Cherry-grim. 

 Oil. 



Food. 



Wood. 



Dwarf 



Cherry. 



Gum. 



Fruit. 

 Wood. 



Plum. 



Gum. 

 Oil. 



Fruit. 



Papier-mache'. 



Bird 

 Cherry. 



Gum. 



Medicinal Oil. 

 Fruit. 



D.E.P., 



iii., 449. 

 Peach and 

 Nectarine. 



Gum. 

 Oil. 



THE PEACH AND NECTARINE 



to the closing decades of the 8th century the date at which the last of the series 

 of cities was abandoned and enveloped in sand. 



The apricot yields a GUM similar to tragacanth, known commercially as 

 Cherry-gum. A clear OIL is extracted from the seed and used in burning, cook- 

 ing, and for the hair. As already explained, from the cake is obtained the bitter- 

 almond oil of commerce. The seeds are brought from Asia Minor into Europe 

 as " peach kernels." The fruit ripens from May to September, according to 

 elevation. In the North-West Himalaya dried apricot forms a considerable 

 portion of the FOOD of the people, but the fruit is also eaten fresh. By Europeans 

 it is largely employed in this state for making jam, and when dried for cooking. 

 The dried fruit is also an important article of trade, being brought to the plains 

 of India from Afghanistan and the neighbouring hills. The emporium of this 

 trade is Leh, where, according to a writer in Capital (Oct. 19, 1905), about 300 

 maunds are imported annually from Baltistan or Little Tibet. The same writer 

 states that in the Afghanistan khubanis the trade is in the hands of Kabulis, who 

 retail the moist stoneless fruits in the Calcutta market at 8 annas to 1 rupee per 

 seer, and the dried fruit at about Rs. 1-8 per seer. Gamble states that the wood is 

 handsome and used in the Panjab for various purposes, while in Lahoul and Upper 

 Kunawar it is the chief firewood. [Cf. Hoffmeister, Travels in 2nd., 1848, 

 392-3, 464; Bentham, I.e. 163; Smythies, in Agri. Ledg., 1894, No. 15, 5-6, 45-6; 

 Ind. For., 1895, xxi., 70-2 ; Ind. Gard., May 18, 1899, 205 ; Gildemeister and 

 Hoffmann, I.e. 437 ; Firminger, I.e. 245 ; Sly, Fruit in the N. W. Front. Prov., 

 in Agri. Journ. Ind., i., pt. iii., 268-9.] 



P. Cerasus, Linn. The Sour or Dwarf Cherry, alu-bdlu, gilds, olchi, jera- 

 sayna, etc. According to De Candolle, this is a native 'of the region stretching 

 from the Caspian Sea to Western Anatolia. In India it is cultivated in the 

 Panjab Himalaya and North- West Provinces, up to 8,000 feet. It yields a GUM 

 similar to tragacanth. In Europe the kernel is used for flavouring several 

 liqueurs and the fruit for making preserves, while the wood is valued by cabinet, 

 musical instrument and pipe makers. [Cf. Bentham, I.e. 160 ; Smythies, in 

 Agri. Ledg., I.e. 42, 46-54 ; Firminger, I.e. 246-7.] 



P. communis, Huds., uar. insititia. The Plum, alucha : fruit = alu, khdrd, alu- 

 bukhdra, alecha, bhotiya baddm, olchi, er, gardalu, luni, alpogddd-pazham, etc. 

 A moderate-sized tree, cultivated (or indigenous) in the Western Himalaya from 

 Garhwal to Kashmir, at 5,000 to 7,000 feet. It yields a yellow GUM of little 

 value, which somewhat resembles gum-arabic. An OIL prepared from the kernels, 

 the " Plum-oil " of Europe, is used for illuminating purposes. The ripe fruit is 

 eaten by all classes and is much esteemed. In a dried condition, a variety, the 

 Bokhara plum, is imported in quantities from Afghanistan, arid is much used 

 as an article of diet. It also forms an ingredient of a common chutni. The true 

 plum (uar. aotnesticn) is cultivated to a small extent in the plains of Northern 

 India, but the fruit is inferior to that produced on the hills. Gamble states 

 that the wood is smooth to work and is used in Kashmir for the framework 

 of the so-called papier-mache boxes. [Cf. Bentham, I.e. 161 ; Smythies, 

 in Agri. Ledg., I.e. 42, 46; Woodrow, Gard. in Ind., 1903, 306; Firminger, 

 I.e. 245-6.] 



P. Padus, Linn. The Bird Cherry, jamana, likh-ar-u, hlo sa, hlot-kung, 

 bombaksing, zamb-chule, paras, kdlakdt, gidar-dak, bart, zum, etc. A moderate- 

 sized deciduous tree of the Himalaya from the Indus and Kuram Valley to Sikkim, 

 at 6,000 to 10,000 feet (Gamble). It yields an inferior GUM and a poisonous 

 OIL, which may be used MEDICINALLY. The fruit is eaten by the Natives and 

 the leaves form an excellent cattle FODDER. The wood is occasionally used 

 for making railings,agricultural implements and spoons. 



P. persica, Stakes. The Peach and Nectarine, aru, takpo, rek, sunnu, chimndnu, 

 bem beimi, mandata, shaftalu, ghwareshtai, etc. A small tree, native of China, 

 cultivated all over India, especially on the eastern side, and often found running 

 wild. The tree flowers, according to elevation, from January to May, and 

 the fruit ripens between May and October. For the method of propagation 

 the reader should consult Smythies and Firminger. Like other species of 

 -PHMMsr, it yields small quantities of unimportant GUM. From the kernels 

 an OIL is obtained, used by the Natives of the North- West Himalaya for 

 cookery, illuminating purposes, and as a dressing for the hair. [Cf. Garcia 

 de Orta, 1563, Coll., xlvi. ; Bentham, I.e. 163; Smythies, in Agri. Ledg., 

 I.e. 17-8, 42, 46; Woodrow, Gard. in Ind., 1903, 303-6; Firminger, I.e. 

 242-4.] 



