AFGHANISTAN

93

dom of Bactria (Badakshan) may possibly possess, in its
magnificent valleys and temperate climate, soil as yet unredeemed
 from the wilderness which may prove to be as
fruitful as that of Kashmir, but it is not probable that
there is much of it.
The basin of the Kabul River is already famous for
its fruit. It would be difficult indeed to rival the rich
cultivation of Koh Daman north of Kabul; of the plains
of Chardeh to the west; or of the open valleys of the
Logar to the south, where the eye may rest on miles of
uninterrupted fields of wheat, broken only by patches of
mulberry, walnuts, or apricot trees. But it would be
difficult also to suggest to those most practical native
engineers who have covered the country with a network
of irrigation channels any method of improvement either
in their system of utilising the water available, or in the
development of the original supply. They run their rivers
dry already. As for that portion of Kafiristan which falls
within the Kabul basin, there are indeed hopes that here,
at least, there may be fresh field for development. The
oak forests and pines that clothe the mountain sides are of
magnificent growth—there is no such wealth of forest
anywhere else in Afghanistan. Here, too, are the “ wild
vine and the ivy,” the pomegranate, and the fig-tree, all in
a condition of primeval undevelopment. 1f the area for
crop-growing is circumscribed by the steep mountain
slopes, there is at least ample room for investigation
beyond its present limits, and for the development of
much material wealth amongst the hills themselves.
Of the third great basin of Afghanistan—that of the
Helmund—it is difficult to speak with certainty. The
upper valleys that contribute to that river are unsurveyed
in detail ; but we know enough about the wilderness of
the Hazara Hills to be fairly certain that in those bleak,
storm-swept and desolate altitudes there is little or no
chance of agricultural development on any large scale.
And this general view of the Hazara Hills extends itself to
the Taimani plateau on its west, which drains, not into the
Helmund, but into the great basin, or Hamun, which