}
Donors.
Adams, Rev. J. S., Ningpo.
Armstrong, J. M.
Botanic Gardens, Adelaide, South Australia.
Brisbane.
**
"
Jamaica.
})
51
Mauritius.
>1
25
Melbourne.
ま
Natal.
11
"
"
Penang.
Port Darwin.
Saharanpur.
Singapore.
:
32
Townsville.
27
Trinidad.
1
"7
Cook, Mrs.
Cooper, W. M., Ningpo.
Cox, J. H.
Cundall, C. H., Manila.
Diercks, F., Hankow.
Henry, Rev. B. C., Canton.
Johnstone, D. A., Hoihow.
Kneebone, Miss.
The following is a list of receipts for the year :-
Botanical Magazine, 1887.
Gurnal of Botany, 1887.
Gardeners' Chronicle, 1887.
Report, Royal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, 1886.
43
Indian Forest Reports.
Forest Administration in Assam, 1886-87.
Central Provinces, 1886-87.
29
Bengal, 1886-87.
Ajmere Merivara, 1885-86.
British Burma, 1885-86.
"
Ceylon, 1886.
**
11
Botanic Gardens, Jamaica, 1886.
"
11
11
FY
"
"
53
Mauritius, 1885.
"}
}}
33
31
13
3
Natal, 1886.
Coorg, 1885-86.
**
爷爷
+3
Madras, 1886-87.
"
>>
Saharanpur, 1886.
31
"}
11
17
Singapore, 1886.
19
Ceylon.
73
33
11
Agri-Horticultural So-
3
Kew, London.
ciety, Madras, 1886.
15
Hyderabad, 1886-87.
North-West Provinces,
1885-86.
Andamans 1885-86.
Koch & Brunner, Messrs., Cebu.
Livesey, J., Stone-Cutters' Island. MacGowan, Dr. D. J.
Roebelen, C.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta.
+1
>>
Palm Nurseries, U.S.A.
Schultz, Mrs., Perak.
Thurston, K.C.M.G., Sir J. B., Fiji.
Veitch & Sons, Messrs. J., London.
HERBARIUM.
The facilities and accommodation not only for extending, but even for maintaining the collections We have now about reached the limit of of scientific dried plants are still lamentably deficient. possibility of progress unless the suggestions which I have made on several occasions be responded to. There are now large collections of plants put away which have been made, dried, and poisoned, and which cannot be mounted, labelled and incorporated with the general collections in cabinets until the additional accommodation for working at and storing the specimens is available.*
As much attention as possible has been given to the herbarium demands whenever a little time A considerable number of plants have been poisoned, and could be obtained between other work. mounted by the clerk and office boy, and labelled and incorporated by myself, but there are large numbers which it has been impossible to overtake.
A collection of nearly 2,000 named specimens of chiefly Asiatic plants have been procured by purchase. Since they came into our possession they have all been poisoned to preserve them from Another large collection damage or destruction by insects, and many of them have been mounted. was obtained during a journey made by myself, with Chinese assistants, up the North and Lienchau Rivers in the Kwangtung Province. Duplicates of all these have been sent to Kew Gardens. They have not yet been examined and determined, so that I am not yet able to make a report on the species which were obtained.
Donations of dried plants have been received from the Rev. E. FABER, of Shanghai, amongst which were many species of Chinese plants which were not before in our herbarium.
BOTANICAL LECTURES.
When the Chinese Medical College was inaugurated last year I was invited to give the Botanical Lectures to the students. With the approval of the Government I consented to do this, and have The lectures have all been given after continued since last October to deliver two lectures a week. office hours. For the sake of the demonstrations it would have been more convenient to give the lectures during daylight. but this was found impracticable to work into the time table of the College, Botanical specimens to illustrate the lectures, have been supplied to the students from the Botanic Gardens.
Since the Herbarium has been provided with more suitable accommodation, the students have received their lectures twice a week in the Herbarium room instead of at the Medical College. By this arrangement the resources of the Herbarium have been readily available and of great assistance to the students. The students take great interest in the botanical lectures, and many of them give promise of capacities for making considerable acquirements in botanical science.
LIBRARY.
A copy of the Chi Wu Ming, a valuable work on Chinese Botany which is difficult to procure, was obtained from Peking, through the kind aid of the Registrar General's Department of this Colony and of Dr. DUDGEON at Peking.
I have to thank the Indian Forest Department for sending regularly copies of its various Reports which have been received throughout the year, and also the Directors of the many Botanic Gardens in various colonics for Annual Reports.
To Mr. THISELTON DYER, Director of Kew Gardens, we are specially indebted for numerous
copies of the "Index Flore Sinensis" of the various parts as they were published, and also for copies of of "Icones Plantarum " and the "Kew Bulletin," the latter complete for the year 1887, the first year its publication.
* Since the above was written I am very pleased to say that by some alterations in the departmental buildings very greatly improva accommodation has been provided by the Government, and work long delayed is now progressing satisfactorily.
Report, Queensland Acclimatisation Society, 1886.
Forests, Straits Settlements, 1886.
+4
Survey Branch, 1885-86.
Review of Forest Administration in British India, 1885-86.
GOVERNMENT-HOUSE GARDENS.
The ordinary yearly routine work has been performed at the gardens appertaining to Government House, but besides the thinning of over-grown trees, of which a good deal has been done, no special works have been undertaken.
INVESTIGATION AND PLANT COLLECTING.
A journey was undertaken by myself in August along the North and Lieuchau Rivers in the Kwangtung Province. Besides an extensive collection of dried plants for the herbarium about 800 living plants were brought back. These are chiefly plants of an ornamental character which are most desirable additions to cultivation. When these living plants have become established and grown they
will, in many cases, be new objects of great beauty and interest in the gardens of this Colony. When the collections have been thoroughly examined, a work which will yet take some time, the scientific results of the tour will, I feel sure, be of considerable value and interest.
Besides the introduction of new living plants, and the acquisition of a large quantity of material for the herbarium and for the enrichment of science, I may mention another result which is important and of direct and immediate practical utility to the Forest Department. For several years I have endeavoured, in vain, to procure through Chinese and other sources seeds in quantity of the tree (Cunninghamia sinensis) which yields the timber, so called China fir, that is universally used here and in South China for all kinds of building, and many other purposes. While I was absent I found the tree growing abundantly about 100 miles North of Canton, and under circumstances which ren- dered it possible to procure seeds in quantities as were desirable. I made arrangements for seeds to be collected there when they were ripe and delivered in Hongkong. We have now a large quantity on hand, and experiments on a large scale will be made with the cultivation here of the tree during this year. The timber from this tree, if it be found to succeed here, will be of much more value than that of Pinus sinensis, the tree which hitherto we have planted very extensively.
FORESTRY.
After the reduction of planting works which took place in 1886, the number of trees dealt with in artificial reproduction during 1887 was again brought up to something nearer former work, but until the Forestry vote is again placed at the figure which was provided before its reduction last year, we cannot accomplish annual afforestation works to the same extent as formerly.
Roughly estimating the area of ground operated on by the number of trees planted at fairly regular distances apart we have about 312 acres as the area for 1887. 157,144 trees were reared in Burseries and planted on the hills. Planting as usual was commenced in December, and finished in April, which was somewhat earlier than in former years. Planting in the dry season can only be done in places where water is available for artificial irrigation. In other places we are entirely depen- dent on favourable weather. In all places the planting was very successful.
Nurseries.
Nine nurseries have been maintained. These were situated at Kowloon (two) Saiwan, North Point, Sokonpo, Deep Water Bay, Little Hongkong, Aberdeen and Pokfulam. From them the trees were carried to the various planting grounds ranging from Saiwan in the East, North Point in the North, Pokfulam in the West, and Deep Water Bay in the South of Hongkong, and north eastwards of Yaumati at Kowloon.
The trees reared in nurseries under contract have this year, as a rule, been very successfully managed by the contractor, they show a great improvement on the previous year's work in this respect.
335
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