1863. | Memoranda on the Peshawur Valley. 231 
It being well known that cold accompanied by moisture is much 
more apt to impede and destroy the vital functions of plants, than 
is dry cold, it can readily be conceived how the low temperature at 
Peshawur during the three coldest months, (averaging only 52° 11 F. 
and occasionally sinking below the freezing point) coupled with the 
4.890 inches of rain that then fall, must effectually prevent the 
growth and culture of many trees, &c., that are found to thrive in 
the North-West Provinces, and render ineffectual the efforts to 
ripen fruit by others that are rather more hardy. Thus at Peshawur 
we look in vain for Orateva religiosa (which grows at Jhelum, 170 
miles to south east,) Bombax, Grewia <Asiatica, Aegle, Bergera, 
Feronia, Shorea, Sapindus, Cedrela, Acacia Arabica (common in the 
lower Punjab,) Zamarindus, Brythrina, Terminalia, Psidium, Nauclea, 
Morinda, Bassia, Mimusops, Millingtona hortensis, Cordia (which 
grows freely as far up as Lahore, 270 miles to the south-east,) 
Gmelina, Hmblica officinalis, Latropha, Artocarpus, Bambusa, (which. 
has been repeatedly tried at Peshawur, and grows but does not thrive 
at Jhelum,) and others which are commonly cultivated (many also 
occurring wild) in the N. W. Provinces: and if, of some of these rare 
specimens occur in gardens at Peshawur, they are reared and preserved 
with difficulty ; it is hopeless to search for such plants as the follow- 
ing; Anona Nephelium, Hriobotrya, Carica Papaya, Santalum album, 
Piper Betel, Pandanus, Ananas, Caryota, Borassus, Cocos, and the 
eultivated Marantacee and Zingiberacee which are only raised with 
difficulty in certain favourable situations in the N. W. Provinces. 
Even Opuntia and Agave I have not seen in the valley, nor the 
various columnar and other Huphorbie ; all of which are common as 
hedges, Cis-Sutlej. 
Again, some tropical plants continue to exist at Peshawur, being 
favoured by exceptional circumstances of structure ; e. g., the plan- 
tain, whose vitals (so to speak) are protected by its closely sheathing 
leaves during the cold spring months, and which thrives tolerably as 
far as foliage is concerned, though its fruit is never matured. 
The mango (which Timitr Shah is said to have made an unsuccess- 
ful attempt to introduce at Peshawur) barely lives, and in favourable 
seasons and situations ripens a little fruit, and there are a few trees 
of Syzygium Jambolanum, but most of them never produce mature 
fruit, 
2G 2 
