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Tamil Nadu
Making the most of respite from wet spell
| Process of extracting seeds begins |
Busy at work: Workers extracting seeds from flowers at the arboretum in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday. —
Udhagamandalam: With sunshine going at a premium in this rain-soaked hill station a marginal improvement in the weather since Tuesday has led to a flurry of activity. It was particularly conspicuous in places like the arboretum (tree-garden) maintained by the Department of Horticulture.
Making the most of the respite from the prolonged wet spell workers have set in motion the process of extracting seeds from flowers like salvia, marigold, calendula, aster and cosmos. The officer in-charge of the arboretum, N. Mani, told The Hindu here on Wednesday that the extraction of seeds would begin at the GBG and the Thamizhagam garden also soon.
Pointing out that it was an important activity of the department, he said that normally it would be done twice a year. Owing to the almost continuous wet conditions since May this year the routine had been upset.
Stating that if the weather remained favourable the collection would continue till November-end, he said that part of the seeds would be used for the 2008 main season and the remaining would be packed in sachets and sold. The plants would be uprooted. Efforts were being made to popularise the arboretum.
In keeping with this, boards have recently been erected near the Uzhavar Sandhai, the GBG, the Rose Garden and the Bus Stand. A sum of Rs. 10 lakh has been sanctioned for providing amenities in the arboretum. Pointing out that film units were evincing interest in shooting song sequences inside the arboretum, he expressed the confidence that in a matter of time it would become a well known tourist attraction.
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