_ or district of South Kashmir and the southern part of
North Kashmir. The central valley has an elevation of 6000 feet. It was
undoubtedly once a lake bed. Shelving fan-shaped "_karewas_" spread out
into it from the bases of the hills. The object of the Kashmiri is to
raise as much rice as he possibly can on the alluvium of his valley and
on the rich soil deposited on the banks of mountain streams. Manure and
facilities for irrigation exist in abundance, and full use is made of
them in the cultivation of the favourite crop. _Kangni_ takes the place
of rice in many fields if there is any deficiency of water. On reclaimed
swamps near the Jhelam heavy crops of maize are raised. The tillage for
wheat and barley is as careless as that for rice is careful. The
cultivation of saffron (Crocus sativus) on _karewas_ is famous, but the
area is now limited, as the starving people ate up the bulbs in the
great famine of 1877 and recovery is slow. Saffron is used as a pigment
for the sectarian marks on the forehead of the orthodox Hindu and also
as a condiment. The little floating vegetable gardens on the Dal lake
are a very curious feature. The "_demb_" lands on the borders of the
same lake are a rich field for the market gardener's art. He fences a
bit of land with willows, and deposits on it weeds and mud from the lake
bed. He is of the boatman or Hanz caste, whose reputation is by no means
high, and can himself convey by water his vegetables and fruits to the
Srinagar market. The production of fruit in Kashmir is very large, and
the extension of the railway to Srinagar should lead to much improvement
in the quality and in the extent of the trade. It may also improve the
prospects of sericulture.

[Illustration: Fig. 140. Takht i Suliman in Winter.]

(_b_) _Jhelam Gorge and Valley of Kishnganga._ The Jhelam gorge below
Baramula is narrow and the cultivation is usually terraced. The
Kishnganga joins the Jhelam near Muzaffarabad. The Muzaffarabad district
includes the Jhelam gorge and the lower part of the valley of the
Kishnganga. The upper part is in the Uttarmachhipura _tahsil_ of the
district of North Kashmir.

~Indus Valley.~--(_a_) _Ladakh including Zanskar and Rupshu._ Some
description of Ladakh and its scenery has already been given in Chapter
II. It may be divided into Rupshu, Zanskar, and Ladakh proper with Leh
as its centre. Rupshu in the south-east is a country of great brackish
lakes in no part less than 13,500 feet