Page 64 - 5 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE I_Neat

20 UUSIIJUE.

Castor seeds.—Always procurable from the environs of Bushire
at the rate of 1 kran (Ip/.) per 7| lbs.
Cxilocynth.
Ox-tongue flower.—18 krans (6*. 9<f.) per 7J lbs.
“Gunjide,” the seed so largely used for the adulteration of
opium, has now, it is reported, reached half the price of opium.
Commerce in the various products of this group is capable of
development, and it is very desirable that some trial should be
given by firms concerned, who have not yet touched the Persian
market. Persia as a country is peculiarly suited for the cultiva­
tion of seed crops, though there has not been the demand in the past
to teach the peasant the value of their cultivation. Lucerne seed
(more especially the Bahrein kind) is said to be of very high quality,
and the large shipments took place to India some years ago till the
trade was overdone.
Sl'ins, raw In March, 190(5, prices of raw and undressed skins ranged at
And from 23 to 27 rs. (1/. l(b*. $d. to 1/. 105.) per 44 kruj ” of 20 goat­
undre*5«d.
skins. These prices have gradually fallen in Bombay to 12 to 10 rs.
or -10 to 55 krans in Bushire. The export, which is yearly growing,
totalled 22.533/., nearly all of which goes to India. A better know­
ledge and improved system of preparation for export has conduced
to this increase, but. the process still requires improvement, whereby
the demand would almost certainly extend to America, The
breeding of goats in Southern. Persia is considerable. An embargo
has been announced by the Persian Government on the export
of Iamb-skins from Persia from May 21 to September 21; this
measure hardly affects Bushire, as lamb-skins are an article of
expert for the north through Russia.
Unmanu­ The export of tobacco rose from 20,45If. to 29,4741. There are
factured two totally distinct varieties of the plant cultivated in Persia,
tehacco.
denominated respectively 44 tutunJ” grown on the Caspian littoral
and shredded very fine, serving for cigarette smoking and snuff,
and “ tambaku,” with which the export via Bushire is alone
concerned. Tills has hitherto been extensively exported to other
Mussulman lands for smoking in water-pipes—44 Kalians** and
44 narghiles.” But this year shipments of tambaku from the Isfahan
districts to the amount of 331/. to Liverpool and 148/. to the United
States are also to be noted, and it is reported that in the latter
country it has been found to make an aromatic blend with Vir­
ginian tobacco for cigarette smoking, Ac. Some years ago a
scientific process was discovered for adapting it for use in pipes,
cigars and cigarettes, but either through want of enterprise or the
incompleteness of the discovery the experiment was not proceeded
with. The cultivation of the plant is very extensive in Isfahan;
another class of the same variety, but much more fiery and acrid to
the taste, is known as 4i garmsir ” (tobacco from the warm regions),
and is grown in the districts of Lar and Galadar in the Persian Gulf
zone. 44 Garmsir tambaku ” is consumed in Turkish Arabia,
the Aden hinterland and the Jeddah coastline. The Isfahan