1840.] Lieut. Irwin's Memoir of Afghanistan. 45 



Afghan monarchy as far as the hills to the west, is almost 

 invariably autumn-sown. In our upper provinces, the month 

 of October is the best month for sowing, and that in which most 

 is sown. Moderate rain before sowing, or in lieu of it, one 

 watering, is favourable to the future crops, but not reckoned 

 indispensable. In the neighbourhood of Peshawur, the owners 

 of lands capable of irrigation never fail to give one water before 

 sowing wheat or barley. This is called in the local dialect 

 Heap, and is not considered as included in the number of waters 

 commonly said to be given to these crops. Beyond Jellalabad 

 there is not the same uniformity of practice with respect to 

 seed time as formerly observed ; all the products of the rubbee 

 are, in Cabul, occasionally sown in the spring, and cheena is 

 always so treated. In Ghobund the whole of the barley is 

 spring. In the district of Ghuznee there is on the whole more 

 spring corn than winter. In Budukshan the barley is generally 

 spring, as well as a part of the wheat. In the whole of Toorkis- 

 tan and the greater part of Khoorasan, the whole of the cheena 

 is spring. In Candahar it is true most of it is winter, and 

 spring corn is but little known in that district ; but in the 

 countiy of the Hazaras, except the most temperate parts, all the 

 crops are spring ; the same is true of the most lofty parts of 

 Budukhsan, Durwaz, Keerategin and Wukheeha, the Pamer, a 

 considerable part at least of Kashkar, and all the Tibets. From 

 the last, the custom has spread to Kushmeer, but the rubbee 

 there is inconsiderable. It will be found in most cases true, that 

 the greater the cold of the place, the less of winter crops ; ano- 

 ther rule usually holds, that where the lands are irrigated, 

 there is more winter corn, and vice versa. The chief reason as- 

 signed is, that lulm crops sown in the autumn are subject to 

 be hurt by the frost ; but the owner of irrigated lands can pro- 

 tect his young crops from its rigour, by watering them. This 

 water is therefore called yukhab, in Persian. In Keerategin 

 alone, the rule is reversed under peculiar circumstances. 



179. In our upper provinces, the harvest of wheat and barley 

 is in March and April. It is observed that the south-east is 

 earlier than the north-west 5 but the difference is not consider- 

 able. The rule however holds good in our further progress to 



