CO129-611-4 Development Committee- reports on various aspects 11-12-1945 - 14-7-1947 — Page 119

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AFFORESTATION SUB-DEPARTMENT

118

Suggested plan for the establishment of a Gardens Department and for the reorganisation, of an Afforestation sub- Department.

I. Pre-war establishment.

A Botanical and Forestry Department with joint administrative headquarters at the Botanical Gardens, Hong Kong where were situated offices with clerical staff, library, herbarium, living quarters for the Superintendent and nurseries for ornamental plants. The European staff consisted of,

Superintendent

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trained in horticulture at Kew, with experience of tropical ornamental gardens

in Malaya principally, at Penang. HORTICULTURIST

Assistant Superintendent trained at Oxford, with a

bachelor's degree in forestry. FORESTRY OFFICER.

Two Forestry supervisors with local knowledge only.

Comments.

.Y

1.

Research on Flora.

In the early days of the Department (Ford, considerable attention was paid to the flora of Hong Kong and of south China. This resulted in the publication by Dunn (super intendent) and Tutcher (Asst. Supt.) in 1912 of a "Flora of Kwangtung and Hong Kong". Since that date a few papers have been published by the same authors chiefly dealing with the local flora. Since Tutcher's retirement no research into the flora of Hong Kong or South China has been attempted by any member of the staff. Thus one purpose for which this department was formed has been completely ignored for at least twenty years. It should be mentioned that most of the plants of the Colony have been identified and therefore the re is no urgency for research in taxonomy; it must, nevertheless, be the only Botanic Department' in the Empire which is not doing. any botanical work.

(Compare with Singapore Botanic Gardens)

2.

Horticultural Research.

*

I cannot recollect a single publication from the Department dealing with horticulture other than Tutcher's Gardening for Hong dong": There is plenty of scope.

3.

Botanical Gardens.

The Hong Kong Botanical Garden has been maintained.

4. Parks.

Government House Grounds, Hospital and School Grounds, etc., These have been maintained.

5.

Nurseries.

These have been maintained though some have deteriorated in the last twenty years. Sookumpoo nursery is largely used for the cultivation of vegetables for Government House and for the Superintendent. I doubt whether it was originally intended for this purpose.

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