1898.] S. C. Das — Travels on the Shores of Lake Yamdo-Croft. 
259 
Products. 
all through the year. 1 Owing to the high altitude and the rudeness 
of the winds which prevail there, the ground composed as it is of sand, 
gravel and loose stones, remains hard as if baked in winter. The climate 
and soil being alike inhospitable, in this part of the country, there is 
little habitation of men. The country is occupied by herdsmen and 
shepherds and also by Kyang (wild ass), wild sheep, antelopes, rabbits, 
wolves and other smaller wild animals. There are snow leopards but no 
tigers or snakes in Tibet. In the southern parts of Tibet are built cities 
and castles, and groves of poplar, willows, and stunted trees have been 
planted. The mountains are destitute of everything except grass and 
dwarf shrubs. 
Sowing takes place in the beginning of May ; the Tibetans gather 
little wheat, much barley which is their staple 
food, and some peas which they bruise and 
give to their horses and cattle. The latter crop is gathered in 
September. These harvests as well as that of rape from the seeds of 
which oil is extracted, yield sixty fold, and in good season eighty fold. 
The people grow carrot, turnips, radishes, garlic and onions. In the 
south and south-eastern parts are found, walnut, peach, apricots, wild 
apples and wild vines which yield a few grapes. There are some 
few flowers. The poplar, elm, willow and ash abound in most of the 
parks and groves of Tibet. 
There are many gold mines in the provinces of U-Tsang, Chang, 
Takpo, Kon-bo and Kham. Silver abounds in 
the last province which borders on China. 
There are also mines of copper and nickel. Sulphur, vitriol, cinnabar, 
cobalt, turquoise, stones, amber and alabaster are abundant. The hills 
of Tibet have, from their general appearance strong mark of containing 
those fossils, that are inimical to vegetation. Tibet is very poor in iron. 
It is not that there are no mines of that useful metal in Tibet. It is 
probable that the Tibetans either do not know to work those mines or 
that they have no fuel, enough to fuse the metal. In the neighbourhood 
Mines and minerals. 
1 During my residence at Tashi-lhunpo, I took observations from the 
thermometer. I had a Fahrenheit thermometer and a pair of maximum 
and minimum thermometers. The thermometer during the month of October, 
was on an average 37° in the morning; at noon 45° and in the evening 40°. During 
the month of November there was frost in the morning and evening, and the ther¬ 
mometer stood below 30° in the morning and 36° at noon in the shade. A serene, 
clear sky prevailed, during day and night not a cloud was to be seen in it. The genial 
warmth of the sun iu the transparent atmosphere made the days very delightful. 
The weather in the months of October and November was clear throughout, cool, and 
pleasant and the prevailing wind blew from the south and south-west. 
