of the Garden bounded by the Sydenham and Avondale Roads, 

 an effectual fence being erected, so that their quarters shall be 

 completely shut out from the Garden, as we have reason to 

 know that some at any rate of the depredations in the Garden 

 have been comniited by our own labourers. 



I regret to have to report that there has been several cases 

 of depredation, chiefly fruit stealing, but occasionally plants 

 have also been taken out of the beds, though nothing of any 

 great value has been lost; still it will be necessary to make an 

 example of some of the mischievous boys, who seem to take a 

 delight in shifting and damaging labels, breaking off leaves, 

 twigs, and flowers from the trees, and such like senseless 

 practices , 



A sub-committee has been appointed to revise the Bye-Laws, 

 and when they are assented to by Government it is intended to 

 have them painted on a board at the entrance, which will place 

 us in a better position to check any infraction of them, as 

 ignorance of the regulations cannot then be pleaded, as has 

 been done on more than one occasion, Avhen visitors have been 

 checked for infringement of the rules. 



An idea seems to be held by some people that the Gardens 

 should do more of what they call scientific work, but I may be 

 allowed to point out that the only botanical work yet done in 

 the colony has been done in connection with the Botanic 

 Gardens, and to refer enquirers to the reports on the Colonial 

 Herbarium issued year by year in proof of it. What is 

 actually required by many people, and what I feel that it 

 would be desirable that they should have, is a series of ex- 

 periments with different plants on such a scale as would give 

 farmers an idea of the cost of producing a given crop, and the 

 yield which might be expected from it ; but such work as this 

 cannot be done at the Gai-dens, and is really the work of an 

 Experimental Station, and I have long thought it advisable 

 that such a Station should be established ; all that we can do 

 is to import seeds and plants of economic value, and to repoi-t 

 from time to time as to their suitability to the climate, and 

 this is being constantly done, as a refei-ence to my Annual 

 Reports will at once show. I would point out that in the 

 United States of America every State has it Experimental 

 Station, and some of the States 1 think more than one; all are 

 libei-ally supported, and regular and most valuable reports are 

 distributed amongst farmers free on application, the whole of 

 these reports being tabulated and arranged at a Central 

 Station, so that information on any subject which has been 

 taken in hand may be at once obtained. 



I have received from England another importation of about 

 160 of the enamelled plant labels, but in consequence of the 

 scarcity of labour already alluded to, they have not yet been 



