Page 62 - Arabian Studies (I)

48 Arabian Studies l

moisture in them dries out, beat them out with flails, clean them of
the debris of the millet-heads, and take them, after drying them well,
to a good well-ventilated place where neither the sun’s heat nor
damp can reach them, so they will not get wormed 1 3 1 for the passage
of a year - when one sows with them.
As for Tihamah one of the varieties of its (millet)-crop is Baida’
(White), called (also) Budaija (?).'3 2 Its grains are small, with a
hardness to them. It is the best of the Tihamah crops, and they
depend on it for their food. Its sowings vary, one being Thalith!
(Third), called after the rising of the third (star) of Ursa Major, i.e.
the first of Ab (14 August).13 3 This special name is given it in ZabTd
and Rima‘. That which is sown at this time in the districts of Mawr
and Surdad they call shabb.134 Then it is sown at the rising of the
Khamis (fifth star) of Ursa (Major) and they call it KhamisT
(Fifth) - this being the first of Ailul (14th September); this name is
used in (Wadi) ZabTd, WadT Rima\ Wadi Surdad and Wadi Mawr.
They (also) call it Bairn (Between) because it (is sown) between the
ThalithT (Third) and SabiT (Seventh [stars of Ursa Major]).
A (sowing) of it (dhurah) is SabiT (Seventh). In al-Isharah and
Milhal-malaljah13 5 they said, ‘It is so called after the Sabi‘ (Seventh)
or Ursa (Major) and is sown on the 19th of Ailul (2 October). It forms
the bulk of the crop of Baida’ (White) millet in Tihamah, and is the
most abundant, cleanest and most fortunate (abrak) of that. In Mawr
and Surdad it is called shabb, and in Lahej and Abyan bukr136 (first
crop); SabiT (Seventh), in the Hais area, Rasban, Mawza‘, and the
Hazzah13 7 (area at the juncture of the mountains with the Tihamah
plain) of the Wadi ZabTd is called al-fcladdar.'3 8 Its sowing
sometimes precedes the sowing of SabiT (Seventh) of ZabTd by a
short interval, about ten days, or they may be sown together. In
Mawr and Surdad the time for sowing it is the 19th of Adhar
(1 March).
A variety of it (dhurah) is a crop called Zi‘ir. In Milh al-
malahah13 9 he said, ‘It is sown in WadT Surdad and Mawr, the time
for sowing being the 29th of Adhar (11 April).
From all the Baida* (White) millet crop in Tihamah one takes grain
for parching (farlk), i.e. jahlsh, after two and a half months. It ripens
in eighty days and is harvested three months from day it was sown.’
After its being harvested it has a second growth again, producing a
good yield called 'aqb/'uqb'40 and a third growth follows that
known also as khilf. On outstandingly good ground yet a fourth
growth, once more after the ‘aqb (third growth), may follow the
White crop of it (millet) and give a yield which they call
JinnTyah,1 4 1 but when eaten there is no pleasure in its taste.

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