Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 10 (2nd edition).pdf/494



432 OUDH. from the Gogra, also to the Ganges, and includes the three populous Districts of Bara Banki on the east, Lucknow in the middle, and Unao on the west. The south-eastern Division of Rái Bareli likewise contains three Districts—Rái Bareli and Partábgarh, along the left bank of the Ganges, and Sultánpur on either side of the Gúmti. The soil of Oudh consists of a rich alluvial deposit, the detritus of the Himalayan system, washed down into the Ganges valley by ages of fluvial action. Usually a light loam, it passes here and there into pure clay, or degenerates occasionally into barren sand. Water may be reached at an average depth of 25 feet, with a minimum of 4 or 5 feet in the Tarai tract. and a maximum of 60 feet south of the Gogra. The narrow margin of uncultivable land consists chiefly of extensive úsar plains, found in the southern and western Districts, which are covered by the deleterious saline efflorescence known as reh. Only the hardiest grasses will grow upon these waste patches. The efflorescence has been variously attributed to percolation and to over-cropping. Oudh possesses no valuable minerals. Salt was extensively manufactured during the native rule, but the British Government has prchibited the industry for fiscal reasons. Nodules of carbonate of lime (kankar) occur in considerable deposits, and are employed for metalling the roads. The general aspect of the Province is that of a rich expanse of waving and very varied crops, interspersed by numerous ponds or lakes, mango groves, and bamboo clumps. The villages lie thickly scattered, consisting of low thatched cottages, surrounded by patches of garden land, or groves of banyan, pípal, and pákar trees. The dense foliage of the mango plantations mark the sites of almost every little homestead; no less an area than 1000 square miles being covered by these valuable fruit-trees. Tamarinds overhang the huts of the poorer classes, while the neighbourhood of a wealthy family may be generally recognised by the graceful clumps of bamboo. Plantains, guavas, jack-fruit, limes, and oranges add further beauty to the village plots. The scenery, as a whole, has few claims to attention, except so far as trees and water may occasionally combine to produce a pleasing effect; but the varied colouring of the ripe crops, the sky, and the groves or buildings, often charms the eye under the soft haze of a tropical atmosphere. The flora of the reserved Government forests is rich and varied. The sál tree yields the most important timber; the finest loys are cut in the Khairigarh jungles and floated down the Gogra to Bahramghát, where they are sawn by steam into planks or beams. The hard wood of the shisham is also valuable; while several other timber-trees afford material for furniture or roofing shingles. Among the scattered jungles in various parts of the Province, the mahud tree is prized alike for its edible flowers,