Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 05.djvu/173

LEFT INDIA 135 INDIA dian scenery. Rice is the chief article of food in India, and is produced in all parts of the country in which irrigation ^s practiced. Maize and wheat are the grain cultivated in the Northwest Prov- inces. Opium is one of the most valu- able products of India. Coffee is largely produced in Ceylon, and the cultivation of the plant is rapidly spreading in given rise to an important trade. India rubber is another important product of Assam, the demand for which is increas- ing. In order to protect existing for- ests and extend the area of the timber- producing districts the Indian Forest Conservancy Department was organized. Annuals. — The domesticated animals are horses, asses, mules, oxen, buffaloes. THE AMBER TEMPLE AT south India. Tea cultivation is now carried on with success in Assam, and is spreading over all the hill countries of northwest India. Cinchona, introduced from South America in 1860, has been naturalized with gi'eat success. The growth of cotton has been much ex- tended. The finest is produced in Berar. The rhea, or jute plant, is grown in Assam and Bengal, and has recently JAGAT HEREMAIN, INDIA sheep, and elephants. Of wild beasts the most formidable is the Bengal tiger. The other beasts of prey are leopards, wolves, jackals, panthers, bears, hyenas, lynxes, and foxes. Of poisonous snakes the cobra da capello or black-hooded snake, the cobra manilla, and the sand snake are the most common. Climate. — Hindustan proper may be said to have three well-marked seasons.