HORTICULTURE 
XIX. GENERAL 
53. It is with regret that the death is recorded of Mr. Lim Hong Hee 
at the age of 63 years on 1st November. Mr. Lim started his career as a trans¬ 
mission clerk of Messrs. Cable and Wireless. He lost this employment during 
the worldwide slump in the early 1930’s,, and set up on his own as a nursery¬ 
man. His business, The Gem Nurseries, developed into a progressive concern 
through pioneering, perseverance and perspicacity. Mr. Lim was amongst the 
early horticulturists to introduce foreign orchid stock and to raise his own 
material. He was certainly the first local nurseryman to send orchid blcoms 
overseas by air. Commercial nursery gardening in Singapore owes much to 
him. 
XX. GARDENS MAINTENANCE 
54. All the lawns were maintained in good condition. With two extra 
Hayter motors in use it was possible to keep the remotest parts of the Gardens 
including the Arboretum and Lawn Z well cut. The Gardens have about 40 
acres of grass and use the following mechanical equipment to cut it on weekly 
rotations:—Dennis 24 inch cut—3, Aveling—Barford “Atom” motor scythe 
—1, Hayter rotor scythe 24 inch cut Villiers 4 stroke engine—2. 
55. Routine planting was carried out in the beds. Some 120 plants were 
put out as individual plantings. Eighteen new beds and borders mostly on 
Lawn O were made. Over 500 plant labels were made or repainted. There 
continues to occur in the Gardens the time-old trouble of misplaced and mixed 
labels. The culprits undoubtedly are Primates, but by no means are they con¬ 
fined to the resident longtailed macaque monkeys ( Macaca irus). Liberal 
application of Sterameal, cow dung and artificials such as Sulphate of Ammo¬ 
nia, N.P.K. mixture and rock phosphate were given to all beds. Also consider¬ 
able quantifies of compost were made from lawn sweepings and plant debris. 
56. When the wall was built around the southern end of the lake in 1956 
the water was drained away and many of the aquatic plants were killed. In 
anticipation of completion of the wall around the northern end no replanting 
was done. It now seems certain the wall will not be completed at all in the near 
future. 
57. A huge Ficus retusa tree was blown down in the northern end of the 
lake smothering a part of the rockery of aroid and marantaceous plants. As 
much of the tree was in the lake itself its recovery without causing damage to 
the rockery was a difficult task. Altogether 11 trees died or had to be cut down. 
Two Casuarina sumatrana and a willow ( Salix sp.) sapling were planted near 
the lake. 
58. The bamboo collection on Lawn W was checked and labelled. 
59. The quantity of fish in the lake is a constant source of amazement. 
True the public feeds them with great amounts of bread but this cafi only be a 
small fraction of their total diet. This is a good object lesson of the potential 
fruitfulness of fresh water ponds as a source of food. The Lake contains 
golden carp, catfish and Tilapia. There are also possibly as many as six 
Malayan Mud Turtles ( Trionyx cartilagineus ). 
