752 Botanico- Agricultural account [Sept. 



more northern and narrow part except in contra-distinction to the khd- 

 dir in the immediate neighbourhood, to which my present observations 

 more particularly apply, as I have never visited the more southern 

 region. The most abundant natural product is the dakh, ( Bute a fron- 

 dosaj which springs up wherever the land is not cultivated, and in many 

 places (especially towards Kaithal and Jind) covers vast tracts of coun- 

 try which might be rendered most productive. 



The flora of these jangals presents several features in common with 

 that of the Dhun, such as species of Vitis, Dioscorea, Gloriosa, 

 Asparagus, Costus and Zingiber. 



This tract is intersected by the rivers Sarasvati, Chitang, and Rak- 

 shasi a branch of the latter ; from these canals in all directions former- 

 ly existed and in a few instances have been lately re-opened, but they 

 are generally overgrown with jangal. These three streams as well as a 

 smaller one which joins the Jumna near Buria, all rise near one 

 another in the high ridge above the khddir which skirts the Sewdliks, 

 in the neighbourhood of Chichrauli and Bildspur, and are partially 

 supplied in the upper part of their course from springs, but the water 

 from that source is quickly expended in irrigation and they are mainly 

 dependent on rain. They are all characterised by excessive tortuous- 

 ness of course, and owing to the great perpendicular depth of their 

 banks, are exceedingly dangerous from sudden floods after heavy rain. 



The soil is, generally speaking, tolerably rich ; and in favorable sea- 

 sons produces very fine crops, but, in parts of it, is exceedingly poor 

 and scarcely worth the trouble of cultivating. 



The usual crops in the Kharifare rice, which is pretty extensively 

 cultivated in lands liable to be overflowed, and on higher ground cotton, 

 maize, joar, and a very small quantity of bajra, mandiya*, kodon and 

 chini. San. Hibiscus cannabinus is generally sown round cotton or 

 pulse fields, while the beautiful sunt ( Crotalaria junceaj is sown in ex- 

 tensive fields by itself. The oil seeds turia ( Sinapis glauca) and til 

 (sesamumj, both the white and purple-flowered varieties are sown, the 

 former more sparingly and in richer soils is cut late in November or early 

 in December ; the latter is extensively cultivated both by itself and 

 mixed with various phaseoli, such as urud, rnotth, lubia, &c, on higher 



* It is as well here to remark a mistake I observed in Lieut. Hutton's 

 account of his tour to the Borenda pass in your journal ; he mentions the fields 

 of kodon in the hills, but erroneously gives it the name of Paspalum scrobicu- 

 latum, which plant though called kodon in the plains is not cultivated in the 

 hills : what the hill men term kodon is the mandeea of the plains or Eleusine 

 corocana. 



