How Many Flowers Are in the Downstairs Garden at Your Apartment Building?

Tabitha McIntosh says the number comes from like hearsay of some. It's from Friedrich Max Müller in 1866 citing Reverend A Dorsey, who in 1861 cited some dude. So he's like, I reckon my parishioners are so dumb. They don't know 300 words between them. And it's maybe already then hyperboli being like, oh my god, you know, they don't even know 250 words. Am I right?