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Children's Playground, Queen's Gardens.-The lawn at the west end of Queen's Gardens was taken over by this Department in January and maintained as a playground for use of children of occupiers of the adjoining Government Quarters.
Blake Garden, West End Park, King's Park, Civil Hospital, Lunatic Asylum, Senior Officers' Quarters, Leighton Hill, Indian School, Volunteer Headquarters, Statue Square Plots, Victoria Hospital, Homestead Quarters, Government Pavilions and Villas, Royal Observatory and Kowloon Magistracy. The grounds or such portions of them as are under the control of this Department were kept in order during the year, additional planting of trees was carried on, grass lawns, banks, trees and shrubs were given such attention as they required.
Statue Pier.-The pier was decorated with pot plants several times during the year on the occasions of the landing of persons paying official visits to the Colony.
The Eyrie.-The grounds were maintained by this Department up to July 5th when it was handed over to the Public Works Department.
HERBARIUM AND LIBRARY.
Since the treating of the interior of the building with Hydrocyanic Gas by the Government Analyst in June 1927 no live insects have been found among the books and plant specimens.
Plant specimens of botanical interest and economic value were identified for local collectors and collectors outside the Colony, dried plant specimens were supplied to various institutions outside the Colony.
Facilities for study were afforded to visiting botanists who passed through the Colony, from time to time.
FORESTRY.
Formation of Pine Tree Plantations.-The number of in situ sowings of seed of Pinus Massoniana amounted to 196,000 during the year, the areas which were reafforested by this method were Mount Collison, West Bay, Stanley Catchwater, Pokfulam Valley, Kowloon Bay, Castle Peak, Shek Li Pui Reservoir area, Kowloon Tsai, Taipo Forestry Reserve and Ping Shan.
On suitable areas a total of 1,666 pounds of Pinus Massoniana and 155 pounds of Leucaena glauca were sown by the broadcast method.
Broad-leaved Trees Planted.-Groups of the following trees were planted in the most suitable areas in the Colony, the major portion of such work being carried out in Taipo Forestry Reserve and Mount Collison Prohibited Area:-Acacia confusa, Acacia