Identifier: indikacountrypeo00hursuoft (find matches)
Title: Indika. The country and the people of India and Ceylon
Year: 1891 (1890s)
Authors: Hurst, J. F. (John Fletcher), 1834-1903
Subjects: Sri Lanka India
Publisher: New York, Harper
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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is third in ten yearsin point of numbers killed. At the same time the numbers ofwild beasts killed and the rewards paid for that purpose areincreasing. In 1886, 23,417 wild beasts were destroyed, and417,596 snakes. Sheep are raised for both meat and milk. The Hindu shareswith the Jew an abomination for pork. The great streamsabound in fish. Monkeys are numerous. In Cawnpore, Luck-now, and Benares they have their own way, and in some in-stances they have to be removed because of their remarkablefecundity. Parrots and birds of all varieties of rich plumageabound. The Hindus regard many birds as of great value tothem, because they destroy insects and rapidly remove all de-caying vegetable matter.* The flora of India presents a picture of marvellous richness andvariety. Great gardens, as in Allahabad, abound in roses of manyspecies. In the mountains of Khari there are two hundred * Balfour, The Agricultural Pests of India, London, 1887. =• a a w ~ 2 SB — X Q 5 39 ^ < © PS bd E3 S8
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ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE LIFE.—MINERALS and fifty varieties of orchids. The Indian sun develops an ordi-nary plant into remarkable growth and productiveness. Wheat, maize, rice, and millet belong to the chief cereals which supportlife. For it must be remembered that the Hindu lives on v<table food. It is safe to say that millions of the Hindu peoplenever taste animal food from the cradle to tin grave. The val-ley of the Ganges is the greatest harvesl field of India. Its soilis as rich as the valley of the Nile, and is kept fertile by the con-stant bringing down from the mountains of matter essential tothe growth of the cereals. Three crops a year on the same soilare frequent. Cotton now belongs in the front rank of products. The fibreis not so good as the finer American varieties, hut is improvingconstantly, and the export is a fine source of national revenue,The current native manufacture of cotton goods is now becom-ing disturbed by the manufacture of Indian cotton by the millsof E

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