3 
Roads, Paths and Drains 
The Public Works Department resurfaced Office Gate Road and built up 
the drains along each side. They also made up and tar-sealed the Lake-side Path 
and the path from Office Gate to Office Ring Road and made up and surfaced 
with laterite several other paths. A new path was made from Tyersall Gate to 
the Lake-side Path through Lawn G. One path on Lawn D and two on Lawn P 
were done away with, the levelling and turfing being undertaken by the Gardens 
labour force. The mason did a considerable amount of rebuilding and repairing 
of roadside drains. The P.W.D. filled in a number of silt pits that were found 
to be breeding mosquitoes. 
New Borders and Beds, and New Plantings 
A new border encircling the Bandstand was planted with a collection of Lan- 
tana camara varieties. Another new border was made at the top of the bank on 
Lawn 0 and planted with a mixed collection of flowering shrubs, and on the same 
lawn new beds were made to take several kinds of bulbous plants. 
it is intended to form a collection of all the trees used as street trees in Singa¬ 
pore. This collection will, of course, be labelled, and visitors may readily learn 
the names of any roadside trees in which they are interested. The trees will be 
sited along Office Ring Road, and ten species have already been planted. 
Several changes were made on the Bandstand Hill to endeavour to produce 
a more colourful display. Lobelia dresdenensis, usually grown as a pot plant, was 
used very successfully as a bedding plant, being readily propagated both by 
seed and by division. 
The Canna beds along Main Gate Road were lifted in mid-February and re¬ 
planted in March. The width of the beds was increased to six feet, which is con¬ 
sidered the minimum for three rows of Canna plants. In April the disease which 
completely destroyed the Cannas during the Japanese occupation reappeared, but 
was successfully controlled by spraying with Peronox three times a week for three 
weeks and thereafter once a week for a month. In spite of this attack, the Cannas 
made a good display throughout the year. 
A considerable amount of work was done on the boundary of Lawn Z, where 
the hedge had been invaded by tree seedlings and other unwanted plants. The 
whole of the old hedge was removed and a new one of Baphia nitida planted, 
with oil palms at the Palm Valley end. 
An avenue of Royal Palms ( Oreodoxa ) was planted along Office Gate Road in 
Lawn K. These were all about 1^ feet tall when put out in February. By the end 
of the year most of them were over 8 feet. 
The Lake 
The water-lilies flowered well during the year. The upper end of the lake 
was weeded and the lilies thinned out. Towards the end of the year, one of the 
several water weeds, Hydrilla ovalifolia, appeared to be growing more strongly 
than usual. In an attempt to control it arrangements have been made to introduce 
the Gouramy or Kalui ( Osphromenus gourami ), a fish which is said to have been 
successful in keeping down this plant in Colombo. 
Orchids and Succulents 
A small part of Lawn X, near the Director’s Quarters, has been fenced off and 
is now being used for all orchid propagation, the raising of succulents, and the 
preliminary stages of all new introductions. This site is more open and more 
