13G JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. X 



THE FRUIT CULTURE ON THE HIMALAYA. 



The experience obtained in regard to fruit cultivation on the hills has 

 now reached a stage at which it deserves to be brought under attention for the 

 benefit of those who may be tempted to take up the pursuit as a means of live- 

 lihood. The industry is still in its infancy, but it undoubtedly possesses great 

 capabilities for future development, and if carried out under proper manage- 

 ment should prove to be a source of much. profit. The demand for English 

 fruit in India is far in excess of what can now be supplied, and it would take 

 many years for fruit-growers in this country to experience the disadvantages 

 wbich o-rowers in England have to contend with in the low prices offered dur- 

 ing seasons of plenty. The most important considerations in all attempts to 

 grow fruit successfully on the Himalaya are — firstly a suitable climate, and 

 secondly an accessible market. Unfortunately it is not easy to find localities 

 where both of these conditions are combined ; for as a rule the best fruit-grow- 

 ing districts are situated too far away''from any market of sufficient importance, 

 and fruit-growers in these parts are at present much handicapped by the 

 difficulties and expense of transport. This obstacle may in time become 

 lessened as communications are improved. In order to expedite the despatch 

 of portable fruit, it might be possible in some cases to adopt wire carriage in 

 the same manner as railway sleepers are brought down from the leased forests 

 of Tehri-Garhwal, The principal markets for Himalayan fruit are, of course, 

 the various hill stations, which are situated for the most part on the outermost 

 ranges. At some of those hill stations there are Government fruit nurseries, 

 and a considerable quantity of fruit is raised by private enterprise. But the 

 climate of the outer ranges is too uncertain ; favourable seasons may occur 

 occasionally, but in the long run fruit-growing there is found to be too 

 precarious an occupation to be depended upon as a means of livelihood. 

 Thanks to Mr. Coldstream, lately Deputy Commissioner of Simla, we are now 

 in possession of some extremely valuable facts regarding fruit culture in Kulu 

 and in the neighbourhood of Simla, Mr, Coldstream has for several years 

 taken much practical interest in the subject, and-,he has now put together in 

 printed form some very useful information, consisting of notes contributed by 

 a few of the most experienced growers in Kulu and elsewhere in the Punjab. 

 The results, as far as they go, are decidedly encouraging. 



A great variety of fruit can be grown in Kulu owing to differences in 

 elevation. Apples, pears, plums and cherries succeed best at the higher 

 altitudes, i.e., at or above 6,500 ft. ; at about one thousand feet lower is the 

 proper elevation for apricots and peaches, whilst oranges, grapes and figs can 

 be grown to best advantage between 3,000 and 4,500 ft. above the sea. Apples 

 and pears are grown to great perfection in Kulu. Consignments of these 

 fruits are occasionally received in Simla during the autumn months, and many 



