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AGRICULTURE IN SIKHIM. 



After 48 hours the fermentation is ready ; this is known by the smell, 

 and the marwa is stored in baskets lined with half-dried plantain 

 leaves. It is ready to drink in 3 days, but is better kef)t for 8 

 days. 



Spice consisting of spen-hgram (leaves of a tree), chilly, ginger, 

 chiretta, kag-hbim, are used according as the marwa is required 

 to taste sweet, bitter, sour, or hot. 



The spices are used in the following proportions : — Mix one seer 

 rice flour with 2oz. of spice. This is mixed wet and dried, and it 

 depends on the strength of this how much is used, but approximately 

 one ounce is used to a maund of seed. 



Tea. — This varies from our mode of making it, inasmuch as it is 

 churned with butter and salt, till the butter is so mixed with the tea 

 leaves, hot water, and salt that there is no grease floating on the surface. 

 The tea plant is only grown in very small quantities, and no systematic 

 cultivation is resorted to. The leaf usually made into tea comes 

 from Tibet in the form of brick tea. Tea is made from the following 

 plants : — 



Tea, hdong-rna-mchogs, dbya-li, rang-spo-mchu-dog, phi-chung- 

 skyag-ko, chestnuts, rtsi, sim-rtsi, aru, skyi-hdabs, shing-skyur, spem- 

 po-rdo-hkyabs, cha-ru, mi-tog-dbyang-hzin, and rgen-mtsea-ldan. 



The following is a complete list of the wild and cultivated fruits, 

 vegetables, edible roots, &c., obtained in Sikhim and used by the 

 inhabitants as food: — 



Fruits cultivated — 



