A History of Agriculture in India v2.c81.s6.2

v2.c81.s6.2

'The finest inflorescence is that of the almond and the peach. Outside the hill-country the commencement of blossoming is the 1st Isfandārmuz (10 February). In the territory of Kashmir it is the 1st Farwardin (10 March), and in the city gardens it is the 9th and 10th of that month, and the end of their blooming joins on to the commencement of that of the blue jasmine. In attendance on my revered father I frequently went round the saffron fields, and beheld the spectacle of autumn. Thank God that on this occasion I beheld the beauties of spring. The beauties of autumn shall be described in their place. The buildings of Kashmir are all of wood; they make them two-, three-, and four-storied, and covering the roofs with earth, they plant bulbs of the *chaughashi* tulip, which blooms year after year in the spring season, and is exceedingly beautiful. This custom is peculiar to the people of Kashmir. This year, in the little garden of the palace and on the roof of the chief mosque, the tulips blossomed luxuriantly. There are many blue jasmines in the gardens, and the white jasmines. I saw several sorts of red roses; one is specially sweet-scented, and another is a flower of the colour of sandal (light yellow), with an exceedingly delicate scent. It is of the nature of the red rose, and its stem is like that of the red rose. There are two kinds of lilies. That which is grown in gardens is vigorous (*balida*) and fresh-coloured (lit. green); the other is a wild kind. Although the latter has less colour it is very sweet-scented. The flowers that are seen in the territories of Kashmir are beyond all calculation. Those that Nadiru-'asri Ustad Mansur has painted are more than 100. Before my father's time there were no *shāhālu* (cherries). Muhammad Quli Afshar brought them from Kabul and planted them, and there are now ten or fifteen fruit-bearing trees. There were also some apricot-trees. The aforesaid made them known in this country, and now there are many of them. In fact, the apricot of Kashmir is good. There was a tree in the Shahr-ara garden at Kabul, called Mirza'i, better fruit than which I had not eaten, but in Kashmir there are trees equal to this in the gardens. There are pears (*nashpati*) of the best kind, better than those of Kabul, or Badakhshan, and nearly equal to those of Samarkand. The apples of Kashmir are celebrated for their goodness. Grapes are plentiful, but most of them are harsh and inferior, and the pomegranates are not worth much. Water-melons of the best kind can be obtained. The melons are very sweet and creased, but for the most part when they become ripe a worm is found in them that spoils them.'