'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎164r] (332/610)

293
la 1919 it was rumoured that a company had been formed
ing imp® to plant gardens, but under the disturbed political conditions
,000 Ife as at present prevailing any development is impossible.
Some cane-sugar is produced in Mazandaran. A refining auga*„
factory An East India Company trading post. was opened in Barfarush in 1845 but closed down after
a few years, and the sugar is extracted from the canes by primi
tive methods and only used for local consumption.
Prior to. 1914 the production was falling off but recently,
owing to the great increase in the price of imported sugar due
to the stoppage of the Russian supply, the area of sugar-cane
cultivation has been greatly extended. The cultivation is
near the foot of the hills, chiefly in the neighbourhood of Sari
and Barfarush, e.g., the buluk of Babul Kinar.
Sugar-canes were introduced into Gilan about 1870 but
their cultivation never became very popular and decreased,
as in Mazandaran, until only a few fields remained in Rumen,
Tulim, and Gaskar.
The bees are kept in cylindrical clay hives about 1 foot in Honey,
diameter from which the honey is taken in September.
When fresh from the hive the large round combs of brown
or golden colour contain excellent honey, but by the time they
reach the towns they have been squashed into an unappetizing
looking mess, and the honey must be run out of the wax and
for 2 cleaned.
sin and Few carpets are woven in this area and the Fisheries and indnatrin.
es from Silk production in the Caspian provinces are the only industries
ad of importance.
No other i n i an a saa is so well stocked with fish as the Caspian. Caspian
Fisheries.
The principal varieties are :■
Sturgeon (sagmahi).
Perch (safidmahi).
Carp (kupur).
Bream (subulu).
Salmon (mahi azad).
These fish swarm round the mouths of the rivers which they
ascend to spawn, sturgeon and salmon in autumn and spring
round the mouths of the rivers from the fountains, and perch.
t giian 1)»* carp, etc., in winter round the mouths of the ’Murdab streams.
1 For the distinction between these two types of rivers see Chapter II, Geo
graphy, p. 99.