CANDAHAR — CLIMATE, FRUIT. 



357 



21s/. — A fine and clear cold morning; thermometer 56° at 7 

 a. m. in the tent. Air fresh ; thermometer 75° at 9 p. m. A few 

 drops of rain at 1 2 ; cloudy generally. 



22nd. — Thermometer 48° at 5 a. m. Similar weather, clear and 

 elastic : south winds continue but of less strength. 



Easterly wind prevails in the morning up to 9 a. m., after which 

 hour the westerly hot wind, variable in strength, sets in : the range of 

 the thermometer is then somewhat increased, although in the house 

 it does not rise above 90°. 



The Moolla- tells me, that snow is of rare occurrence at Candahar ; 

 he mentions one fall in about four or five years. The rains last for 

 three months, and happen in winter. During the winter all occupa- 

 tions out of doors are suspended, and people wrap themselves up, 

 and sit over fires. 



Clouds are of very rare occurrence, and then only partial. 



The clouds, if resulting from the south-west monsoon, ought to be 

 intercepted by the Paropamisus and Hindoo Koosh, and rain ought 

 to fall along these and about Ghuznee at this time. In the evening a 

 cool wind sets in, indicating a fall of rain somewhere. 



Rarity of dews in Khorassan : as dews depend on a certain amount 

 of moisture either in the soil or atmosphere, it follows that in a very dry 

 climate no dews will occur. The occurrence of the dews here at this 

 period, is another proof that rain must have fallen somewhere (to the 

 southward), to which the coolness of the weather is attributable. 

 Yesterday and to-day, the thermometer at 5 a. m. stood at 48°, 49° ; 

 at 8 p. m. 75°, 72°, the daily range in the mosque is from 70° to 80°. 

 Capt. Thomson suggests that the dews observed here are either con- 

 fined to, or much greater in the Chummuns, in which the water is very 

 close to the surface, as indicated inter alia by the green turf. 



The kinds of grapes are numerous ; those earliest ripe are the 

 black, and a small red kind called Roucha ; which will be ripe in the 

 latter end of this moon. Kismiss another sort, comes in July. The 

 Tahibee is the best kind produced here, and the dearest. 



Tobacco is cultivated chiefly along the Arghandab ; it is planted 

 about this season, and gathered in two or three months, and re- 

 quires to be watered ten or twelve times. 



The barley is now fully ripe, and is generally cut and thrashed in 

 some places. Pears in gardens are now ripe. 



Candahar valley is of great extent to the westward, or south-west, 

 and SSW. 



