480
Mr. H. B. MORSE, of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, one of the few botanists resident in China, visited the Herbarium.
Professor SARGENT of Harvard University spent some time in the Island in November and collected a large number of botanical specimens.
Mr. WILSON passed through on his way to Central and Western China where he is undertaking his second collecting journey for Messrs. VEITCH & Co. of Chelsea.
STREET TREES.
A complete Register of Street Trees was drawn up during the year showing the kind, size and position of each tree. It has already proved of much value in the control of these trees.
The following is a short summary of its contents :—
Banyan (Ficus retusa),
Celtis sinensis,
Albizzia Lebbek,..
Other trees,
Camphor (Cinnamomum Camphora),
.1.170 trees.
248
181 $9 102
11
310
Total,......2,011
An unusual large number of removals of such trees as can be transplanted, and destruction of others that will not bear moving, has been necessitated during the year to make room for the new Electric Tramway.
AGRICULTURE.
In February the crop of sugar-cane obtained from cuttings procured by the Government from the Straits Settlements and Honolulu was ready for cutting and distribution. 10,000 cuttings were offered to farmers in the New Territory without charge, and nine applicants were supplied with various quantities through
the Police.
Mr. LI PAK's estate at Castle Peak. which takes the place of a Colonial Experimental Farm, produced 25 mow of these canes in 1901 besides 45 mow of Chinese varieties, and the percentages of sugar given below show the former to be a valuable improvement upon the canes hitherto grown in the Territory:---
Honolulu, Province Wellesley,
Chinese,
Weight of Cane. .....100
.100 ..100
Weight
of Juice.
55.0
51.0
48.3
Weight of Sugar.
9.3
8.8
8.0
Some difficulties were encountered in bringing the sugar to a marketable condition; the prices obtained were not satisfactory and much below the best prices of Chinese sugar. As, however, the Castle Peak sugar from native canes was poorer in quality than that from foreign canes the fault was clearly in the manufacture and not in the new canes. The price in the local Chinese market is said to depend largely upon the reputation of the man who superintends the process of sugar-making, and an experienced man would probably be well worth his salary of $1.50 to $2.00 per diem.
The experiments in other vegetables and fruits have been energetically pur- sued by Mr. LI PAK during the year, and it is satisfactury to hear that the results, while of much value to the Colony, have not been unremunerative to the owner, The most suitable vegetables for market purposes have proved during the year to be Tomatoes, English Cabbage, Turnips, Globe Artichokes, and French Beans.
English potatoes should be profitable in land plentifully supplied with water.
These vegetables find a ready market because the introduction of better varieties and different cultivation has supplied a want that the old-fashioned methods could not meet. In the case of produce already grown in large quanti- ties in the Chinese nursery gardens and sold at very low prices, such as Chinese
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