THE STATISTICS OF NUTMEGS. 
443 
" For forming these islands, choice is made 
of a shallow part of the lake, overgrown with 
reeds and other aquatic plants, which are cut 
off ahout two feet below the surface, and 
then pressed close to each other, without other- 
wise disturbing the position in which they 
grew. They are subsequently mowed down 
nearly to the surface, and the parts thus taken 
off are spread evenly over the floats and covered 
with a thin layer of mud drawn up from the 
bottom. On the level thus formed are ar- 
ranged, close to each other, conical heaps of 
weeds, about two feet across and two high, 
having each at top a small hollow filled with 
fresh mud. In each hollow are set three plants 
of cucumber or melon, and no further care 
or trouble is required but to gather the pro- 
duce, which is invariably fine and abundant. 
Each bed is about two yards wide; the length 
is variable ; the bed is kept in its place by a 
stake sent through it at each end and driven 
to the bottom of the lake. The melons pro- 
duced in this way are obviously wholesome, 
as those who live entirely on them during the 
season become very fat." 
A small amount of tobacco of good quality 
is cultivated, and a large quantity of cotton 
for the manufacture of a species of cloth. 
Almost all Hindostan is supplied with saf- 
fron from Kashmir. This is produced almost 
exclusively in Pampur, a district on the right 
bank of the Jhelum, from three different 
varieties of crocus, of which the root of one 
continues productive for five, another for 
eight, and another for fifteen years. Vegetable 
oil being much in request among the natives 
as an ingredient of food, sesame, mustard, flax, 
hemp, and other plants, are cultivated for 
the purpose of obtaining it. From wild hemp 
a decoction of an intoxicating quality is pro- 
cured. Grapes would flourish well in this 
sunny valley, but the culture and management 
of the vine, and the manufacture of wine, are 
not understood. Consequently, little care is 
bestowed on it. 
Of vegetables, the kidney-bean, the turnip, 
the cabbage, the beet-root, the radish, with 
the capsicum, and, according to Huge!, fifteen 
sorts not known in Europe are grown. Grass 
and clover are abundant, so that in trees, in 
fruits, in grains, in vegetables, as in flowers 
and ornamental plants, Kashmir is equal in 
its wealth to almost any region on the face 
of the earth. But the blight of bad govern- 
ment, everywhere of such destroying power, 
has fallen like a curse on this fair valley, to 
obstruct the processes of nature, as well as to 
paralyse the industry of man, and prevent the 
free diifusion of knowledge. If, therefore, in 
Kashmir, as in the Punjab, in spite of so 
many injurious influences, of so many coun- 
teracting agencies, we find the earth so abun- 
dant and fertile, supplying in neglected spots 
the culture of man by the lavish growth of 
nature, what a rich development of vegetable 
resources might we not look for, were the 
cultivation of the earth carefully watched, 
and the processes of agriculture improved. 
Whether in trees, fruits, grains, or vegetables, 
to support the people, or in flowers and shrubs 
for adornment, both regions are rich beyond 
description ; and in this, perhaps, we may 
find some answer to the arguments at least of 
those who contend that in setting up the 
standard of our power in the Punjab, we have 
extended our influence over unproductive 
wastes, whose lands are altogether incapable 
of bearing valuable crops to repay the labour 
of the husbandman. To enter into a descrip- 
tion of the various processes of tillage, the 
gardens, the flelds, the groves, and the other 
features of the valley, regarded from this 
point of view, would require more space than 
we can allot to it. Nor can we minutely or 
scientifically describe the various plants which 
are not commonly known in England. These 
rambling observations, however, may possibly 
not have been without their interest for those 
of our readers desirous of having their memory 
refreshed with respect to the character of the 
soil, and the aspect of vegetable nature, in the 
new province which has lately been added to 
their possessions in the East. Next to the 
knowledge of our own country, the knowledge 
of the dependencies of that country is most 
requisite, and the branch of information we 
have touched upon is not the least important 
in the list. 
THE STATISTICS OF NUTMEGS.* 
The statistics of nutmegs are very imper- 
fect, but still we have sufficient data to enable 
us to form some estimate of the cultivation 
and production, in the different parts of the 
Indian Archipelago, where the plant is culti- 
vated. In the Straits' settlements the culti- 
vation is extending very largely, and the 
production of course keeps pace with it. It 
was only in the beginning of the present cen- 
tury that nutmeg-planting was introduced 
into Pinang, a number of spice plants having 
been imported from Amboyna by the East 
India Company. The government, after some 
time, sold their gardens, in which they had 
planted the clove and nutmeg trees ; but the 
cultivation would appear to have made little 
progress at first, as in 1810 we find that there 
were only about 13,000 trees on the island, 
a few hundreds being all that were in bearing. 
In 1818 the number of bearing ti'ees had in- 
* From the " Journal of the Indian Archipelago." 
