N 3
The garden was crowded with people but owing to the precautions taken by this Department very little damage was done to plants or lawns.
Government House Grounds.—In the long shrubbery on the eastern side of the grounds and in the shrubbery near the stables several flowering shrubs were put in to replace others which had died.
The Cannas in the various beds were taken up, divided and re-planted.
The Camellia bed near the entrance to the house was filled with plants of Begonia semperflorens and later on with Iris tectorum.
Purple-flowered Rhododendrons on the banks at the east of the ballroom which were in proximity to red-flowered varieties were taken up and transplanted elsewhere.
The tennis lawn on the south side of the house was re-turfed where it had become bare.
Both lawns were given a dressing of manure in the spring and later on they were treated with chachai to get rid of worms.
In the early autumn all the lawns in the grounds were badly attacked by caterpillars which were kept in check by applications of Jeyes' Fluid mixed with eighty times its bulk of water.
On the north bank one plant of Bougainvillea spectabilis lateritia was put in, and at the top of the same bank two plants of Clerodendron splendens.
Owing to the excessively dry weather the lawns were watered regularly for the last three months of the year. The water used for this purpose was unfiltered and obtained from the Albany nullah.
During the last rainy season the path on the south side of the house became very soft and it was opened up in the autumn and re-drained where necessary.
The west end of the lower walk on the north side of the grounds was surfaced with concrete composed of cement and granite.
The red and purple Rhododendrons, Bougainvillea spectabilis, Bauhinia Blakeana and Cassia siamea in the grounds flowered well.
Mountain Lodge Grounds.—The lawns were weeded and given a dressing of manure.
Thirty Allamandas were planted on the bank above the new tennis lawn and a few clumps of Iris tectorum were planted on the banks near the house.
The purple Rhododendrons on the terrace flowered well but the red ones in the valley were almost a failure.
The Hydrangeas made a grand show as usual but probably