April 27, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
553 
NOTES FROM CALCUTTA. 
Those of our readers who are interested in garden¬ 
ing and other matters pertaining to the same in 
foreign countries may be pleased to note the sub¬ 
joined particulars communicated to us by Mr. R. L. 
Proudlock, Curator of the Royal Botanic Garden, 
Seebpore, Calcutta :— 
We have no difficulty in maintaining a lawn or 
green sward such as I was accustomed to in England. 
We have plenty of green sward in the garden, and 
we never need to water it; but I must tell you that, 
although it is beautiful green grass, it is a very deep 
rooted and rather coarse kind. There are several 
species of grass 
and other weeds 
which make up 
our grass plots, 
just as there are 
several kinds 
which fulfil the 
same purpose in 
England, but I 
have only referred 
to the one which 
is the chief kind. 
Lawns, as a rule, 
are made of 
another kind, 
known here to 
natives and Euro¬ 
peans alike as the 
•'Doob” grass. 
It is a very fine¬ 
leaved and soft 
grass of a glau¬ 
cous green colour. 
It makes splendid 
lawns,which may 
be equalled, but 
are certainly, so 
far as I am able to 
j udge,not excelled 
in any country in 
the world. To 
walk over a well- 
kept lawn of 
" Doob ” grass is 
like walking over 
a carpet. It is a 
grass that will 
stand drought 
well and likes 
plentyof sunlight. 
I must tell you 
that the earth is 
well tilled before 
this grass is 
planted in it (not 
sown), usually in 
the rainy season. 
The Amherstia 
nobilis does very 
well here indeed. 
We have the nor¬ 
thern half of the 
Thomson Avenue 
planted with it, 
but the plants do 
not reach much 
above io ft. in 
height. We have, 
however, about 
six trees some¬ 
thing like 20ft. to 
25ft.high growing 
in the garden, 
and at the present time (March 20th) they 
are simply laden with their long pendulous 
racemes, several feet long, of vermilion-coloured 
flowers, which is a sight worth seeing. Poinciana 
regia (Royal Peacock Flower) does remarkably well 
here and all about Calcutta. Some trees I have 
seen are just like a flower garden on their tops, the 
flowers are so numerous and produced so closely 
together. I must qualify this remark to some extent, 
for the individual flowers are not very close together, 
but it is the great number on a tree that makes them 
look so numerous. 
By this week’s mail I am sending you a copy of 
our new “ Garden Guide." Dr. King (the Director) 
has written it, and I believe it is the first Guide 
names are as follows:—Mohr, Mango, Lodhar, 
Bhawney, Beersha, and Gohonu, the two latter 
being the women. The tool like a hoe (represented 
in the photograph) is called a “ khodalie,” and is 
used by the natives of India for the same kinds of 
work as the spade is used for in England. The 
earthen pots are used to carry water in. This is the 
usual way men carry water in India, although a class 
of men called " bhisties " (that is, water-carriers by 
profession) carry water in a large pigskin bag on 
their back and hip. The baskets (also shown in the 
photograph) are used for carrying soil, etc., in ; they 
are carried singly by women on their heads ; and 
men carry two baskets supported by strings attached 
to a split bamboo 
dressed off and 
slung across one 
shoulder, as seen 
in the photograph 
These coolies 
are not natives of 
this part of India. 
They belong to 
the district of 
Chota, Nagpore, 
lying about 150 
miles to the west 
and north-west of 
Calcutta,andthey 
are representa¬ 
tives of the 
aborigines of 
India. They are 
certainly a fine, 
simple,and honest 
sort of people, 
and we find them 
by far the best 
workers we can 
get. The women 
get four roubles 
per month, and 
the men from six 
roubles to nine 
roubles per 
month, according 
to length of ser¬ 
vice and ability 
shown. Nine 
roubles is a very 
high wage,but the 
majority of the 
men draw about 
seven roubles per 
month. We have 
eighty-six men 
and sixty-eight 
women of the 
above - named 
class working in 
the garden at 
the present time. 
We provide them 
with good houses 
to live in rent 
free, and as much 
wood as they re¬ 
quire to burn. 
The tall straight¬ 
stemmed trees 
(shown in the 
background of 
the photograph) 
are Casuarina 
equisetifolia, and 
the thickish bent 
tree with the 
creeper on it is the Rain-tree (Pithecolobium Saman). 
Both species are plentiful in the garden, but the 
latter is one of the quickest-growing shade-giving 
trees we have. The Casuarina attains a height of 
quite 120 ft. here in the garden, and makes most 
excellent firewood. 
-- 
OLIVIAS AT FOREST HILL. 
Every year sees fresh additions to this class of 
plants, in the shape of seedlings, in the nursery of 
Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, Stanstead Park, Forest 
Hill. Owing to the large number of seedlings and 
new varieties named every year as they come into 
bloom, the bulk of the plants consist of single crowns, 
Book which has ever been written for the Royal 
Botanic Garden, Calcutta. Dr. King has named all the 
roads after botanists, and you will observe that Kew 
is honoured by having three of the roads named 
after three of its leading men. They are “ The 
Hooker Avenue," " The Dyer Avenue," " The Clarke 
Avenue." 
Our Brownea trees are now in full flower, and 
they are a grand sight. The southern half of the 
Thomson Avenue is planted on each side of the road 
with Browneas, and they form quite a tunnel as they 
meet overhead, and almost completely shut out the 
light. The trees are from 20 ft. to 30 ft. high, and 
many of them are laden with heads or clusters of 
Richardia Elliottiana. 
their scarlet flowers. They might be likened to the 
Rhododendron, only their flowers are pendent instead 
of being produced in the erect position as in the 
Rhododendron. 
Our Orchids are now at their best. The show is 
rich in species of Dendrobium, and is a fairly repre¬ 
sentative one of tropical and sub-tropical. East 
Indian and Burmese showy Orchids. Our annuals 
also are now at their best in the flower garden. We 
have one of the finest strains of Petunia I have ever 
seen. 
1 must also tell you that my wife and I have taken 
up photography recently, and we find it a very 
interesting hobby. I enclose you a group of six of 
our work-people—four men and two women. Their 
