92 Oranges and Lemons of India. 



as well as after ; and, from the quantity of dead trunks 

 stacked for firewood, the rate of mortality seemed high.* 



11 The windfalls are peeled, and given to pigs and 

 dogs, and it is remarkable to see how dogs have 

 become by habit to relish them, f 



" The enemies that have to be contended with are 

 crows, parrots, hornbills, and monkeys. Boys with 

 pellet bows are employed to drive these robbers off. 



" Besides the sweet orange (kamla lemboo), the 

 shaddock (sokowif), the citron, sour oranges, limes and 

 lemons are cultivated in groves, all scattered about 

 promiscuously. The Khasias are very fond of the 

 sour orange, \ and eat it with salt. 



"The orange tree thrives best on the left bank. 

 There are trees on the right bank, but they don't 

 thrive so well. The orange land forms a wedge, 

 interposed between the Shalla river and one of its 

 branches. It is inundated to a depth of 4 to 6 ft. 

 several times in the course of the rains, the water, 

 however, never stands on the land more than a few 

 hours. Towards the interior, the height of the 

 inundation may vary from 6 ft. to knee deep. The 

 houses of the watchmen are raised on stout posts of 

 'jack,' or toon wood, driven in deep. The house 

 proper is 15 ft. above the level of the ground. During 

 a flood, the pigs, dogs, fowls, and goats take refuge on 

 a lower platform, beneath the house proper. 



" Limestone first appears a short way above the 

 orange gardens, and first below Shallapoonjee." 



The Shalla villagers depend entirely upon the pro- 



* This may probably be from exhaustion, want of manure, and 

 no care, or from injury to roots by underground insects, &c. 



t In South America, and other places, cattle are fed on oranges 

 and lemons. 



J It is impossible to say what sour orange this may be. Vide 

 Appendix, No. 43 ; also pis. 257 and 258. 



