46 Lieut. Irwin's Memoir of Afghanistan. [No. 97. 



Peshawur, and between the harvest of that place and of Delhi 

 there is at least one month. On the 20th May, there was wheat 

 still uncut in the valley of Peshawur ; Bajour, Koonur, Jellala- 

 bad and Lughman are somewhat later. It is a common saying 

 in the country, that the rubbee comes from the east (that is, 

 begins soonest in that quarter) and the khureef from the west. 

 The latter fact it is not difficult to explain, for the khureef 

 here meant, is the Huramee khureef (so called in the country) 

 which is sown in the end of May, or earlier, and is artificially 

 watered. The causes of the former fact deserve our attention. 

 They seem to be the following. 1st, As we proceed north-west, 

 the heat of climate declines, and crops ripen a little more 

 tardily. 2nd, To the west the periodical summer rains be- 

 come later and later, and hence the seed time, and as depending 

 upon it the harvest of the khureef, is retarded, which has a 

 natural tendency to retard the seed time and harvest of the 

 rubbee. 3rd, A great proportion of the rubbee is sown on 

 low lands (see paragaph 166). The consequence is, that the 

 seed time must be deferred until these lands become capable 

 of tillage, by losing a portion of the moisture they have gained 

 during the flood of the rivers and the periodical rains. In 

 the second place, crops sown on such lands are later in ripening 

 than the crops of higher lands. 



180. All parts of the valley of Cabul are not of the same 

 temperature, and in the ripening of crops on soil and exposure, 

 June on the whole is the harvest month. Ghuznee is some 

 days later than Cabul, and the Hazara country considerably 

 later than Ghuznee. In Seatsung of the* Hazaras the har- 

 vest is in October, and snow sometimes falls before it is gathered. 

 Candahar is a little later than Peshawur. Bokhara seems equal 

 with Cabul, and the harvest of other places may be calculated 

 with tolerable exactness, from the temperature. The Pamer 

 however is very early. The Kirghizes during their visits to it in 

 the summer, cultivate some wheat, barley, and cheena. There 

 wheat though later sown than the little spring wheat sown in 

 the dominions of Bokhara, is sooner ready. We may here notice 

 a curious circumstance with respect to the corn of the highest 

 countries. The wheat of Tibet, the Pamer, and the Hazaras, is 



