CHAP. IT. WEEDS. 49 



PORCUPINES. In those parts of India where these animals 

 abound, they are, I understand, exceedingly injurious to 

 gardens. The usual method adopted for their destruction is to 

 dig pits to entrap them. 



GOATS. All kinds of animals, it is needless to observe, should 

 be excluded as much as possible from a garden, but few more 

 scrupulously so than goats, for they are about the most pernicious. 

 They are especially fond of Kose-trees, giving them the preference 

 to all others. There is some peculiarity in their bite, insomuch 

 that a stem, once nipped by them, becomes poisoned, and must 

 be cut completely in, as it will never thrive again afterwards. 



THIEVES. It is well, if possible, to exclude all other servants 

 but the malees from the garden, as they are much given to 

 pilfer the best of the fruits and vegetables. But it is princi- 

 pally in Calcutta and its vicinity that the theft of ornamental 

 plants is much to be feared, and there it is of continual occur- 

 rence. When a theft of this kind takes place, it may be laid 

 down, I believe, for certain that it is either the act of the malee 

 himself, or done with his concurrence. For many of the thefts, 

 however, of valuable plants the actual thieves are not so much 

 to blame as those who purchase of them, as such plants can 

 hardly by any possibility come into a native dealer's hands 

 except by thieving. 



WEEDS. 



Upon the whole weeds do not appear to be a greater source 

 of trouble in an Indian than they are in a European garden. 

 There is no other way of keeping the ground free from them, 

 but by either pulling them up by the roots or cutting them 

 down with the koorpee. This, of course, is most effectual when 

 done in the hot weather, as when cut down at that time, they 

 have little chance of recovering themselves. But it should be 

 done most perseveringly ; for the beauty of a garden depends 

 quite as much upon the scrupulous cleanliness with which it is 

 kept, as on the choiceness of the plants it contains. 



The most troublesome weed we have is perhaps the Mootho- 

 grass. The roots of this produce crops of little kernels, any of 

 which, left in the ground, retain their vitality and grow after a 

 very long time. By diligently searching for and digging out 

 these kernels, the weed may soon be entirely eradicated. 



E 



