138 JOURNAL. BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. X 



weather, when the apricot ripens perfectly and is not wanting in flavour, I 

 agree with the Revd. Mr. Carleton in thinking that good varieties of the 

 Kashmir, and perhaps English, apricots might be introduced into the villages." 

 Mr, Coldstream, in an editorial note of his report, says :— " Peaches of 

 excellent quality have been grown by Mr. Carleton at Ani in Kulu, from 

 peach stones imported from America without grafting. American peach 

 stones have been imported in considerable quantity and distributed in the 

 Simla District and elsewhere. Inquiry was made of Mr. Carleton in August, 

 1893, regarding some remarkably fine peaches sent by him to Simla." Mr. 

 Carleton replied :— " Nine years ago we received from Philadelphia some 

 peach stones taken from a variety of very choice peaches. We planted them 

 here and nearly all germinated ; with one exception, they were all transplanted 

 to a rocky and rather poor soil ; one was left in a rich soil where it germinat- 

 ed, and has never had any cultivation whatever and is now double the size of 

 the others that were transplanted to a poor soil. All these have been mulched 

 and highly cultivated, but still remain somewhat stunted ; all bear the finest 

 fruit. Some of the peaches have measured more than 10 inches in circum- 

 ference ; most of them are superior to the fruit of the grafted trees sent from 

 America. They began to fruit when four years old." The common plum of 

 the hills, usually known as " Aru Bokhara," is abundant in Kulu, and does 

 very well, Capt. Banon says, as stock for English plums, which thrive well 

 and bear early and heavy crops. Be also states that cooking-plums improve so 

 much in flavour and sweetness that they become in reality dessert plums. 

 Captain Lee also reports favourably on plum cultivation at Bundrole. As to 

 cherries, Captain Banon says ; — "All kinds of English cherries, red, black, 

 and white hearts, ripen well here ; but, if anything, the climate is a little too 

 warm for them. They ripen, as a general rule, early in June, and are the first 

 fruit to come into the market. They would not be very profitable to grow as 

 they do not bear carriage well. If the Post Office were to halve their rates 

 for the parcel post, a good trade might be done with the more perishable fruit ; 

 but at present few people can afford to pay 8 annas a seer on consignments of 

 fruit, though they would be willing enough to pay 4 annas." The wild cherry 

 is naturalised in Kulu, and can be used as stock for English kinds. Grapes, 

 especially the hardy American sorts, have been found to do well with some 

 time and trouble. They would certainly be a remunerative crop. An import- 

 ant point with regard to vine-culture in this country is to secure early vari- 

 eties which will come into bearing before the advent of the heavy monsoon 

 rain, or late-bearing varieties which will give fruit after the rains are over. 



In connection with fruit-growing, we must not omit to take account of 

 the walnut, a tree the growing, of which ought to be encouraged by every 

 possible means, not only in Kulu, where it grows to perfection, but through- 

 out the Himalayan Districts. Mr. Carleton observes that in former times in 

 Kashmir, Chumba and Kulu, the only use of the fruit was the production of oil 



