IXPERIENOES OE MR. STALE, 
did you ever ?” Rows of black bottles, all heaped one 
pver the other, resting against the gable end of tfeo 
kitchen; what a very extraordinary place to have a 
wine or beer cellar, let’s have a look and see what sorb 
of stuff they contain. To your astonishment you find 
they are all empty, not even corks in them, and on 
making inquiry as to how they came there, you are 
told that is the way they stow away empty bottles. 
Now, these empty bottles by no means implied that 
master consumed a deal of liquor, for bottles were 
in use for almost everything. You got tea, pil, ghee, 
turpentine, all in bottles ; but of course the most of 
them at one time contained liquors, and it is sur- 
prising, what with one thing and another, hpw bottl^ 
do accumulate ; just let any of our old country friends 
try it, and keep all the bottles brought to the^r houses, 
for all and sundry purposes during a series of years, 
and it would open their eyes. They go on a different, 
principle altogether, for as fast as full bottles of any 
thing are brought in the empty ones are returned? but 
of course on the coffee estates this was never thought 
of, or, if thought of at all, it was found the empty- 
bottles werp not worth the carriage, for it mpst be 
remembered that all house supplies were carried on the 
heads of coolies, on journeys of many days. Now, whak 
do you think we sometimes made of these empty bottles, 
to get them out of sight, and not be’ a silent reproach 
that they were en^pty and would like to be filled, as 
a reproach that they were considered jolly good fellows 
when full, and allowed very comfortable accomn^odation 
in the sideboard, but whenever they became empty 
were tumbled out into the rain and cold, as being 
utterly worthless and unworthy even of house room, 
liowever poor ? Why, we used them to ornament our 
feeble attempts at gardening. And it was done in this 
way ; an attempt would be made to lay out grounds 
around the bungalow ; actually a small walk or ap- 
proach would he made, approaching from the estate road, 
leading straight up to the front verandah ; loose sand, 
stones, or rounded quartz, would he laid down on the, 
walk, but still it had not a finished look; it had no edging, 
and the gravel would get all spattered about amongst the. 
attempt at flowers, so a piece ot coir yarn would be 
laid down on both sides of the intended walk, along 
which a trench was dug about the depth of a bottle. 
The bottles were then inserted into this trench mouth 
down, the earth filled in up to a couple of inches of 
the 1x)ttom of the bottles, which now presented a 
glittering line of beautiful blue edging, in brilliant 
contrast to the white quartz with whicii the walk was 
laid. And the best of it was, this edging required nq 
primming and dressing ; there it was,^ a permanent o^ae, 
