VEGETATION OF BRITISH BALUCHISTAN. 299 
north by the Takatu range, on the east by Murdär, and on the 
west by the Chihiltan range, having an outlet in the N.W. 
corner which leads into the valley of the Kákar Lora. Except 
at the foot of the Chililtan range, where there is a good number 
of pistachio-trees, the hills surrounding the valley have been 
denuded of the only trees (juniper and pistachio) to supply 
Quetta with firewood, and for the greater part of the year have an 
extremely barren appearance. In the spring, however, these hills 
are fairly covered with herbaceous plants belonging to the orders 
Crucifere, Leguminose, Composite, Boragineæ, and Liliaceæ. 
Throughout the valley, near all villages, are numerous orchards, 
the most valuable of which are surrounded by high mud walls, 
and have a belt of Populus alba or mulberry-trees planted on 
the inside to protect the apricot, almond, peach, pear, and apple 
trees from the wind. In these orchards the pomegranate and 
fig are often grown as underwood, so to speak, and vines are 
either grown in deep trenches or allowed to climb over the 
mulberry-trees. ‘The large-leaved mulberry cultivated in Europe 
is often grafted on stocks of Morus alba. Elæagnus angustifolia, 
called locally “ Sinjit," is often raised from cuttings. Its fruit 
has a wooily, insipid taste, but is nevertheless appreciated by the 
people, and in the autumn the leaves of this tree are given 
to sheep and goats. Salix acmophylla is often grown on the 
banks of water-channels, and is frequently used to form barriers 
in the beds of streams, so as to regulate their courses and pre- 
vent erosion of the banks. 
The climate of the Quetta and Pesbin valleys is eminently 
suited to fruit-growing, but the people hitherto have grown little 
besides apricot-trees, which yield a small fruit that is dried for 
winter use or for export to India. Grapes and peaches are the 
best fruits grown by the people. Excellent peaches, apples, 
pears, and plums have been produced during the last ten years 
from English grafts, and a number of fruit-trees grafted in 
Kandahar have been imported into Peshin. 
Since the British occupation much has been done in planting 
avenues of various species of Populus and Salix, also Platanus 
orientalis, along the roads, slips of which plants were originally 
obtained from Kandabar by Mr. H. S. Barnes, late Political 
Agent of Quetta and Peshin. Populus alba has done very well, 
and it may be worth mentioning that, although many of the trees 
are now of considerable size and some produce male catkins, the 
