3 
In the Kew Bulletin (rgi4, pages 72-76 and 35 7— ? 59) have appeared descrip- 
tions of some of the fungi collected in the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, or near 
thereto. In the Gardens’ Bulletin will appear an enumeration of the Pahang collection 
of Phanerogams made by the late Mr. A. M. BURN-MuRDOCH, and worked out by the 
Director during 1914. 
Historic samples of rubber preserved in the Museum were put up in show tins for 
loan to the Batavia Rubber Exhibition, where the exhibit obtained an Honourable 
Mention. 
In December, Mr. FREDERICK Brown of the Greenwich Observatory, was % c,: . M 
permitted to establish a temporary station for the observation of terrestiial magnetism f 
near to the Cluny Lake. The position was marked by a stone that the survey under io'i > 
the auspices of the Carnegie Institute, Washington, for which he is working, may be 
able to return to the exact spot. 
An important preliminary step towards a guide to the Gardens has been taken. 
In Mr. Ridley’s Guide of 1889, long out of print, the whole of the grassy part of the 
Gardens was divided into lawns indicated on his plan by letters, and the visitor was 
told for instance that he could find the Copal Varnish Tree on Lawn L, or the 
Funeral Cypress on Lawn E. In 1911, a large percentage of the trees were numbered 
by Mr. ANDERSON in order that labels removed for any purpose might be replaced 
correctly. When later Mr. Anderson compiled the Gardens’ Catalogue, these 
numbers were cited: and in a measure they serve as guides to the position of trees, 
because No I is by the Main Gate and the numbering proceeded thence : but interca- 
lation occurs making difficulties. The reader will see at once that by combining a 
lawn letter with the number, something much more useful is obtained : and accordingly 
on a large plan specially supplied by the Survey Department, the Botanic Gardens have 
again been divided into lettered areas; the Record-keeper has punched the letters on 
to the labels wired to the trees, and has commenced a manuscript catalogue which 
will be a complete inventory of the woody, that is permanently placed, vegetation of the 
open parts of the Garden. The Copal Varnish Tree is now B8, and the Funeral 
Cypress J225. 
Botanic Gardens, Singapore. 
At the full-moon in each month, except April, up to the outbreak of the war, the 
band of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry played in the Gardens by the kind 
permission of the officers of the Regiment. Their bugles played frequently for the 
children and on several Mondays the band of the 3rd Brahmans played. 
Roads were extensively repaired by the Public Works Department, commencing 
September 30th ; and the work was well done. The Gardens’ Committee kept in 
order the paths and cut two new ones — one from the Tyersall Gate towards the 
bandstand, the other past the new site of the large kiosk to join the jungle path. 
The overflow channel of the lake was repaired, and advantage taken of the 
lowness of the water to remove some of the banks which had formed. Part of the 
soil so recovered was set aside for the raising of a path, and pari used for flower beds, 
and pot plants. It may be mentioned in passing that the success at the end of the 
3/ear of the beds of Turk’s-cap Amarants at the bandstand was due to lake-soil 
having been used. 
The Cluny Lake was deepened to three feet by the Public Works Department, 
and the adjoining swamp filled in. In deepening the CTuii)/ Lake a bed of very fine 
granite sand was struck so fine as to be greasy' when wet, and in digging a temp maty 
well in the north-east corner of the Economic Garden an exactly similar sand. It 
appears therefore that this sand may underlie the whole rubber ground. 
With blocks of stone recovered from the foundation of the old monkey house and 
on a bed of coral a small rockery was made over the Palm Valley on the slope which 
gets the first sun, whereon Agaves and a Furcraea brought from Kuala Lumpur were 
planted. The rockery is experimental in order to see if the Gardens’ collection of 
such plants can be better grown. On the rockery Helianthus occi ientalis was 
planted out with the Agaves and flowered. It is noteworthy that there is no 
“sun-rockery” in the Gardens, and that the device of forcing flowering by means of 
the heat off rocks or a wall, as far as the records show, has never bem tried. Should 
this rockery be a success a whole line limiting the palmetum towards the Director’s 
hou^e might be made with effect, and a now dosed path reopened to lead to a 
pleasing view over the Cluny Lake. 
Of trees the gre; test loss was the tall Araucaria exceha which stood near the 
Herbarium : it fell on June 7th, by an attack of white ants. And near the Five-ways a 
rare Cinnamomum was killed by the same pest. On May 12th, at 8-30 P.M., some, 
