8 
Losses. —Seven trees and one palm, of species common in the Garden, 
were removed for improvement purposes. The large trees of Erythrina indica 
and Ficus benjamina in the potting yard were primed heavily to let more light 
and air into the yard. Several trees above the road near the entrance path 
to the lily pond gully were unsafe and had to be removed. 
GOVERNMENT HOUSE DOMAIN AND OTHER 
OUTSIDE CHARGES 
Singapore 
Government House Domain was maintained as usual. Towards the close 
of the year, a re-arrangement of the beds on the terraces in front of Government 
House was begun, at the request of H.E. The Governor. Thirty-four flowering 
trees and forty-seven shrubs were planted in various parts of the Domain. 
The supervision of tree-planting in the catchment area around the 
reservoirs was continued by Mr. Corner, whose report is as follows. 
MacRitchie Reservoir. —A few trees which had died on the edge of the 
Reservoir were replaced. 
The remaining trees, planted in former years, are growing unevenly. Some 
have done well, others poorly. It is difficult to And good flowering trees which 
are able to compete with the jungle trees round the edge of the Reservoir or 
to grow in the hard, poor soil along the foot of Bukit Timah Golf Course. 
The most satisfactory tree appears to be Adinobotrys atropurpurea . 
The small flowering trees, Samoa and Cassia multijuga, planted near the 
Lake House and by the Water House at the head of the Reservoir, have grown 
well, particularly the Saraca. A large number of seedlings of Saraca are 
being raised in the Botanic Gardens to continue planting at the edge of the 
jungle. Saraca is one of the showiest of small flowering trees. 
Pierce Reservoir.— Many of the trees planted on the hillsides at the 8 V 2 mile 
Thomson Road were killed by mousedeer, which ate the bark, and by monkeys 
which broke the saplings. Most of these were replaced by the hardier kinds 
raised in the small nursery established at the Coolie Lines. A further area of 
hillside was planted up with the hardier trees raised in the nursery, and an 
additional 300 trees were sent up from the Botanic Gardens. 
The experiment of planting the hillsides with fast-growing trees has been 
sufficiently successful to be continued. About half the trees have survived 
and the majority of these are over six feet high. But it is only by experience 
that one can find suitable trees. A large variety of seedlings are "being raised 
in the Botanic Gardens for this purpose. 
Inspection of roadside tree planting was carried out as usual for the 
Municipal Commissioners. Advice with regard to tree planting was given 
at H.M. Naval Base and R.A.F. Base. 
Penang 
Hill Gardens. —At the entrance to Bel Retiro an avenue of Cypresses was 
planted all along the path, and the slope down to Summit Road was also planted 
with similar trees; in all 49 trees were planted. About 30 Australian trees, 
chiefly Eucalyptus, were planted on the slopes towards Convalescent bungalow. 
The flower border below the tennis court was replanted with blue and mauve 
flowers. Strawberry Hill was maintained as usual, and a few Cypress and 
Spathodea trees planted; the lower terrace on the west side was grassed. At 
the Crag Hotel 79 Cypress trees were planted, chiefly in the hollows of the 
lower slopes; these should provide an excellent background and foundation for 
the terrace planting, which is developing satisfactorily. The caves below the 
large boulders, through which the lower path passes, were planted with 
maidenhair ferns and Cypripediums. A number of alterations and improve¬ 
ments were made in the planting of shrubs at Convalescent bungalow, and the 
slopes on the west side of the path down to Bel Retiro gate were cleared, 
re-cut, and re-grassed. The slopes between Convalescent and Fernhill were 
cleared and prepared for planting Pinus Merkusii, the Sumatran Pine, of which 
a large number of seedlings were presented through the kind offices of 
Mr. J. J. VAN der Laan, of the Deii-Courant, Medan. It is hoped that in 
some years time the slopes in question will be covered with an attractive pine 
wood. The gardens at the other hill bungalows were maintained as usual. 
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