10 RELATION BETWEEN CLIMATE AND VEGETATION 



of the humidity of the atmosphere, and still less so of the amount 

 of tiie sun's direct light and heat intercepted by aqueous vapour. 

 It takes no account of the quantity of moisture suspended in the 

 air, nor of the dei)ositions from fogs, which are far more fatal to 

 the perfecting of fruits than the lieaviest brief showers. 



In the valley of Nepal, Mr. Hodgson informs me tliat at 4000 

 feet the apple, tliough flavourless, ripens well and is a good 

 fruit, as are two varieties of the European fig ; but these ripen 

 at the same seasons as they do in the plains, the winters being so 

 mild that snow is rare, and never lies. There, however, the 

 plantain and mango do not ripen, nor the orange always. It is 

 too warm for gooseberries, currants, and raspberries, and too 

 rainy for the vine. Apricots may be produced with care, but 

 seldom peaches. 



The Indian solstices, which are marked by one season of exces- 

 sive drought, and the other of excessive humidity, can never be 

 favourable to a copious fruit market. The obstacles to the pro- 

 duction of good European fruits, either in the plains or hills, are 

 manifest, nor do the tropical kinds flourish as in other quarters of 

 the globe, where the seasons are not so contrasted. Hence there 

 is not one good fruit peculiar to the country, and perhaps but one, 

 which arrives at full perfection -, namely, the mango. The plan- 

 tains are good, so are the oranges and pine-apples, but are less 

 abimdant, and of inferior kinds, and remain a shorter season in 

 perfection than they do in most other equally warm climates. 

 Who tliat has walked the fruit-markets of South America, the 

 West Indies, or Western Africa, has not been struck with the 

 profusion of all the above fruits throughout the year, and of 

 many more besides, which are unknown to India ? 



On ascending Tonglo we left cultivation and the poor groves of 

 peaches at 4000 to 5000 feet (and this on the E. exposure, wiiich 

 is by far the sunniest), the average level to whicli agriculture 

 reaches in Sikkim ; though both in Bhotan and in E. Nepal 

 cultivation is carried much higher, the more flourishing salt 

 trade, and probably the easier nature of the passes, favouring the 

 formation of fixed iiabitations much nearer to the perpetual snow 

 than in SikkLpi, where the enormous mass of Kunchin-iinga in- 

 trudes its snows considerably south of the main range, and forbids 

 cultivation within upwards of fifteen miles from its summit: its 

 uniform clotliing of forest too allows of no pasturage. 



Above Simonbong the path up Tongl6 is little frequented ; it 

 is one of the many routes between Nepal and Sikkim which cross 

 the Singalelah spur of Kunchin-jinga, at various elevations, gene- 

 rally lower as they approach the plains of India, and varying 

 from 6000 to 7000 feet. As usual, the track runs along ridges 

 wherever these are to be found, vet-y steep, and narrow to the 



