352 General Mtices. 



very sweet. The nectarine is found in gardens in Northern India, 

 where it is called shufft-aloo, and moondla (smooth) oroo, though it does 

 not perfectly ripen its fruit, nor is it known from whence it was intro- 

 duced, though probably from Caubul. 



The apricot is very abundant round almost every village in the Him- 

 alayas, rendering it difficult to ascertain whether it be ever found wild, 

 as the trees remain the only vestiges of deserted villages. It has been 

 supposed to be a native of the Oases of Egypt, in consequence of its 

 name (burkook) being probably the original of the old term aprieoke 

 and Prsecocia; but as that is its name in the Arabic language, which 

 prevails, like the apricot, over a great extent of the Oriental region, the 

 same name is likely to be every where applied to it. At Caubul it is 

 said to be preserved in fourteen different ways, Avith and without the 

 stones, or the kernel left, or an almond substituted. (Burnes.) It is 

 generally brought in this state into Northern India, under the name 

 khoobanee ; the Arabic name is mishmish: in Bokhara, where they are 

 particularly fine, they are called bakur-khanee. In the Himalayas, the 

 fruit is called zurd-aloo, chooloo, and chinaroo. In Kunawur, the fruit 

 is dried on the tops of their houses, and, when pounded, mixed with 

 their meal. It is chiefly cultivated on account of the beautifid oil which 

 is expressed from the kernels. These may also be found in the bazaars, 

 under the name of badamkohee, or hill almonds. The oil has a slight 

 smell of hydrocyanic acid, and must resemble that from almonds, espe- 

 cially the bitter kind, or that obtained from Prunus brigantiaca. 



Specimens of the cherry, or aloo-baloo, which I obtained from Cash- 

 mere, appear to Dr. Lindley not to differ from the common species, which 

 therefore is probably that met with at Caubul, perhaps also at Bokha- 

 ra. The fruit of Cerasus Puddiim, common in the Himalayas, is not 

 edible, but is employed for making a well-flavored cherry brandy, though 

 not distilled like the kirschenwasser ; the bark (pudmak) is used in medi- 

 cine, as is that of species of cherry in the United States and Mexico. Cera- 

 sus undulata and capricida (the last so called from the leaves being poi- 

 sonous to goats), and C cornuta, remarkable for its pod-like monstrosity, 

 are handsome and showy trees, growing on lofty mountains, and worthy 

 of introduction into England. 



The plum is known in India in a dried state, under the name of aloo- 

 bokhara, though chiefly cultivated about Ghuzni. It was seen by Lieut. 

 Burnes, both at Koondooz and Bokhara, whence it may originally have 

 been introduced into the kingdom of Caubul. Specimens of the plants 

 from Cashmere appear to Dr. Lindley to be a new species, Prunus bok- 

 hariensis nob. To this kind, kokamalis is applied as the Greek name, 

 in Persian works on Materia Medica. From Irki, near Sabathoo, a small 

 yellow thin-skinned and very juicy sweet plum was introduced into the 

 Saharunpore Garden, and which, though I considered it to be a new spe- 

 cies (P. Albcha), is very like a variety of the common plum. It is 

 this, probably, which is called green gage by travellers. Mr. Moorcroft 

 also mentions, a plum in Ludak, Cerasus tomentosa IVall Cat. N., 715. 

 Priinus triflora Koxb. is a plum now common in gardens in India, which 

 Dr. Roxburgh states was originally introduced from China. The peach, 

 apricot, cherry and plum all exude gum in Northern India. 



Of the Pomacefe, the quince plants, introduced from Cashmere, do 

 not differ from those already in India, Cydonia vulgaris Pers. The 

 seeds (bihee dana) being mucilaginous, and used in medicine, are im- 

 ported from Caubul and Cashmere into Northern, and by the Persian 

 Gulf into Southern, India. 



Of pears, that of Samurcund is most noted: they are plentiful at 

 Caubul, and excellent at Peshawur; and are brought into India by the 

 northern merchants from Cashmere and Boodurwar. In the gardens 



