January 15,1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
55 
with the subject in a way more calculated to be of interest for those to 
whom Bombay gardens are not yet an object of daily enjoyment, than 
for those who are already familiar with their advantages and defects. 
Every European arriving in this country brings with him the memory 
of the perfection which the love of plants and vegetation has caused 
our gardens at home to attain, and with the natural and human con¬ 
stant desire for and belief in something better, he carries with him 
illusions of the beauty, glory, and wealth of the tropical vegetation in 
which he often believes to find a paradise on earth. He may be, and 
generally is, disappointed, or rarely the luxuriance of the vegetation 
may appear to him even greater than anticipated, so much depends on 
the season at which he arrives, or on the locality in which he settles 
down. In one respect, however, he is always sure to be disappointed— 
in the expectation of wealth of flowers. This question has been so 
excellently dealt with by the distinguished writer and traveller, A. R, 
AVallace, in that delightful book, “ The Malay Archipelago,” and other 
writings, that I shall not tire my audience by a mere repetition, though 
I may remark that this observation principally refers to the indigenous 
flora. Gardening, however, here comes to our recourse ; and by the 
introduction of numerous exotic plants, chiefly inhabitants of tropical 
America and Madagascar, it has been made possible to ensure a constant 
supply of flowering plants in Bombay ; and with care it is feasible to 
grow a great many plants, whose flowers are old friends from home. It 
is only human and natural that our impressions from childhood and 
youth should be so strong, that we will always retain a preference for 
those objects which in those happy periods of life have fixed themselves 
in our memory ; and so it is with flowers. Even if we later on in life 
meet with the most gorgeous or splendid floral beauties, we cannot help 
admiring them ; but still the memory of our homely flowers, which is 
often associated with thoughts of the clearest and happiest events of 
our life, will always overshadow the splendour of even the most dazzling 
flowers we come across. We will constantly miss the Violets, Anemones, 
Primroses, Cowslips,Bluebells, Lilies of the Valley, and other gems from 
meadow and wood, the Roses, Rhododendrons, Syringas, Laburnums, 
Hawthorn, fruits, trees, from the gardens; the Azaleas, Primulas, 
Ericas, Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, and numerous other plants from our 
greenhouses ; and even if we succeed in producing some of these here, 
they are so inferior to what we used to see that we cannot help being 
disappointed. 
It is natural, hut doubtfully recommendable, for all Europeans 
arriving in a new, even distant country, to surround themselves, as far 
as possible, with the same moveable objects which in their home were 
their daily companions, to retain the same dress, the same fashions, the 
same distribution of working and leisure hours, and even to make no 
alteration in their diet. This may be a sign of the love for our homes, 
but may perhaps in many instances be attributed to a certain amount of 
pride, an unwillingness to submit ourselves to the influence of other 
customs, or even to the dictates of Nature ; a feeling which, when 
strictly adhered to, is but too often punished by ill-health, uneasiness, 
discomfort, and often grave disappointments, which in many cases 
might have been avoided. As is the case with ourselves, so it is with 
the plants, which used to surround us at home, with this difference, 
though, that even when hailing from less distant countries, they are 
much more tender subjects, and have far greater struggles to contend 
with in a new country. Their dependence on temperature, rainfall, 
and other climatic agencies is so great, that the least change will, in 
many instances, seriously affect them ; and we are, to a certain extent, 
ourselves to blame, when their cultivation causes us disappointments, 
which we by a bit of reasoning might have anticipated. It is, however, 
not my intention to argue against the cultivation of such plants, but 
only to warn against too sanguine expectations ; while, on the other 
hand, I should advise everybody not to be discouraged by unsuccessful 
results, but to persevere in their efforts, guided by the peculiar local 
conditions more than by the requirements of the plants at home, by 
which means only it will be possible to eventually acclimatise such 
plants and obtain better results in future. 
I have already dwelt too long on the disappointments of gardening 
in Bombay for Europeans ; it is therefore only fair to notice the advan¬ 
tages. Then I have no hesitation, regardless of home associations, to 
pronounce Bombay as one of the most “ highly favoured ” localities for 
gardening. It is not only possible to have a magnificent display of 
flowers at almost all seasons of the year, but the luxuriance of an 
enormous variety of foliage plants, peculiar for the grandeur or grace¬ 
fulness of their features, or for the brightness and variety of their 
colour, can hardly be surpassed in any other country in the world. The 
origin of the plants commonly met with in Bombay gardens speaks 
volumes of the keen interest and enterprise in the introduction of new 
plants, which has, for years after years, distinguished the inhabitants 
of this city, and to whom it is mainly due that we can now unflinchingly 
protest against the first statement of our old friend “ Firminger,” namely, 
this :—“ Under the most favourable point of view it can hardly be said 
that horticulture has as yet made much advancement in India.” It is 
a remarkable fact that comparatively few of our garden plants are of 
indigenous origin ; but that by far the greatest and most effective pro¬ 
portion hail from tropical America, Madagascar, East Africa, the Malay 
Archipelago and South Sea Islands ; a number from Ceylon, Northern 
India, Japan, and China ; and a few from Australia, South Africa, and 
Southern Europe ; but hardly any from extra tropical America, or even 
from the west side of South America. But as far as my experience 
goes, I do not think it improbable that by far the majority of plants, 
indigenous in tropical India, British Guiana, Brazil, Columbia, West 
Indies, tropical Africa, South Sea Islands, Java, Phillipines, Ceylon, 
Malay Peninsula, Burmah, and Ijower Himalayas, and perhaps tropical 
Australia, will have a good chance of success in Bombay. If this should 
hold good, it will be seen what a wide field there is still left for future 
introduction of plants, of which but comparatively few have hitherto 
been introduced to Europe. If, therefore, any member of our Society 
should happen to have friends resident in any of these countries, they 
would do a most valuable service to gardening in Bombay, and to botany 
generally, by requesting them to send them seeds of indigenous plants 
from such places, outlying districts in India not excepted. The pecu¬ 
liarities of the climate of Bombay must necessarily be known in order 
to enable us to form a judgment of the probable successful cultivation 
of plants from different countries. I shall therefore shortly summarise 
its main features. 
It will then first be observed that the actual temperature is not so 
high as the geographical situation of Bombay might lead us to expect, 
the thermometer showing a range between a maximum of 93’ and a 
minimum of G3°, while the average temperature of the year is 79'7°,. 
figures that as nearly as possible coincide with the temperature generally 
maintained in our stoves or hothouses at home. The humidity of the 
atmosphere is at all times of the year very great, owing to the immediate 
neighbourhood of the sea, which, on the other hand, causes the air to 
contain a certain amount of salt or sodium chlorine, which for certain 
plants is undoubtedly beneficial, but not improbably may be a dis¬ 
advantage for other plants. Though the Bombay climate does not 
present such distinct variety throughout the year as that of our northern 
homes, which can easily be distinguished into four seasons, it is, how¬ 
ever, usual to divide it into three seasons—the cold, the hot, and the 
wet season. The cold season generally lasts from November to March, 
and is characterised by fine bright weather with gentle N., N.N.W., 
N.W., W., or N.N.E., but in Bombay rarely E. breezes, a comparatively 
low night temperature (the difference between night and day tem¬ 
perature often exceeding 20°), which, as a contrast to the heat in the 
sun, which is often up to 50° higher than the temperature in the shade, 
will often prove very trying for plants. The heavy dew, which is 
caused by this great difference in night and day temperature, on the 
other hand acts as a natural protection against the sudden changes of 
temperature, by checking evaporation and at the same time supplying a 
certain amount of moisture to the soil. This season is generally con¬ 
sidered the most satisfactory for our gardens. The lower temperature 
makes it possible to raise seedlings of anhuals from colder climates, and 
to produce a tolerably good show of flowering plants. A great many 
tropical plants, trees, and shrubs produce their flowers during this 
season, while Roses, Geraniums, and other extra tropical plants produce 
better flowers at this season than at any other time of the year. Many 
plants will grow very rapidly, while others will be resting during this 
period. In March the weather commences to get hotter, the difference 
between night and day temperature decreases, the dew diminishes, the 
wind takes a more easterly direction, and the hot season sets in. The 
humidity of the atmosphere is rapidly decreasing, and strong winds 
assist the burning rays of the sun in preparing the rest for indigenous 
plants, which now in many cases shed their leaves, but often only a few 
days after are covered with brightly coloured flowers, or with new light 
green foliage. Though our gardens are least attractive during this 
season, they are yet not destitute of something beautiful to catch the 
eye, and even if many of our cherished plants assume a sickly or blighted 
appearance, this is not necessarily calculated to cause any fear, as in 
most cases the faded splendour is sooner an indication of rest than a 
sign of serious injury. In the course of May the wind loses its force, 
the air becomes sultry, the sky clouded, and the atmosphere intensely 
moist, until, generally preceded by a few heavy thunderstorms with 
heavy rain, the wind rises again, now blowing from the S.W. with slight 
vexillations to S. and W., and the monsoon or rainy season has set in, 
as a rule in the first or second week of June, and continues to the end 
of October. The average yearly rainfall of Bombay (Byculla) is- 
82'7 inches, or nearly 7 feet, which frequently fall very irregularly. 
Falls of 5-6 inches in a day are not at all unusual, and very often a 
heavy downpour lasts for several days in succession, while at other 
times the weather remains more or less cloudy, with occasional heavy 
showers, or a “ break ” of fine clear weather, which at times may last 
for a week or two, sets in. This season is the period in which the 
tropical character of the climate is most fully pronounced. The luxu¬ 
riance and formidable growth of all foliage plants, the splendid colours 
of their leaves, and the profusion of choice and delightfully scented 
flowers of a great variety of plants, all combine to make an impression 
which, once experienced, will never be forgotten, and of which such 
common features as walls and webs covered with bright emerald green 
moss and graceful Maidenhair Ferns are but poor examples. At the end 
of October the monsoon generally terminates with heavy thunderstorms, 
the clouds gradually clear away, and the temperature for a short time 
increases, while the wind is gradually resuming a more western to 
northern direction, the humidity of the atmosphere is still very great, 
owing to the rapid evaporation from the ground, and the air is steamy 
until the cold northern winds again refresh us. 
(To be continued.) 
Toads have been observed by some persons to feed willingly on bees 
and even wasps; and M. Hiron-Royer, who has noticed the fact, says that 
Hyla versicolor is positively frantic about wasps. He has seen one prefer 
them to every other kind of food, and devour them eagerly, although the 
sting does sometimes bring the creature to temporary grief.—(Nature.} 
