BLACK CARAWAY 



CARUM 



BULBOCASTANUM 



that purpose. In lK7>-7 th.-^i- imports were valued at only Rs. 

 in 1 '.<> 1-2 they came to Rs. 5,74,306 ; in 1903-4 to Rs. 4,17,788 ; 

 in I'.MH; 7 to Rs. 6,20,305. Surely the effort to participate in so 

 pen ins a traffic is worthy of attention. 



Edible Seed and Cake. ('tirtlminim seeds, especially after being Edible 

 !. are eaten, but are most valued as a food for poultry, though, as Seed. 

 observed, the tender shoots are prized as a pot-herb or salad. 

 makes the remark that cattle have to be educated to eat the take. 

 hut that it has the advantage of keeping well and does not get 

 mouldy. It is highly valued as a manure. 



[Cf. Leather, Agri. Ledg., 1897, No. 8, 159 ; Duthie and Fuller, Field and Garden 

 pt, i., 51-4, pi. xiii. ; Monographs, Dyes and Dyeing : Banerjei, Bengal, 73 ; 

 i.an. Axsam, 17-8; Russell, Cent. Prov., 10-11; Hadi, United Prov., 76-7 ; 

 >tt. llombay, 25-9; Holder, Madras, 3; Fraser, Burma, 10; Agri. Ledg., 

 N... 12; Journ. Chem. Soc., 1900, 362-3; 1902, 864; Imp. Inst. Tech, 

 1903, 128, 131-2; Rawson, Gardner and Laycock, Diet. Dyes, etc., ^7'- ; 

 it and Bloxam, Chem. for Engin. and Manuf., 326.] 



CARUM BULBOCASTANUM, Koch. ; Fl. Br. Ind., ii., 681 ; D.E.P., 

 i'tm Bulbocastanum, Linn. ; Carum nigrum, Royle, Illust. Him. Bot., " 200. 

 ; Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind., i., 154 ; Paulus JSgineta (Adams, transl.), Black 

 74 ; UMBELLIFER.E. Black Caraway, siyah, shia, sdjira, shah- ara 

 , shiyah zirah, kola jerah (zerah), zirdu siah, etc., also called guniyun 

 in Kashmir and umbhu in Ladakh. These names seem for the most part 



be modern adaptations, since the true kdlajira is the Black Cumin 

 ii/clfti satit'ii, see pp. 442, 811). 



Black Caraway is a native of Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Lahaul, Habitat. 

 mi n I ia. etc., eastward to Garhwal and Kumaon, and westward to Quetta. 

 is mainly a weed of cultivated land, but is liable to prove dangerous in fields 

 ring to the fondness of pigs for the root. It also exists truly wild on grassy 

 lopes (at alt. 6,000 to 11,000 feet), whence the shepherds collect it as a valuable 

 source of income ; but it is nowhere cultivated. It is probably the krishna-jiraka, 

 which Royle maintained was well known to the Hindus before the introduction 

 of the European Caraway (c. Carui). [Cf. Lawrence, Valley of Kashmir, 67 ; 

 Aitrhison, Bot. Afghan. Delimit. Comm., in Trans. Linn. Soc., iii., l.J 



An inquiry instituted by the Reporter on Economic Products in response to 

 question put by the Indian Chambers of Commerce, resulted in the collection of 

 miens of zerah (zira) from the chief towns of India as well as of the fruits 

 i) and plants from all known areas of supply. The fruits in every instance were 

 to be c. RtiibocaHtantitn and not <'. Cam i (except when stated to be a 

 jign or imported drug). The examination showed, however, that other seeds 

 en used as adulterants or substitutes for black caraway. The adulterants 

 i i lar in shape, size and markings, but quite destitute of the characteristic 

 For example, Mr. L. G. Smith, Forest Divisional Officer of Sambulpur, 

 four samples from the local bazars which were subsequently identified as 



true Caraway (mita zerah), most probably imported ; (2) c 1 . niiiooi- Grades of Zerafi. 

 sa- or shah-zerah ; (3) Vernonia nuthfimintica, parbat-zerah ; and 

 \ !/// Kd'ji-ff . kala-zerah. The sample of black caraway was, however, 

 pure. Pure parcels were received from Yasin in Gilgit and from Hazara. 

 Kullu and Bashahr were furnished two qualities called " zira " and 

 inghu." The latter was stated to be an adulterant. " Zira " proved to be Adnlteran 

 uihoriiHtiintini. and ultimately, through the assistance of Mr. J. H. Lace, Singh*. 

 Assistant Inspector-General of Forests, the adulterant was recognised as 

 rirrifiu fairattim. Mr. Lace found the people gathering the seeds in 

 I'harnba ; he secured a sample and corresponding botanical specimen, so that 

 his material became an authentic type with which to compare the adulterants 

 of commerical parcels. It was in consequence found that the J*MpieiriH was 

 identical with the adulterant sent from most parts of India. Is this the psendo- 

 bunium alluded to by Paulus ^Egineta which Adams suggested might be 

 i'i,i>i,,<-ii<t tfniiiH ? Mr. Lace says that Bj>enriim is known locally as 



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