The Bhólsirí tree is large and handsome;* the fruit has an orange colour, and resembles jujubes.

The Tarkul tree, and its fruit, resemble the cocoanut 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 out-flowing juice. The vessel will fill twice or three times a day. The juice is called tárí; when fresh it is sweet; when it is allowed to stand for some time, it turns subacid, and is inebriating.

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

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

The Tarrí 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 water melon.

The Piyár is like a small grape; brownish and sweet. The inside of the kernel is like butter, and is used in the preparation of food; it is called Chiraunjí. Its tree is about a yard high.

The Cocoanut is called by the Persians Jauz i Hindí; the tree resembles the date tree, but is larger; its wood, however, looks better, and the leaves are larger. The tree bears fruit throughout the whole year; they get ripe in three months. They are also taken down, when unripe and green, and kept for some time. Their inside contains a cup full of milk-like juice, which tastes well, and is very often drunk in summer, mixed with sugar. When ripe the fruit looks brown. The juice has now become solid, and gets black when mixed with butter; it is sweet and greasy. When eaten with pán-leaves, it makes the tongue soft and fresh. The shell is used for spoons, cups, and ghichaks (a kind of violin). There are nuts having four, three, two, and one, holes or eyes; each kind is said to possess certain qualities, the last being considered the best. Another kind is used for the preparation of an antidote against poison. The nuts weigh sometimes twelve sérs and upwards. The bark of the tree is used for ropes; the large ropes used on ships are made of it.

Dates are called in Hindi Pindk'hajúr. The tree has a short stem, rising little above the ground, and produces from four to five hundred fruits.

The Súpyárí, or betel nut, is called in Persian fúfal. The tree is graceful, and slender like the cypress. The wind often bends it, so that its crown touches the ground; but it rises up again. There are various kinds. The fruit when eaten raw, tastes somewhat like an almond, but gets hard when ripe. They eat it with betel leaves.

The Sing'hárah is a triangular fruit; its creeper grows in tanks, and the fruit is on the surface of the water. They eat it raw or roasted.

The Sálak grows in tanks under the earth. They go into the water and dig it up.

The Pindálú is reared on lattice work, and grows about two yards high. Its leaf resembles the betel leaf; they dig up the root.

The Kasérú grows in tanks. When the water gets low, they take it out of the ground and eat it, raw or boiled.

The Séálí root is long and conical; the plant is a creeper, to whose root the fruit is attached.

The Orange has the shape of an egg. One kind is called kághazí. Between the peel and the fruit is a thin white membrane. The fruit is juicy, and tastes well; one kind is to be had throughout the whole year.

The Amalbét is like a lime, and very sour. If you put a steel needle into this fruit, the needle in a short time will dissolve; and a white shell when put into its juice, will soon disappear.

The Karná resembles an apple, and appears after the plant has reached the third year. At first the fruit is green, sour, and also somewhat bitter, but turns afterwards yellow and bitter; when ripe it is red and sweet. When it is kept long, it turns green again. The tree looks like an orange tree, but the leaves are somewhat broader, and the buds like fine arrows. The flower is white, and has four petals and yellow stamens. It has a fine smell, and is used for ambergis; but it is beyond my power to describe the process of the manufacture.

The Betel leaf is properly speaking a vegetable, but connoisseurs call it an excellent fruit. Mír Khusrau of Dihlí in one of his verses says, “It is an excellent fruit like the flower of a garden, the finest fruit of Hindústán.” The eating of the leaf renders the breath agreeable, and repasts odorous. It strengthens the gums, and makes the hungry satisfied, and the satisfied hungry. I shall describe some of the various kinds. 1. The leaf called Bilahrí is white and shining, and does not make the tongue harsh and hard. It tastes best of all kinds. After it has been taken away from the creeper, it turns white, with some care, after a month, or even after twenty days, when greater efforts are made. 2. The Kákér leaf is white with spots, and full, and has hard veins. When much of it is eaten, the tongue gets hard. 3. The Jaiswár leaf does not get white, and is profitably sold mixed with other kinds. 4. The Kapúrí leaf is yellowish, hard, and full of veins, but has a good taste and smell. 5. The Kapúrkánt leaf is yellowish-green, and pungent like pepper; it smells like camphor. You could not eat more than ten leaves. It is to be had at Banáras; but even there it does not thrive in every soil. 6. The Banglah leaf is broad, full, hard, plushy, hot, and pungent.

The cultivation is as follows. In the month of Chait (March–April), about New-Year's time, they take a part of a creeper four or five fingers long with Karhanj leaves on it, and put it below the ground. From fifteen to twenty days after, according as leaves and knots form, a new creeper will appear from a knot, and as soon as another knot forms, a leaf will grow up. The creepers and new leaves form for seven months, when the plant ceases to grow. No creeper has more than thirty leaves. As the plant grows, they prop it with canes, and cover it, on the top and the sides, with wood and straw, so as to rear it up in the shade. The plant requires continually to be watered, except during the rains. Sometimes they put milk, sesame oil and its seeds pressed out, about the plant. There are seven kinds of leaves, known under nine names: 1. The Karhanj leaf, which they separate for seedlings, and call Péṛí. The new leaf is called Gadautah. 2. The Nautí leaf. 3. The Bahutí leaf. 4. The Chhíw leaf. 5. The Adhinídá leaf. 6. The Agahniyah or Léwár leaf. 7. The Karhanj leaf itself. With the exception of the Gadautah, the leaves are taken away from the creeper when a month old. The last kind of leaf is eaten by some; others keep it for seedlings: they consider it very excellent, but connoisseurs prefer the Péṛí.

A bundle of 11,000 leaves was formerly called Lahásah, which name is now given to a bundle of 14,000. Bundles of 200 are called Dhólí; a lahásah is made up of dholís. In winter they turn and arrange the leaves after four or five days; in summer every day. From 5 to 25 leaves, and sometimes more, are placed above each other, and adorned in various ways. They also put some betelnut and kat'h* on one leaf, and some slaked lime* paste on another, and roll them up: this is called a bérah. Some put camphor and musk into it, and tie both leaves with a silk thread. Others put single leaves on plates, and use them thus. They are also prepared as a dish.