Large parts of South India are so dry that the 
countryside is overgrown with Opuntias and Euphor- 
bias, but here also bloom thousands of Vinca Rosea, 
our periwinkle. 
In sun-baked Egypt, rich crops are produced when 
desert land is watered. In the shadow of the pyra- 
mids, a freshly ploughed field is irrigated from a 
nearby well. In the background are some Date 
Palms (Phoenix) of which the Arabs say they must 
have ‘their feet in water and their heads in fire’’. 
Thorough soaking of the soil is always better, wheth- 
er in the field or in pots, than sprinkling from the 
top. 
At a nursery in Madras, tender plants in pots are 
protected from the steep South Indian sun by in- 
dividual unmbrellas fashioned of Pandanus leaves. 
Emphasis, however, is on fragrant-flowered shrubs 
and economic plants, such as mango for fruit, Ca- 
suarina tor wood and Indian lemon for curry. 
An effective method to keep a greenhouse cool in 
a hot climate is to have canvas, muslin or lath from 
8 to 12 inches above the glass for air to cool and 
circulate. The canvas on these houses at Gizeh, 
Egypt, can be pulled up when not needed. 
