conspicuous among which was the oleander. Natives love the oleander, and make wreaths of the blossoms by stringing them upon a thread. Though they will garland their idols and their friends with the wreaths, they do not approve of the oleander as a cut flower for the decoration of the house. The scent is supposed to irritate the temper. They have a proverb that says: 'Whosoever causes quarrels is not a man, but he is like a porcupine quill, or the flower of an oleander in the house.'
The Hindu of the south has all the instincts of the agriculturalist planted deep within him. He works willingly among the plants committed to his charge, and comes to regard them as his own. He exchanges plants and cuttings with other gardeners, and supplies a certain number of bungalows with cut flowers for one rupee a month. Such is the nature of the creature that he is mentally incapable of seeing anything dishonest in the proceeding.
At Trichinopoly I had a man who threw himself heart and soul into his work. He was engaged as soon as we took up our residence in the repaired bungalow. In spite of the experience gained in Madras the man was directed to make flower-beds. The spot chosen for the garden was to all appearances a stony wilderness. In no way daunted, however, the gardener, dressed in nothing but a large white turban and loin cloth, set to work. He began with a stick stuck in the centre of the plot of ground. To this was attached a rope with which he drew a series of semicircular beds intersected by paths. The beds were excavated and filled with loam and manure.
There were no nurserymen in Trichinopoly of whom plants could be bought, so it was necessary to go begging. A lady living near kindly offered a few seedlings, an offer that was gladly accepted. The gardener was sent with a
