AGRICULTURE IN SIKHIM. 75 



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Me-chag is used almost entirely in the preparation of chang 

 marwa, but is occasionally ground and made into chupatties, and the 

 flour is also used to eat with tea. 



Hbog-ma, a millet, of which there are four kinds — dkar, dmar, 

 khyimn-shig, spre-hjug. 



These are used for making chang, a-rag, and are used, when 

 boiled, for food. 



Bra-hu, buckwheat, of which there are five kinds — dkar-hgor-ma, 

 bra-nag, hgyas-ra, kha-hjug-ma, bra-chung — used for making chang, 

 a-rag and chupatties. 



Sla-smn-ma, a kind of me-chag, used in the same manner. 



Na, wheat, five kinds — dkar, dmar, nag, sprehjug-ma, mgo-rog-ma. 



Gyo, barley, only one kind. Both wheat and barley are only 



grown in small quantities on account of the danger of the crojjs being 



destroyed by hailstorms, which are very prevalent in March and April 



just as the crops are ripening. 



Udo-ffson, dhal, three kinds — dkar, nag, and one other, no name — 

 only grown in small quantities; sown in September and cut in January. 

 Ilustard, three kinds — yung-dkar, yung-nag and pad-sgang — 

 grown for oil. 



Ko-ko-la, cardamom, grown in irrigated ground with plenty of 

 shade and good drainage; that is, the plants generally grow in 

 running water. The crop is much prized and of considerable value, 

 varying from Rs. 30 to Rs. 45 a maund. The cultivation of cardamom 

 is increasing rapidly, many new plantations having been laid out this 

 year. 



Ilarwa, chang, is a kind of beer brewed by everyone in Sikhim, 

 and might be called their staple food and drink. It is prepared from 

 a great variety of seeds and plants. The following is a list of most 

 of them, both cultivated and wild: — • 



Cultivated: me-chag, wheat, barley, bra-hu, rice, rkang-ring, 

 shum-hbem, tsong, and Indian-corn. 



Wild: elephant creeper, yams of all kinds, ra-ling, hbar-neg, 

 spa-sko two kinds, spa-lohi, dun, and hbyam. 



This drink is universal, very refreshing and sustaining, and very 

 slightly intoxicating. It is drunk, warm generally, from a bamboo 

 through a straw or thin hollow bamboo. 

 The preparation is as follows : — 



The seed is soaked in water for two nights, then husked, washed 

 and boiled ; the water is then drained off and the seeds kept for half an 

 hour in the vessel. The seed is then spread on a bamboo mat, and in 

 winter the spice, &c., added before the seed is quite cold; in summer 

 ■when cold. The "spice" is first well mixed, then spread on a bed 

 of ferns covered with plantain leaves and in winter with a blanket. 



