5 
Herbarium. — The re-arranging of the collections has been continued, mounting 
being suspended. The Director had hardly any opportunities for botanising : but a 
plant collector was sent with Mr. Mohamed Haniff on both of his expeditions. The 
following were received: — 178 specimens from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew ; 
367 from the Bureau of Science, Manila; 671 from Professor C. F. BAKER; 7 
from Mr. A. P. VESTERDAL; and 40 from Mr. J. R. Weir, Forest Pathologist in the 
United States Department of Agriculture. Also several hundred specimens were 
received for determination from the Forest Department. 
Specimens are not distributed in return to Europe at present, but retained in 
Singapore, unless there is some special reason for at once forwarding them, such as 
Mr. Ridley’s work upon the Malayan Flora. 
The following were sent out : — 
40 to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 
272 to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, 
362 to the Bureau of Science, Manila, 
176 to the Botanic Gardens, Buitenzorg, 
30 (being Mosses) to Mr. H. N. Dixon, Northampton, 
9 (being parasitic plants) to the United States Laboratory of Forest Patho- 
logy, Missoula, Montana. 
Mr. Dixon was so good as to return determinations ; and Miss G. LlSTER has 
continued her kindness in determining Myxomycetes. 
• Botanic Garden, Singapore. 
\ 
The year 1917 was unusually wet: the rainfall recorded was 109.18 inches with 
only 98 rainless days, against 133 days in 1916, 125 in 1915 and 158 in 1914. The 
Gardens’ lake overflowed several times. 
The precipitations of the North-east monsoon never ceased, and consequently 
those plants which need the dry weeks of February for laving down buds, flowered 
badly. 
The beds and roads needed constant weeding : and the lawns more mowing than 
could be given. 
The Pigeon orchid (. Dendrobium crumenalum ) flowered on no less than nineteen 
days, the frequent rainstorms suiting it. 
Several trees were lost. The only tree of Eucalyptus pulverulenta died in March 
from white ants. Three Rhodamnia trees fell at the end of the year, rotten at the 
roots. Two big Cananga trees were killed by lightning in August, and a group of 
trees was also killed in the Gardens’ jungle. 
A Ficus benjamina was partly destroyed in November by wind but after 
having been weakened in consequence of a careless cooly on the road outside the 
Gardens setting fire to the vegetation in its forks. 
The handsome screens of Thunbergia laurifolia near the Liane Road had to be 
cut down as they were destroying their supporting trees. 
For bedding Cannas were very largely resorted to, and on the Bandstand hill 
annuals from european seed. Spathoglottis plicata served for a border along the front 
of the large Plant House for half of the year, the position supplying the right 
conditions. Crotons in a numbered series were set out on the Hill, and preparations 
made to treat the Hibiscus collection similarly. Unless such collections have 
permanent places, the losses are considerable. The better to give the pot plants in **’**'%•'' * *** 
the propagating yard fixed places, three new cinder tables have been made and three 
more are being made. 
A Chinese gatdenei was employed throughout the year raising annuals, and 
succeeded beyond expectation with Antirrhinums from Messrs. Barr & Sons* and 
with Lobelia erecta . Uufortunately he left at the end of the year. 
Dipladenia Harrisii fruited for the first time; Arenga undulatifolia flowered, 
and Kigelia pinnata. 
