The sale of plants by the Department having been stopped, surplus plants remaining over at the end of the previous year, instead of being thrown away, were distributed, without pots, to members of the Horticultural Society, as it was found that they would produce scarcely anything if sold by auction.
The scheme for the proposed tramway through the New Garden having been dropped, very necessary repairs to the lower walk were taken in hand. The old chunam was taken up and replaced with cement and disintegrated granite.
Government House Grounds.-The construction of the new staircase to the Ballroom necessitated the removal of a small shrubbery on the north side of the ground. Any shrubs which were worth saving were transplanted elsewhere.
The lawns on the north side of the house were re-laid as they had become very uneven.
Caterpillars were again troublesome in the Autumn on the tennis ground, but were kept under by applications of Jeyes' Fluid and water.
Blake Garden.--The vacancies caused by the trees which were blown down in the previous year were planted up with young trees, and the turf which was damaged by cockchafers was partly renewed, and partly replaced with blue grass (Ophiopogon).
Peak Garden.-An extension was begun by continuing the old culvert a distance of 125 feet, but it was not possible to do any levelling.
West End Park.-Several trees were planted and the park kept in as tidy a condition as funds would allow.
King's Park.-Planting was commenced by putting in upwards of 400 trees of various kinds, but it is to be regretted that several of these were afterwards stolen by persons unknown.
Colonial Cemetery.-Trees were planted in various places and a good deal of turfing was done.
Roadside Banks.-The planting of Battery Path Bank was continued, and the Bank between Wyndham Street and Ice House Lane was planted with blue grass and other ornamental plants. The Bank between Upper Albert Road and Garden Road was planted with several species of Palms.
Dr. E. A. Voretzsch, the Consul for Germany, presented several showy South American orchids to the Gardens in exchange for others.
A large number of seedlings of the Coffin Wood tree, Machilus Nanmu, Hemsl., were raised in the Albany Nursery from seeds supplied in the Autumn of 1908 by the British Consul, Chengtu, Szechuen; and 14 Wardian cases containing 70 plants each, were despatched to various British Colonies and India, and one case each to Manila and Tsingtau. As showing how much depends upon the treatment of the cases on board ship, and the weather encountered