9 
Botanic Gardens, Penang. 
Staff. 
1. No change in the Staff took place during the year and all worked well. There 
is difficulty in keeping trained Gardeners. No sooner do they get to know the 
rudiments of their work than they leave, and the same task of teaching has to be 
recommenced. There was the usual amount of sickness chiefly Malaria, the ordinary 
cases are treated at the office where a stock of simple medicines is kept and only the 
complicated cases being sent to Hospital. 
Visitors. 
2. The number of Visitors especially on Mail days seem to increase indeed 
the number of passengers brought by the German Mails is amazing. There were fewer 
scientific visitors but among the latter was the Inspector-General of Forests in Nether- 
lands India. His mission was. to study the methods of cultivating and preparing Para 
Rubber and also to visit the Teak Forests of Burma. I am glad to be able to report 
that no thefts occurred during the year. 
The Weather. 
3. The year under review must be distinctly classed as a dry one. The total 
rainfall on the Hill amounted to just over loo inches, 100*09 as against 134*25 last 
year.' On the plain 78*31 only was registered as against 123*25 a difference of nearly 
45 inches. Usually the effect of a dry year is to cause many Forest trees to flower 
that only do so at long intervals, so far however this effect has not been noticeable. 
4. For reasons mentioned elsewhere the work of the first three parts of the year 
was of a routine character. A special effort was made however to have a bright 
display of plants at the Show. A fine batch of the new pink flowering tobacco, 
Nicotiana Sanderiana. a group of well flowered pinks and other annuals, together with 
a fair show of Orchids were sent, and helped to brighten up the plant section consi- 
derably. As regards the competitive exhibits in this section, Penang hardly did itself 
justice. It is with pleasure I have to report the great interest shewn in the cultivation 
of roses by a number of our wealthy Chinese, and also to some extent in Orchids. 
The demand on our stock of the former plants was so great and which could not be 
met that I suggested importing some from home. Upwards of 200 of the best sorts of 
roses have been specially imported for them, and also a number of Cattleyas, the 
beautiful South American Orchids. It is hoped this awakened taste and love of 
gardening will increase. 
5. A new walk lined with rockeries has been commenced, starting from the 
wooden rustic bridge, and running parallel with the stream to the stone bridge at the 
top of the Gardens, this when finished will form a most pleasant walk, it is the inten- 
tion to have a good collection of Penang ferns on these rockeries. 
6. The exchanges of plants and seeds with other Establishments was not quite 
up to last year and the amount realized in sales of plants amounted to $566.80 as against 
$^ 54-35 fur 1904. The amount collected represents our normal sales, the higher 
amount in 1904, being due to a large collection of plants sold to the Kedah authorities 
for the wedding festivities which took place that year. 
Upkeep of Buildings, Etc. 
7. A vote of $500 was put in the Estimate for coolie lines, as however the 
Overseer’s Quarters were badly in need of repair, $200 of this sum was used in repairs 
to them, leaving $300 for new coolie lines which have been erected, but which are too 
small to accommodate all our coolies. I hope to see the lines extended if possible 
during the present year. 
8. The plants houses have had repairs effected where necessary and all the tables 
in the Orchid houses have been cemented as a means of keeping away white ants 
which have proved so troublesome. The roofs of the Iron house and No, I the 
Begonia house have had new sets of chicks. 
Herbarium and Library, 
9. The only collecting tour I was able to take was in October when the new 
steamer “ Sea Gull” was placed at my disposal for a few days and I took the op- 
portunity of visiting Pulau Terutau principally to get the Impatiens Mirabilis which 
I was unable to get the previous year. I got a stock, some of which have since been 
§ent to Kew. I regret to report that although the greatest possible care was taken in 
packing, the largest specimen sent, arrived in a damaged condition. It is a notoriously 
