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kept sharp, and after the coolies had got used to them. The general effect 
of the abolition of the “Kai Kutti” was that the slopes looked rather more 
untidy than formerly, but it was better to have these slopes well covered 
with grass than practically denuded. 
Masonry. —The curb-work on the roadsides was resumed towards the 
end of the year. Repairs were made to the stream banks in the Fern 
Rockery. 
Buildings. —The Gardens Office was extensively overhauled and 
re-roofed by the Public Works Department and a new room built on. The 
Public Works Department also carried out the following : — 
The Tool-shed in the nursery was overhauled and re-roofed with 
asbestos. The seed-propagating-house in the nursery was re-roofed 
with wired glass. Plant houses Nos. 3, 5, 6 and 10 were repaired. 
Small repairs were done to the roads. 
Flowering of Bambusa Blumeana.— All the clumps of this bamboo in 
the Gardens and Residency grounds, except one by the Middle Bridge in 
the Gardens, began to flower about the beginning of the year. Unfortunately 
no record could be traced of when they were planted, but as far as could 
be ascertained it was more than 30 years ago, and this was their first 
flowering. Presumably all were planted about the same time except for 
the clump mentioned above. 
At the beginning of the year flowering was heavy all over the clumps, 
those in the Gardens flowering more profusely than the others. The culms 
flowered in a leafless state and, after flowering, died. Spasmodic flushes 
of flower occurred at intervals and, at the end of the year, some culms were 
still flowering. The flowers were visited by large numbers of insects, 
particularly the bees Melipona sp. and Apis indica. 
The clumps in the Gardens showed no sign of new growth during or 
after flowering and at the end of the year, appeared dead or dying. Those 
in the Residency continued to produce a few new culms, but they also 
flowered, and although at the end of the year most clumps showed a number 
of leafy stems, it seemed probable that all would die down eventually 
and have to be removed. 
Planting. —As in 1936, such concentration of work as the development 
of the New Garden in Lawn V did not allow of much more than routine 
maintenance in the upper part of the Gardens but the following planting 
was done : — 
Lily Pond Gully : Clerodendron Bakeri, Scyphostegia borneensis 
Couroupita guianensis , and a large number of local trees to fill gaps. 
Lawn S: Goethia strictifolia, Pereskia grandiflora, Tabebuia rosea, 
Eryt h roch it on b rasili ense. 
Lawn O : Bauhinia monandra, B. variegata, B. Candida, Cassia biflora, 
C. fruiicosa. 
Lawn J : Parancphelium macrophyllum. 
Lawn L: Terminalia belerica, Eugenia xanthocarpa, E. pitanga, 
Parmentiera cerifera. 
Lawn E : Saraca bijuga. 
Lawn N : Couroupita guianensis. 
Fern Rockery : Saraca taipingensis. 
Losses. —No trees of any value were lost during the year. Owing to 
the office extension some trees of Crypteronia paniculata and Grewia 
paniculata had to be removed from the bank behind the office. 
