BOTANICAL GARDENS AND CITY RESERVES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13268, 27 April 1905, Page 2

BOTANICAL GARDENS AND CITY RESERVES.

The following resume of the worl: done at the Gardens and recreation reserves for the past year was presented nt Tuesday evening's meeting of the City Council:—

A new entrance was formed at the NortiiEast Valley end of tile Gardens on the piece of waste land between the Gardens and tho Opoho road. The old road was used as the foundation for the path, borders' were made on each side, and the back ground planted with trees and shrubs. The. borders have been quite a feature during tho summer. A bit more was added to the rockery, several new beds and bordeis trenched and planted, the emu pen shifted, and the site of the old pen planted with bamboos. The collections of the various sections of plants have been added to both by donations and purchase. The grass collection ot over 100 varieties has been very interesting. There was a collection of 20 varieties of hardy annuals, 50 new dahlias, 50 named carnations, and a considerable number of natives were added.

The diuks, deer, and emus are a sourco of great attraction to the children. So far the Acclimatisation Society lias not succeeded in obtaining native birds for the aviary. The greenhouse and fernery arc in a bad state; in fact, they both want renewing and extending. A considerable amount of fencing has been done. A start was made with the arboretum, ti considerable number of trees being planted, weeds and brambles were clearcd out of the native bush, and tlio encroaching bluegum imu pine trees cut down. Kntive shrubs wcro planted round the margins of the bush and in the open spaces. Tho nursery was trenched, levelled, laid oil, and almost filled up with plants. At present it contains '1900 trees afid shrubs fit to plant out, besides quantities of seedlings, rooted cuttings, and herbaceous plants. The propagating houses, with hot water pipes, boiler, and potting slied, were put up last year and proved most suitable for raising bedding plants. In the spring 21,000 plants were raised for planting out in the Gardens and reserves which, when valued at wholesale rates, represent £J3S. Seeds and plants received by donation: Seeds, 13GG packets; plants, 519; bulbs, 1500; outtings, a large quantity. Seeds and plants purchased: Seeds, 397 packets; plants, 67; bulbs, 150 Q. A new fernery, new greenhouse, and gates for the new entrance are all required. "With blocks oi rotten rock, the same as was used for the rockerj', a fernery could be built for £100. Kew gates are wanted very badly, tis on Sunday aiternoons the little gate is blocked villi people going out and in. T'iie greenhouse could stand over for another vear.

Now work on the recreation roserves included trenching, planting, and fencing, flower borders ill the Market and Museum Reserves, cutting and stumping elderberry ill Y'oodhatigil, topdressing the tip (it- the- Southern .Recreation Reserve with soil, fencing along Anderson's Bay road. n:id preparing tlie place for the holly hedge. On llie reserve near Pine Hill the old 1-oad was dug up, the ditch covcrcd over, a number of old trees cut doivn, and the whole place drained, levelled, niul sown down tor a, football ground. A fence was put up along tho roadside from the corner at tho Gardens to George street bridge, a hclly hedge planted naif the distance, and a number of shrubs tlio other ha;f. 13ccls of geraniums were planted out at the Supreme Ccurt, and sub-tropical plunts near the Tost Office.

On tho Town Belt ait the broom was skimped out, grass cut, oiid the trees pruned on tho hillside above tho Boys' High School and in the plantations near the'ltolyn tram line. Broom was cleared from round the trees near Monlpeilier and on the Bclleknowcs hill, tho ttees were- pruned and five breaks wcro cut through the brown and along the margins o; the native bush. The patches c-£ brcom among the native bush between the Maori road and the Queen's drive were cul out Unemployed Relief I ,Voi'k.~i92 'was spent on relief work, stumping out brcom and gorse. A considciable part of the Belleknowes hill was.clearcd. Along the sides of the Queen's urivo and Cosy Dell road the broom wa 3 stumped.

Elderberry ■cutting.—The teachers and school beys look up tho eltlerbciry-cutthig with <rr «at enthusiasm, and practically all the secdiV plants on tlie Belt were cut clown. Jiy tinning this gcod work every year the old plants will be weakened and prevented from seediii" and spreading until such time as they iiro grubbed out. There is still abundance of broom and gorse on the Belt, but as long as it does not interfere with the native bush, planted trees, or recreation grounds, it nuv be left ; !v Undisputed possession until tho land is required for something else.