January 2, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
463 
out to browse, and the ancient coolie woman comes 
forth. She is gifted with the evil eye and dared not 
show before, not to mention possible difficulties anent 
certain potions, drugs, philtres; charms, and spells, 
she is always taking liberties with, in her onthusiasm 
for the propagation of sin and devilment. She is a 
most estimable creature, she hath lean lips and a 
sharp Ionic, and her eyes are rod and hungry, a 
very Sycorax and she never die. 
The tea cooly is obliged by law to get drunk once a 
week. Of course the law does not put this plainly, 
that would foolishly defeat one of the objects of law, 
and reduce all judges, barristers, vakils, and othors 
concerned to become planters, a most appalling thing 
to contemplate. Jiut the law says that for one of 
every seven days the cooly shall do nothing. Tho 
only use tho cooly is intended to put this superfluity 
to is to drain tho joyous cup, bang the resounding 
tom-tom, and make love to his neighbour's wife. The 
right of women to get druuk upon the occasions is 
fully recognised, but they prefer to keep sober, and 
to keep the' feline eye upon the men, whose cheerful- 
ness sometimes impels them to the amiable pursuit 
of strauge goddesses, and other diversions. And all 
that night they dance and sing. Thero is only one 
dance and one song, and these are ten thousand years old 
and never vary, and will be joys for ever. The 
women enlace each other round the waist, and dance 
in line, live steps to the right, then five steps to the 
left, and they also "skirl." The music is of drums, beat- 
en by men who also dance facing the women, and who 
■' skirl" likewise, but louder. The score of this opera 
has six notes only, and is all chorus, and can be heard 
at the distance of twenty miles in a bee line. E^er 
and anon the first drum makes a bound in the air, 
as though kicked behind by a steam hammer, and 
cuts a demi-volt, and gives a smack to his tom-tom 
that makes every child in the lines jump in its skin. 
And the audience cry 'Wall!' and everyone is very 
pleased, but why or what about I know -not, and no 
man knoweth. Thus is night ma e terrible to the 
wicked ; until in an interval a solo is heard in notes 
of auger hatred, defiance, hysterics and drink. For 
Mooga, who is dancing, has been caught smiling the 
smiles that never should be smole, and winking the 
winks that never should be wunk at the first drum; 
and Sooga, who has a life interest in that personage, 
is resenting it.. This she does by depicting the habits 
and character of Mooga in a series of copious and mi- 
lady like allegories which would make a monkey blush. 
And Mooga retorts ID kind, and matters are beginning) 
to get very blue, when an order comes down from the 
Lord Manager to annihilate every one without distinc- 
tion of age ar sex. And iu the morning every one has 
hot coppers and hammers beating on the hack of his 
head, and decants into himself gallons of cold water 
and curses the joyous cup. Aud Mooga and Sioga 
polish their faces with oil and streak their foreheads 
with red ochre and clothe themselves with modesty, 
and complain before the Lord Manager, And that 
potentate admonishes them and bids them keep the 
peace. But tho admonition goes in at one ear and 
out at the other, and they go away, and do not keep 
tho peaco. Again booms the gong, and all to work. 
And below everything is quivering in the heat, and 
above the vultures circle wing-wide upon the glowing 
air. and — " tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow." — 
Englishman* 
~+ 
INDIAN EXPERIMENTS. 
(Concluded from page S9J.) 
Tim Government botanical garden of the Nilgiris 
is situated on the slopes of the Dodabetta Mountain 
at Ootacamund, ami, as previously stated, was first 
laid out by the late Mr. W. O. Mclvor iu 1818. 
Since that dnte it has undergone considerable ch mgo 
and improvement, mid is now under the direction 
ol Mr A. M. Liiwson, lute professor of botany at 
Oxford, who wat appointed some few years ngo 
director of Government Cinchona plantations, park-, 
and garden*, with Mr. Jandeaonj the former super- 
intendent, Kit curator. Tho garden*, siuce tho tunc 
of its first formation, has gradually developed into 
one of the rrost beautiful, and, on account of the 
climate, one of the most enjoyable spots on the face 
of the globe. Boa itiful trees, shrubs, plants, and 
Cowers, collected from many lands, may be seen and 
studied in their fullest development in the open air 
all the year round. Originally the site of the gardens 
was a thickly wooded ravine with a range of altitude 
of from 200 to 2f)0 feet. Mr. Mclvor, with great skill 
and taste, contrived, by preserving portions of tho 
natural forest and large individual trees, to lay out, 
by paths, terraces, parterres, aud pieces of water, a 
garden at once beautiful and picturesque, a veritable 
queen of pleasuro grouuds. Above and around the 
garden the slopes of the Dodabetta Mountain are 
clad with splendid specimens of Australian and 
Tasmanian trees, including many examples of the Blue 
Gum and other species of Eucalyptus, as well as 
numerous species of Acacia, all of which take ex- 
tremely kindly to the climate of the South Indian 
hill tracts. 
At the entrance gate is a large conservatory, in 
which is grown tender plants, such as Begonias, 
BougainvillenS, Orchids, &c, but no artificial beat is 
ever used. The director's and curator's houses are 
situated near the centre of the garden, and there 
are other glass structures which were built for 
propagating purposes during the early stages of the 
Ohiuchoua experiment. The garden is entirely worked 
by coolies from the Mysore and sometimes Ohiuamen, 
with East Indian overseers. The only portion of 
ground in the garden that may be called flat is 
situated near the entrance, and this is occupied 
with lawns, ponds, and flower beds, together with 
many fino specimens of coniferous and other orna- 
mental trees and shrubs. This is the only portion 
of the grounds that suffers from frosts duriug the 
winter months. Hoar-frosts may frequently be seen 
here in the early morning, while the upiand slopes 
escape altogether. Many of the pieces of water con- 
tain miniature islands planted with grand specimens 
of Pampas Grass and Arundo conspicua, both of which 
yield at Ootncamund larger aud finer spikes of fl iwer 
than any I have ever seen in England. Around the 
edges of these ponds may be seen, with their roots 
reaching far into the water, luxuriant plauts of the 
Lilly of the Nile (llichardit ajthiopica) with their 
perennial display of white blossoms. Fish, consisting 
of rudd, lake trout, tench, carp, gold and silver fish, 
&c, were introduced into these ornamental ponds about 
the year 18(39. Since that date quautiti s of these 
fish have found their way from the garden ponds 
to the Ootacamund lake and to many streams on 
the Nilgiris.' To the late Mr. Mclvor and to Dr. Day- 
must be accorded the credit of having introduced 
European fish to the waters of the Nilgiris. 
The first terrace is laid out in Hower beds in the 
Italian style, with a very ornamental baud stand iu 
the centre. This portion of the grounds is a favour- 
ite promenade for the public. Rising from this in 
successive terraces aud winding pa'hs the top of the 
garden is reached, from which a magnificent view of 
the whole station of Ootacamund is obtained, with 
its beau'iful lake in the centre, aud picturesque houses 
on every bill. Throughout the whole station the 
Australian Eucalyptus and Acacia are planted iu abund- 
ance, giving a somewhat sombre and churchyard appear- 
ance, but tl.is is somewhat compensate.! for during 
the months of July and August by the glorious dis- 
play of tho yellow blo-soms of the Wattle Tree 
(Acacia dralbata). During these mouths the appear- 
ance of these trees is truly magnificent. 
Tho paths' and walks of the garden are mostly 
hedged with such plants as Fuchsias, Heliotrope, 
Roses, tic., and all yielding an abundance of blossoms 
all the year round, such plants as Roses aud Helio- 
tropo being wonderfully frngrant. Largo and magni- 
ficent plants of Brugn aiisiu -angiiinen and suaveolcns 
aro continually nn-t with on the steep grassy slop 
clad in their huge pendant blooms, which at night- 
fall throw off their peculiwlv agreea'de frngr»nce. 
Itmnrhc* of these plan*-, roughly lopped otT and stuck 
into the ground, will as quickly form plants iu thu 
