A History of Assam c12.148

c12.148

" The trees of its hills and plains are exceedingly tall, thick and strong. Its streams are deep and wide, and both those that contain pools and those that do not, are beyond the range of numbering. Many kinds of odorous fruits and herbs of Bengal and Hindustan grow in Assam. We saw here certain varieties of flowers and fruits, both wild and cultivated, which are not to be met with elsewhere in the whole of India. The cocoanut and *nim* trees are rare; but pepper, spikenard and many species of lemon are abundant. Mangoes are full of worms, but plentiful, sweet and free from fibre, though yielding scanty juice. Its pineapples are very large, delicious to the taste, and rich in juice. Sugar-cane is of the black, red and white varieties and very sweet; but so hard as to break one's teeth; ginger is juicy....The chief crop of the country is rice, but the thin and long varieties of the grain are rare. Wheat, barley and lentils are not grown. The soil is fertile; whatever they sow or plant grows well. Salt is very dear and difficult to procure. It is found in the skirts of certain hills, but is very bitter and pungent. Some of the people of this country cut the bananas to pieces, dry them in the sun and burn them. Then they put the ashes on a piece of fine linen which they tie to four rods fixed in the ground, place a pot underneath and gradually sprinkle water on the cloth; and they use the drippings which are extremely brackish and bitter as a substitute for salt.