represented in figures. The trees here alluded to are growing on one of the most favourable positions; therefore, taking an average of the whole results of tree planting on bad soils and otherwise unfavourable places as well as on those situations where trees grow rapidly, the financial result would probably be brought down to par for the first eight years; however, after that, the trees which would be left standing would increase more rapidly in value, and if cut down and sold, would render a profitable return for the outlay. Although in Hongkong, the money value of tree planting is not the object in view, yet if it can be shown that there is a prospect of a return of the sums laid out in addition to the accomplishment of well-wooded hills, the result is all the more satisfactory.
31. The protective work of afforestation has been energetically attended to. The forest guards generally have done what they could to stop tree cutting and grass cutting on prohibited lands. The measures adopted to confine the grazing of goats to certain localities which have been reserved for that purpose have worked very well on the whole, and considering the number of goats in the colony, there has been very little trouble with them. The people at Little Hongkong have again been very troublesome in cutting down and damaging trees near the village. These people have always stated that the work was done by boat people arriving in and making raids from Deep Water Bay. Recently, I noticed in the woods a quantity of fine trees cut half through, and some cut quite down. The forest guards were set to watch the place constantly, and eventually, a party was seen to come to work with saws and axes. When pursued, the people fled to the village, but the guards succeeded in capturing one of the party who was convicted and fined; since then, no more tree cutting seems to have been done. Altogether, since the appointment of the forest guards, tree cutting at Little Hongkong has very greatly decreased. Grass-fires during the dry season were unusually numerous, and in several cases, they destroyed a large number of young planted trees. When the trees have reached the age of four or five years, they are beyond the power of grass-fires to destroy them. The origin of the fires seems to have