7. Water Supply. — An apparatus furnishing a supply of water to 
the plant houses and nurseries was laid down during the year hy Messrs. 
Lyon & Co. of Singapore. It consists of a force pump which plays into 
a 10-ton cistern, placed underground on one of the Band-stand terraces, 
from which piping is laid to the plant houses and nurseries. The 
supply received in this manner has effected a great saving in labour, but 
during the late protracted drought, the supply well, which is situated on 
the land of Messrs. Gileilla.n Wood & Co., who very liberally gave 
permission for the purpose, failed, owing to its defective size ; but this 
drawback was easily remedied. 
8. Fernery. — The larger portion of the rock work composing the 
fernery was planted during the year with an assortment of the stronger 
growing ferns. The absence of water on the site prevents the more delicate 
ferns being planted, but these can be accommodated elsewhere. The ferns 
have grown well, but it is feared the tree roots will ultimately interfere 
with their growth. 
9. . Roads and Walks. — The proper maintenance of roads and 
walks is always a difficult matter in this climate, especially when they lie 
at a considerable gradient, as is the case with most of those in the Singa- 
pore Garden. The 24-foot drive, lying between the entrance near the office 
and the band-stand, has been grubbed up, remodelled and heavily coated 
with laterite. A considerable portion of the front entrance drive has been 
treated in the same way, exclusive of that portion connected with the 
front entrance improvements, which is detailed separately. The walk 
leading from near the office to the site of the new aviary, the surface of 
which had worn to a concave shape, has been made up to the proper con- 
vexity. This required material to nearly a foot in depth over the greater 
portion of its extent. 
The superficial area of the roads thus renovated is about 2,687 ‘square 
yards. The various other roads and walks have been repaired where 
necessarv. 
10. Flower Beds. — The flower beds and beds of coloured leaves 
have been replanted from time to time as required. The rosery has pro- 
duced flow ers freely ; the roses are not of the best kinds, but of such as 
have been found most suitable for out-door cultivation. Efforts are 
being made, however, to improve them, and a number of sorts have been 
introduced during the year for experiment in the open as well as in pots. 
11. LawilS. — The grass lawns have been kept neatly cut and iu good 
order. The Amherstia trees have been manured, as they shewed signs of 
decay, and other trees and plants throughout the grounds have received 
similar treatment where required. Several of the small walks have been 
planted on each side with ornamental palms, which have grown well and 
have already removed the bare and unstocked appearance of some parts 
of the lawns. 
12. Two large shrubbery beds have been made behind the new aviaries, 
one behind each compartment, in order to shelter the cages and screen 
the buildings from sight from the main grounds. In these shrubberies large 
plants were planted, a good many of them coming from parts of the garden 
where improvements in course of completion made it necessary to remove 
them. The transplanting has proved successful. 
13. Towards the middle of the year, I submitted for the approval of 
the Committee a plan for the completion of the planting of the grounds, 
which, though approved, was afterwards postponed in favour °of other 
improvements. 
