HORTICULTURE 
XXIII. GARDENS MAINTENANCE 
5 ?',? e whole of the Gardens was well maintained throughout the 
year, but there is a shortage of man-power necessitating the postponement of 
Iiot immediately essential works. This shortage is the result ofT cZInJ 
devolution of works previously carried out by the P.WD to department 
with the result that the general gang of the Gardens labour Lce^e" 
become diverted from their primary duties of horticulture. Steps are in train 
to try to obtain a larger establishment of labourers. The lawns were kept 
° n f 3 W6ekly c jt by a team of 2 Dennis 24" cu7mowem 
1 Ransome 24 cut mower and 3 24" cut Hayter Rotor Scythes. New hedge 
p anting was earned out round the orchid enclosure: 60 feet with Acalypha 
siamensrs and 100 feet with Bougainvillea sanderiana. The latter was chosen 
especially for its thorny nature. During the year 666 wooden plant fatels or 
lawn plantings were renewed, some 10,000 metal tag labels prepared and 36 
signboards repaired and a further eight made. 
it mnrl' ^ PeC ' al ‘I 1 *™ 1 *? 11 has been given to the Bandstand hill to try to give 
witTsome 20 r d, n fferenf C T 1 Tw ° b ° rder beds have bccn planied 
Rutnt a » , aca " thaeeous species including Jacobinic. Asystasia 
Annthe/h anthus ’ Barl f r,a ’ Beloperone, Eramhemum and Pseudoeranthemum 
Another border has been planted with small and medium sized shTubs 
Stenolobmm alarum. Brunfelsia nitida. Phaleria blumei. Hibiscus costalus 
Erythroxylon coca, Dianella ensifolia, Petraea volubilis. Vitex regandu 
ZTZfZZ ea ' M t igkia “I™’ Duranta Plumeri and var. S a 
ndtof phvZT CV ", f" ra / a koemgii, Stachytaphita indica, Honckenya 
ficifolts, Phyllanthus pulcher, Stenolobium starts. A novelty has been to con 
centrate those plants with red berries at one end. 
52. All the pot and bed culture calls for large quantities of comnost A 
^siderahJe am ount of cattle manure is obtained for composting and no less 
than 20 large compost heaps are maturing at any one time 
, riw 53 - Monke ys (Macacus irus) continued to be the main and most des- 
t uctive pest in the Gardens. The population of Rhinoceros beetle (Orvctes 
dechnT™" d m av d te l d Pe ^Th' {Rhyncophorus f^ugineus) has certainly 
Q -Ki S m T ay be due t0 the contm uous prophylactic treatment of all 
o^olam debTr lm 7°^ * with insecticide, the S control 
of pbnt debns, and perhaps also to the now almost completely built-un 
a * ^ the and ° n the Gardens boundaries from which coconut palms 
nd dead stumps and trunks have been removed. The Rhinoceros beetle is 
arirr r 0r T Ily t0 traVd any Very ^ reat d “ and a quarter mtle beh 
Wesshfg C Ga CnS relatlVeIy little u ^attended land is likely to be a great 
Wt; 54 t- ThC - denizens the Lake have in the past few years had quite a 
allhe I T ‘"a' 6 hU "' S l ° ca,ch the cu 'P rits responsible fordLrtoym* 
whnt th y hae t aS - droUght ’ and drainage of the lake for walling But on^he 
or a least {S’atuM, ° f ^ ^ pr ° ,ific ' There was b ~ a disease 
at least the actual cause was presumed to be a disease, which attacked the 
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