"The chief grains of the country are Indian corn, wheat,
barley of two kinds, bajra, jowar (two kinds of holcus), buckwheat and
rice, all of which are superior to the Indian grains, and are of a very
fine quality....
The country is certainly superior to India, and in every
respect equal to Kashmir, over which it has the advantage of being less
humid, and consequently better suited to the growth of fruits. Olives
(?), pears, apples, peaches, apricots, mulberries, grapes, currants, and
melons, all exceedingly large in size and of a delicious flavour, are
produced in great variety and abundance.... Cotton of valuable quality,
and raw silk, are produced in very large quantities."
[Khotan is the chief place of Turkestan for cotton manufactures; its
kham is to be found everywhere. This name, which means raw in Persian,
is given to a stuff made with cotton thread, which has not undergone any
preparation; they manufacture also two other cotton stuffs: alatcha with
blue and red stripes, and tchekmen, very thick and coarse, used to make
dresses and sacks; if kham is better at Khotan, alatcha and tchekmen
are superior at Kashgar. (Grenard, II. pp. 191-192.)
Grenard (II. pp. 175-177), among the fruits, mentions apricots (ourouk),
ripe in June, and so plentiful that to keep them they are dried up to be
used like garlic against mountain sickness; melons (koghoun)
water-melons (tarbouz, the best are from Hami); vine (tal) - the best
grapes (uzum) come from Boghaz langar, near Keria; the best dried grapes
are those from Turfan; peaches (shaptalou); pomegranates (anar, best
from Kerghalyk), etc.; the best apples are those of Nia and Sadju; pears
are very bad; cherries and strawberries are unknown.
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