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A History of Agriculture in India v2.c77.s1: Sweet Fruits

A History of Agriculture in India v2.c77.s1

Language
English

Contents

Sweet Fruits

v2.c77.s1.1

‘Mulberries and *gulars* are in season during spring; pine-apples, oranges, sugarcane, *bers*, *usiras*, *bholsaris*, *gumbhis*, *dephals* during winter; jackfruits, *tarkuls*, figs, melons, *lahsauras*, *karahris*, *mahuwas*, *tendus*, *pilus*, *barautas*, during summer; and mangoes, plantains, dates, *delas*, *gulas*, pomegranates, guavas, water-melons, *paniyalas*, *bangas*, *khirnis*, *piyars*, during the rains.

The Mango

v2.c77.s1.t1.1

The Persians call this fruit *Naghzak*, as appears from a verse of Khusraw. This fruit is unrivalled in colour, smell, and taste; and some of the gourmets of Turan and Iran place it above musk-melons and grapes. In shape it resembles an apricot, or a quince, or a pear, or a melon, and weighs even one *ser* and upwards. There are green, yellow, red, variegated, sweet, and subacid mangoes. The tree looks well, especially when young; it is larger than a walnut-tree, and its leaves resemble those of the willow, but are larger. The new leaves appear soon after the fall of the old ones in autumn, and look green and yellow, orange, peach-coloured, and bright red. The flower, which opens in spring, resembles that of the vine, has a good smell, and looks very curious. About a month after the leaves have made their appearance, the fruit is sour, and is used for preserves and pickles. It improves the taste of *qalyas*, as long as the stone has not become hard. If a fruit gets injured whilst on the tree, its good smell will increase. Such mangoes are called *koyilas*. The fruit is generally taken down when unripe, and kept in a particular manner. Mangoes ripened in this manner are much finer. They mostly commence to ripen during summer, and are fit to be eaten during the rains; others commence in the rainy season, and are ripe in the beginning of winter; the latter are called *bhadiyya*. Some trees bloom and yield fruit the whole year; but this is rare. Others commence to ripen, although they look unripe; they must be quickly taken down, else the sweetness would produce worms. Mangoes are to be found everywhere in India, especially in Bengal, Gujarat, Malwa, Khandesh, and the Dekhan. They are rarer in the Panjab, where their cultivation has, however, increased since his Majesty made Lahore his capital. A young tree will bear fruit after four years. They put milk and treacle round about the tree, which makes the fruits sweeter. Some trees yield in one year a rich harvest, and less in the next one; others yield for one year no fruit at all. When many mangoes are eaten, digestion is assisted by drinking milk with the kernels of the mango stones. The kernels of old stones are subacid, and taste well; when two or three years old they are used as medicine. If a half-ripe mango, together with its stalk to a length of about two fingers, be taken from the tree, and the broken end of its stalk be closed with warm wax, and kept in butter, or honey, the fruit will retain its taste for two or three months, whilst the colour will remain even for a year.

v2.c77.s1.t1.2

The jackfruit has the shape of a black-pudding, looks greenish, and is sometimes a yard (91.4 cm) long, and half a yard (45.7 cm) broad. When small, it resembles a water-melon. Its peel is full of thorns. It grows out of the branches, the trunk, and the roots. Those that grow below the ground are sweetest. On opening you see round clusters, so viscous that the fingers stick together when you take them out. The tree looks like a nut-tree, but is somewhat bigger and has larger leaves. The flower, like the fruit, has a good smell. The fruits are also taken down when unripe. They then apply lime, etc., when the fruits will get ripe.

v2.c77.s1.t1.3

'The Plantain tree looks straight like a spear; the leaves come out of the trunk thick and soft, and resemble an unsewn plaited sleeve, but are much larger and wider. Out of the middle rises something looking like a spindle, of a lilac colour; this is the bud. The fruit consists of a cluster of seventy to eighty plantains. In shape they resemble small cucumbers; the peel is easily removed. As plantains are very heavy, you cannot eat many. There are various kinds of plantains. The plant is every year cut down, and a stump only is left of it; if this is not done, it will no longer bear fruit. The vulgar believe that the plantain tree yields camphor, but this is wrong; for the camphor tree, as shall be hereafter explained, is a different tree, although it has the same name. They also say that pearls originate in plantain trees—another statement upon which the light of truth does not shine.

v2.c77.s1.t1.4

'The Mahuwa tree resembles the mango tree; its wood is used for building purposes. The fruit, which is also called Gilaunda, yields an intoxicating liquor.

v2.c77.s1.t1.5

'The Bholsiri tree is large and handsome; the fruit has an orange colour, and resembles the jujube.

v2.c77.s1.t1.6

'The Tarkul tree and its fruit resemble the coco-nut palm and its fruit. When the stalk of a new leaf comes out of a branch, they cut off its end and hang a vessel to it to receive the outflowing juice. The vessel fills twice or three times a day. The juice is called tari; when fresh it is sweet; when it is allowed to stand for some time it turns subacid and is inebriating.

v2.c77.s1.t1.7

'The Paniyala fruit resembles the Zardalu, and its tree the lime tree; the leaves are like those of the willow. When unripe the fruit is green, and red when ripe.

v2.c77.s1.t1.8

'The Gumbhi has a stem the branches of which are like creepers; its leaves and fruits, as those of the Kunar, come from below the roots.

v2.c77.s1.t1.9

'The Tarri forms at the root; it grows mostly in the mountains, and weighs a man, more or less, when the creeper is a year old; and two, when two years old. It looks like a millstone. When older it grows larger according to the same proportion. Its leaves resemble those of the watermelon.