GARDENS and Gardeners.
Jardin, Fit I Giardino , Ir.
Garten, dan lluertaJarditi,. . Sr.
Ilagh, Ilaghicha, . Rum. Tote, . TAM., TEL.
Alike amongst Mahomedans and Hindus, the formation of a garden as a place of retreat is a great object of desire. In Wilson's specimens of the Hindu drams, which he translated from tho Sanskrit, the Necklace and the Toy Cart contain beautiful allusions to gardens. The garden is now most lovely. The trees partake of the rapturous season, their new leaves glow like coral ; their branches wave with auimation in the wind, and their foliage resounds with the blithe , murmurs of the bee. The bakula blossoms lie around its root like ruby wine ; the ehampaks. flowers blush with the rnddiness of youthful beauty ; the bees give back in harmony the music of the anklets. ringing melodiously as the delicate feet are raised against the stem of the asoka, tree.' Toy Cart, Act 8, p. 125, says : 'Look round the garden with these stately trees, Which daily, by the king's command, attended, I'ut forth their fruits and flowers, And clasped by twining creepers, they resemble The manly husband, and the tender wife.' And the Mahomedans in India also give theni loving names, as Lal Bagh, Bagh, Roushan Bagh, Ruby Garden, Garden of Delight, and Ornamental Garden. In this they resemble the Dutch.
Gardeners of British India are all Hindus, and constitute distinct castes. The largest number of them are the Malli, who give their name to the bulk of the gardening tribes. The Koeri gardeners of Hindustan in Behar grow tbe poppy. The Tota kara of the Tamil people and the Teling Totavadu are good gardeners. The Malli are supposed by Mr. Campbell to be a considerable and widespread people. Between Ambala and Dehli are a good many Malli villages, and the race are scattered about the N.W. Provinces as gardeners. They are common about Ajmir, and on the southern frontier of Hindustan. South of Jubbulpur there
are many, and are mixed with the Kurmi. All through the Mahratta country they are mixed with the Kunbi ; and most of the potails are either Kunbi or Malli, and extending with the Kurmi far to the east, the Malli into Orissa, and the Kurmi into Manbhum and other districts of Chutia Nagpnr.
The formation of a garden with Hindus assumes a religious character, and their Banotsarg cere mony consists in their marrying a newly-planted orchard to the neighbouring well, without which it would be held improper to partake of the fruit. The British have formed several agri-horticultural societies, each of which has its garden, with eco nomic and ornamental plants. That best known is on the banks of the Hoogly, at Garden Reach, Calcutta, over which Dr. Wallich long presided. The Government garden, Saharunpur, was under the care of Drs. Hoyle and Jameson. The Madras Agri-Horticultnral Garden in 1853 had 996 species of plants. There is one at Dapooli, near Poona. The Government Botanical and Horticultural Gardens at Ootacamund has a valuable collection of plants. The Mysore Government Garden at Bangalore, in the old Lal Bagh, was well known ; and the garden at Peridenia, in Ceylon, under Mr. Thwaites' care, attained great perfection.
A botanical garden is kept up at Batavia in Java, at a considerable expense, defrayed by the Netherlands Government. The Indian Govern ment gardens., as also those of the agri-horti cultural societies, are for the object of encouraging the cultivation of useful and ornamental plants. European and native soldiers form kitchen gar dens.—The Necklace, Act 1, p. 272 ; Specimen of the Theatre of the Hindus, translated by Mr. Wilson ; Chow-Chow, p. 218; C. pp. 105, 106.