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School Gardens, New Territories :-At the request of the Director of Education school gardens were opened at Taipo, Tai Wai and Un Long. They are now maintained and worked by the pupils of the schools. Seeds of vegetables were given on several occasions and the experiments appear to have been most successful.
HERBARIUM.
The usual routine work of the Herbarium consists in keeping the collections dry and free from insects, and in mounting and poison- ing specimens as required. A large number of old specimens were reinounted and poisoned and the whole collection occasionally sun- dried.
Specimens of local plants were identified when brought in by visitors or local collectors.
A hundred and thirty nine specimens were presented by Mr. E. H. Wilson, Jamaica Plain, Mass., U. S. A. and arrangements have been made to secure for the Herbarium a complete set of the extensive collection made of the flora of Hainan Island by officers of the Canton Christian College.
FORESTRY.
The typhoons of the year resulted in great losses among the trees of the Colony; that of August 18th caused enormous damage to trees of all kinds on the Island, in Kowloon Peninsula and in the New Territories and many trees were blown down and killed, while still more were seriously injured. Immediately after each storm and more particularly after the great typhoon the chief duty of the foresters, with the assistance of outside labour as required, was in clearing the thoroughfares of fallen trees; when this was completed broken branches everywhere had to be care- fully looked for and trimmed off. In the plantations this work is not yet completed. In one plantation alone ou the Island 2,000 pine trees were killed and over 3,000 seriously damaged.
Formation of Pine Tree Plantations:-Seeds of Pinus Mas- soniana were sown in situ in the following places, sixty three pounds of seed being used :-50,000 near the new Shek O Motor Road, 3,077 on Cheung Chau Island and 50,000 at Quarry Bay. 230 pounds of seed were also sown broad-cast on the grass banks, below the Shek O Road, the Tsun Wan Road and between Shatin and the Taipo Road. In areas burnt by fire resowing took place in the following areas, 250 pounds in Plantation 70 below the Matilda Hospital, Mount Kellet, and 25 pounds on hills near Fanling Golf Course and Sheung Shui. În Plantations 5C and 5D at Repulse Bay 213 pounds were used for the same purpose.
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