40 Lieut. Irwin's Memoir of Afghanistan. [No. 9/. 



tan, parts of Khoorasan and Afghanistan. Rice is the chief 

 corn of Kushmeer, and is raised in all but the coldest countries, 

 provided there be a sufficient supply of water; it seems how- 

 ever to degenerate in quality in such countries. In the warmer 

 parts of Khoorasan, were there but summer rains as in India, 

 the khureef might be expected to be equivalent to the rub- 

 bee. Not only can we trace some of the products of the 

 khureef into the moderately cold climates, but we may mark 

 two harvests tolerably distinct in their seed times and their 

 products. This may be exemplified by a sketch of husbandry 

 of the valley of Cabul. The great seed time is the autumn, 

 in which are reaped wheat, barley, musoor, and peas; these 

 are reaped chiefly in the month of June, having lain under 

 the snow during winter and been protected by it. All of 

 them are sometimes sown in the spring, and this practice 

 is far commoner in Budukhshan and many other quarters, 

 but the spring-sown are cut nearly at the same time with 

 the autumn-sown. To this harvest belongs chunna, which 

 is very rarely sown in the autumn, but beans are sown about the 

 end of May and reaped in the end of September ; the autumn- 

 sown products, together with chunna, may be said to form the 

 rubbee of Cabul, which is by far its greatest crop. There remains 

 however some considerable products which have different harvests. 

 Besides beans, which in India belong to the rubbee, we may 

 mention the two grains there called cheena and kungunee, 

 in Persian urzun and gal. In India they are scarcely considered 

 as belonging to any season, for by the help of water they may be 

 raised equally well in all. The cheena however is more common- 

 ly cultivated in the rubbee, or rather after it, and the kungunee 

 in the khureef. In Cabul they are raised sometimes for fodder 

 and sometimes for their grain. In the latter case they are sown 

 in the beginning of May and reaped in August. Maize and mash 

 are sown a few days later, and reaped in September. Rice, 

 a far more important product than maize, is sown in May 

 and June, and reaped the end of August and September. 



173. It is even practicable in this valley, by good manage- 

 ment, to gather two crops within the year off* the same ground. 

 In India the farmer usually contents himself with one crop in 



