'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎160r] (324/610)

have fallen off of late owing to disturbed conditions, and wheat
and barley have been introduced to the Mazandaran plain,
chiefly around Sari, but have not given good results. The
ears were poor and undersized and inferior to the hill crops, and
the wheat is unwholesome. Bread made from it causes dizzi
ness and sickness in strangers, evidently due to some foreign
elements being mingled with it as very thorough washing of the
grain before grinding lessens its ill-effect.
Wheat and barley produced in the highlands of the Caspian
provinces within the wooded area are darker in colour than the
products of regions with the Persian plateau climate.
The grain generally, except of the Caspian lowlands, is of
good quality, but owing to indifferent cleaning and rough
grinding between soft grindstones the flour is often gritty. The
Persians consider the grain from “unirrigated” land to be of
better quality than grain from “ irrigated.”
Wheat and barley are divided between landowner and Di V j g j on ^
peasant on the theory of 5 shares for the land, water, oxen, Harvest
seed and labour. On the 1 average the landlord probably takes landlord and
from a third to a half, out of which he must pay the government Peasantry,
taxes.
Lucerne is cut two or three times between early summer
and late autumn. It is dried and given to animals chopped and
mixed with bhusa during the winter. There are two varieties
grown.
Rice is the staple product of the Caspian Rowlands, where
the abundant water supply and hot damp summer are favourable R '
to it, and it is cultivated on the “ China ” system of transplantation
<see below).
It is called “ wet ” (abi) as distinct from the “ dry ” crop
(khushkizar) of wheat, barley and cotton, and the malarial * 1 2
1 No hard and fast rule can be made for the mode of division, which varies in
different districts, but the following are typical examples.
The grain is collected on the threshing floor. Certain local charges, amounting
to about 6 per cent, of it, the amount of the government mallat (land tax) and the
seed grain for the next year are deducted and the balance is divided as follows:—
(1) when the landlord supplies the land, water, oxen and seed and the peas
antry the labour, they divide the balance equally between them.
(2) when the landlord supplies the land and water, and the peasantry the
seed, oxen and labour, the landlord takes one-fifth of the balance
and the peasantry four-fifths.
The landlord usually comes oft well out of the transaction (see Chapter V.
pp. 209-230).
Some smaller landlords also farm their own land by hired labour instead of
letting it out to the peasantry.
* It is also grown up a few of the river valleys to a height of 4,000'.