28 SUBGL-MAJ. J. E. T. AITCHISOtf ON THE FLOBA OP 



the material of which all rope, twine, or string is made in the 

 Kuram valley. As already stated, this plant only occurs as 

 stunted specimens to the east ; therefore the whole of the mate- 

 rial employed for making rope is imported into the country from 

 the south of the river. The sandals worn by the people in place 

 of shoes are also all made from this, the leaves undergoing in this 

 instance the simple process of damping and beating sufficient to 

 produce a coarse fibre. Any other materials employed to make 

 rope are exceptional ; the most common is goat's hair, next the 

 bark of the elm, by merely damping and twisting. The twine 

 which is used for the slow match of their matchlocks is made 

 from the fibre of the bark of the young shoots of the elm, dipped 

 in a solution of saltpetre. The exfoliating epidermis of Junijperus 

 excelsa and Lonicera quinquelocularis in the Hariab district is em- 

 ployed when a rather soft than strong material is required, as for 

 making pads for placing under loads when carried. I was in- 

 formed that from Seratigah a grass was obtained which made an 

 excellent rope; but the best rope of all, and most valued by traders, 

 is that made from the roots of a small spinous shrub collected in 

 the Logar valley. Owing to the difficulty of extracting the root 

 the following plan is pursued:— A string is first tied lightly round 

 the crown of the root to a long stick, one end of which is used as 

 a lever, the other as the fulcrum ; the root breaks away in lengths 

 of from one to two feet. 



Barks.— The bark of the birch, Betula Bhojpattra, is not em- 

 ployed, nor are its uses known. 



Bees and Sericulture.— In every village near the hills in this 

 country bees are largely kept by the people, honey and wax being 

 important articles of traffic. Honey is used in place of sugar, 

 which is very expensive. 



Sericulture is carried out on a very small scale, the silk pro- 

 duced being employed solely for home consumption. 



