478 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ June 30, 1863. 



SOME PLANTS AND GAKDENING OF 



AFFGHANISTAN. 



The dwarf Palm, which mainly composes the "jangal," or 

 brushwood, in this district, and ia called in the vernacular 

 "Maizarri," or "Mzarrai" (Tiger-grass), is applied to a great 

 variety of useful purposes by the natives. From the entire leaf 

 are made fans ; from the leaves cut into strips are plaited mats ; 

 from the fibres of the leaf and its stalk, which are first prepared 

 by maceration in water and bruising, so as to separate them from 

 the parenchyma, ropes are made; and from the finer fibres are 

 made the sandals commonly worn in the country, and termed 

 "chapli." The chapli is usually worn by all the hill tribes of 

 Afghans, instead of the ordinary shoe, and though not so dur- 

 able perhaps, is much better adapted for walking over rocky 

 ground. The downy hair found in"the axil of the sheathing leaf- 

 stalk of the dwarf Palm is used as tinder, and is sometimes 

 soaked m the sap of the Mulberry tree to make it more inflam- 

 mable. The delicate white embryo leaves in the centre of the 

 leaf-bud have a sweet and astringent taste, and are in great 

 repute, and of common use, as a domestic remedy in cases of 

 diarrhoea and dysentery. These same leaves, however, when 

 they become more developed, lose their sweet taste and become 

 very sour, and are still astringent. In this state they are used 

 as a purgative medicine, but chiefly, however, for horses and 

 cattle. 



The Logar district produces corn in great abundance, and, 

 together with Ghazni, is one of the principal granaries of Kabul. 

 It also produces great quantities of Apricots and Grapes, both 

 of which are extensively exported to Hindustan. The Vines in 

 this district are cultivated in the same manner as in Turkey 

 and differently from the method usually adopted in other parts 

 of the country. Here, instead of being grown in deep trenches, 

 and their branches supported on the intervening ridges of earth, 

 or on frameworks of wood, the Vines are planted in regular 

 rows and trained like bushes by pruning and clipping their 

 branches and tendrils. The Grapes are chiefly of the varieties 

 known in the country by the names of " Hussaini " and " Shaikh- 

 khalh ihey are gathered before they are quite ripe, and 

 packed in. "drums" of poplar wood between layers of cotton 

 wool, and m this state exported to Hindustan. So great is the 

 trade in these fruits that the Poplar tree is regularly cultivated 

 in copses for the supply of the material for these " drums." The 

 trees grow to a great height, and very straight, and no branches 

 are allowed to grow except near the summit. About the eighth 

 or ninth year the trees are fit to cut down. The wood is very 

 white and soft, and from want of durability is never used for 

 building purposes when other timber is procurable. 



Besides these fruits, all the vegetables commonly met with in 

 England, except the Potato, are largely cultivated ; and among 

 others a kind of Leek, called by the natives "Gandanna." Thl 

 leaves of this plant are used as a vegetable in these parts, in the 

 same way as Spinach is with us. The plant ia perennial, and 

 cultivated m a peculiar way. The roots are never dug up, but 

 the leaves are cut away two or three times in the year, a new 

 crop succeeding in due course of time after each cutting. In 

 the spring and autumn the surface earth is carefully turned, 

 mixed with a top-dressing of manure, and freely irrigated. Some 

 ot these Gandanna-beds continue to yield for an astonishing 

 number of years. In Logar we were credibly informed that 

 several fields ot this vegetable were twenty-five and thirty years 

 old, and that m Kabul there is still flourishing a field of Gan- 

 danna which was sown in the time of Nadir Sbah, upwards of a 

 century ago. Clover and Lucerne are extensively grown in 

 Logar as fodder. The crops, after being cut and dried, are 

 rolled into thick cables, and thus stored for winter use. 



During our march throjgh this district our camp was daily 

 Bupphed with quantities of Rhubarb, of which our troops and 

 camp-followers consumed several bullockloads, both raw and 

 Tf if J hub,lrb '8 a very favourite article of food amongst the 

 Afghans, by whom it is eaten both in the fresh and preserved 

 state. In the former case it is as often eaten raw as cooked, but 

 in the latter it is only added as a relish to other dishes, meat or 

 vegetable. The plant is never cultivated, but grows wild on the 

 neighbouring hills and in the stony soil at their base ; and in these 

 localities it is collected by the neighbouring villagers, who bring 

 it into the populous districts for sale. We met with the plant in 

 two forms. In the one the leafstalk was greenish-red externally, 

 coarse and stringy within, and altogether extremely acid and dis- 

 agreeably bitter. In this state the Rhubarb is called " chukri " 



by the nativeB, and it is simply the natural condition of the plant. 

 The other form was quite different from this. The stalk was white 

 and smooth, very juicy, and of a pleasant subacid taste. This 

 is called " rawash," and is the blanched leafstalk of the wild 

 plant. This condition is produced artificially by the villagers, 

 who, in the spring, when the leaves are just commencing to 

 sprout, cover them over with a heap of loose stones and gravel, 

 so as to shut out the access of light. This " rawash," when 

 cooked, has a delicate flavour, and is much superior to the Rhu- 

 barb commonly met with in Kngland. 



The Vine is very extensively cultivated in the suburban gar- 

 dens of Kandahar, and they produce no less than nineteen 

 different kinds of Grapes. In two or three of the largest vine- 

 yards there are wine-presses, but the quantity of liquor pro- 

 duced is very limited, as its use is entirely confined to the chiefs 

 and wealthy classes, who can indulge in the forbidden drink 

 with less fear of obloquy or punishment than the poor people, 

 who are more amenable to the discipline exercised by the priest- 

 hood. The wine made at Kandahar is red, and is prepared from 

 Grapes of the same colour, which are known to the natives by 

 the terms of " Rocha-i-Surkh," " Sahibi Surkh," " Lai i Sufaid," 

 " Lai i Surkh," &o. The Hindu population consume large 

 quantities of a fiery spirit distilled from dried Grapes, called 

 " Kishmish i Sufaid," and " Kishmish i Surkh;" and they are 

 helped in this by many of the Mussulman inhabitanls of the 

 city, who,, however, do so secretly. The Khatin Grapes produce 

 the well-known Manakka Raisins, met with in India. The Sahibi 

 Surkh and Suhibi Ablak produce the Bun-dried raisins, called, 

 from the fact of their being void of pips, " Kishmish i bedana." 

 These raisins are very small, of a light green colour, and very 

 sweet taste. They are largely exported, and also consumed at 

 home in immense quantities. The " Rocha i Surkh" and 

 Rocha i Sufaid," as also " Toran," are Grapes of an inferior 

 kind, and are mostly consumed in the fresh state by the poor. 

 The " Hasaini " and " Shaikh Khalli " Grapes are of great size, 

 of a pale green colour, and very delicate flavour. They are 

 gathered before they have quite ripened ; and, packed in drums 

 of poplar wood between layers of cotton wool, are exported to 

 Hindustan in vast quantities, and even find their way down to 

 Calcutta. The "Acta" Grape is also of large size, but its flavour 

 is inferior. It produces, however, exoellent raisins, called " Kish- 

 mish i daghi," or " abjosh," which very much resemble the best 

 kinds of the bloom-raisin met with in the English market. They 

 are prepared by dipping the fresh and ripe bunches for a moment 

 or two into a boiling solution of quicklime and potash, previous 

 to drying in the shade. Besides the Grapes noticed, there are 

 other varieties, which are either altogether consumed in the fresh 

 state, or else are converted into raisins by drying in the sun. 

 And in this form they are largely exported to Hindustan. 



Besides Grapes, the gardens around Kandahar produce many 

 other kinds of fruit, such as the Apricot, Plum, Peach, Cherry, 

 Apple, Pear, Quince, &c. 



Of the Apricot (Zard-ulu) eleven varieties are to be found 

 in the Kandahar district. The "Kaisi," " Charmaghz," and 

 " Charbaghi " varieties are those most esteemed. They are 

 largely consumed in the fresh state, and are abo preserved for 

 exportation to Hindustan by drying in the sun. But pieviouB 

 to this process the fruit is sliced Open, its stone removed and 

 split, the kernel extracted, and then replaced in the fleshy part 

 of tbe fruit. In this form the Apricot is called " Khubani." 

 The variety named " Pas-ras " is, as its name implies, the last 

 to ripen. There are two kinds, a large and Bmall. These, to- 

 gether with other varieties, named " Surkheha," " Sufaidcha," 

 "Plan," "Shams," and " Shakarpara," though generally con- 

 sumed in the fresh state, are also dried ; but the stone (or 

 putamen) is not removed : in this state they are called " Taifi." 

 To the taste they are vtry acid, being generally dried before 

 quite ripe : they are chiefly used as a relish to many Afghan 

 dishes, and as a component of some kinds of sharbat. Gold 

 and silver-smiths use a hot decoction of these fruitB for the pur- 

 pose of cleaning and giving a bright lustre to their metals. 



Of the Peach (Shaft-alu) there are only two kinds at Kan- 

 dahar. The one called "Babri" is an inferior fruit, of Bmall 

 size and acerb flavour ; but that known as " Tirmah " is a very 

 splendid fruit, of great size and luscious flavour, and much supe- 

 rior to any I have ever met with elsewhere. 



Of the Quince (Bihi) there are three kinds — viz., the " Shakar," 

 or sweet Quince, the " Tursh," or sour Quince, and the " Miana," 

 or Quince of medium quality. The first kind is generally con- 

 sumed fresh, and is also often carried about the person on ap- 



