19
Eighty-four young "Jak" trees (Artocarpus integrifolia) were planted to replace failures in a plantation near Aberdeen Reservoir.
Care of trees in plantations.
Creepers and Loranthus were removed from trees on roadsides and in plantations as far as possible whenever they are observed.
Pine tree caterpillars fortunately appeared only in very small numbers in one plantation near Fan Ling.
Twenty-five miles of fire barriers were cleared in the mainland and eighteen on the island; these barriers almost always proved useful in checking hill fires.
Removal of trees.
In connection with the general improvement and widening of roads, the sale of building lots, excavations of reclamations and various public works, a large number of trees, both large and small and of various kinds were felled; those which were cut down near public roads were mainly Banians.
About 500 pine trees were cut down for the laying-out of an extension to the Tai Shek Kwo Cemetery, Kowloon.
In addition, a very large number of trees were cut down after they had suffered badly from the typhoon.
The usual removal of undergrowth as part of the campaign against malaria was conducted throughout the year, the total area cleared amounting to over 6,500,000 square feet, while the total area cleared for survey purposes by P.W.D. was 2,400,000 square feet.
Nurseries, Agriculture, &c.
10,000 Cinnamomum Camphora, 300 Poinciana regia and 340 Bauhinia variegata were raised in the 9A Nursery, Kowloon, for reafforestation purposes in 1924.
The growing of Aleurites Fordii and Aleurites montana for the investigations into the possibilities of the commercial production of wood oil has not been satisfactory, as most of the seedlings of both varieties suffered heavily from the typhoons. A further...