Sessional_Paper_1893 — Page 151

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Water-Supply.

12. This has been good and uninterrupted throughout the year, except in the nursery, but an alteration in the supply pipes made by the Water and Drainage Department, has effected an improve- ment in this respect.

West Indian Limes.

13. At the suggestion of His Excellency the Governor, I applied to the Trinidad Botanic Gardens for a supply of seeds of these and the Director, Mr. HART, kindly sent me a parcel from which a nice little stock of plants was raised. Some of these have been planted in the Garden and in one of the tree nurseries, the remainder having been distributed chiefly amongst Chinese market growers who have promised to cultivate the plants in their gardens. It is hoped that by this means the Hongkong Market will in time be furnished with superior limes to those now obtainable.

Lawns.

14. The serious injury done to lawns in the Colony in 1891 and recorded in my last report, has been repeated this year, the caterpillars having re-appeared about the same time of year, namely, in the latter half of September, and continued their depredations until the end of November when with the approach of colder weather they disappeared. In 1891 numerous experiments, as reported, were tried to destroy the larvae and moths without destroying the grass, but these experiments, with the exception of handpicking of the larva, and trapping of the moths, were only partly successful.

Experiments were renewed, however, when the caterpillars re-appeared, and eventually a method was discovered of destroying them without injuring the grass. In the meantime handpicking was resorted to. The article which was found successful was Jey's Fluid, one part to sixty parts of water. This was applied to the grass through the coarse rose of a large water-pot, giving sufficient of the liquid to saturate all parts of the grass above ground. Dull days, or if on clear days after the sun had gone down, were chosen in order that the liquid should take as long as possible to evaporate. Applications were found to destroy most of the caterpillars and to leave the grass uninjured, but it was necessary to repeat the process after intervals of two or three weeks, the process of depositing and hatching of eggs being continued by the moths. The remedy is somewhat expensive but it iš the only one which has succeeded.

It seems probable that the mischief can be stamped out by this method, but, unfortunately, when neighbours make no effort to check the insects on their own lawns, such places are nurseries for the development of moths which will, undoubtedly, find their way to the gardens of those who make efforts to get rid of the pest.

Maintenance of Buildings, Paths, &c.

15. All the plant-houses, aviaries, sheds, roads, and paths have been kept in good repair.

Workmen's Cottages and Tool-houses..

16. As originally constructed, some of them 30 years or more ago, and others upwards of 20 years ago, these buildings were and are unsuitable, both in a sanitary and other sense, for the purposes for which they are required. They are, moreover, disreputable in appearance and an eyesore to the neighbourhood besides being right in the way of the completion of the new road recently made to open up new building sites. The sites in the vicinity of these buildings would be much depreciated in value in the eyes of would-be purchasers by the presence of these old, ugly, and insanitary buildings. It would therefore in every sense be desirable to have them demolished and re-built as soon as there may

be an opportunity for so doing.

Rain Gauge.

17. By direction of His Excellency the Governor a rain gauge has been obtained from England and fixed in a suitable position for measuring and recording rain-fall in the Gardens. It was in position in time for records to be commenced from January 1st of this year, and in future the records will be published in the departmental report.

18. It might be interesting and useful to supplement the rain gauge by maximun and minimum and dry and wet bull thermometers for observing temperature and atmospheric moisture.

Garden Rules.

19. Some desirable alterations being required in the Rules for the maintenance of order in, and admission of the Public to, the Gardens the Rules were revised, authorised, and published in the Government Gazette in Notification No. 473 of the 19th November, 1892.

Amongst other alterations the time for closing the gates was made a little earlier in order that they should not be open after dark, at which time the darkness afforded facilities for irregularities which could not be checked so well as in daylight.