Page 65 - Arabian Studies (I)

The Cultivation of Cereals in Mediaeval Yemen 51

appellation after the dates is in Wadi ZabTd. All of these [varieties of
millet) are harvested three months from the time of sowing.’
One of the varieties of millet is H r jl/J r hi.15 5 with a larger grain
than Budaija (? Bujaidah132). Its husk is black and its ear comes up
crooked, bent over, like Ilamrd* (Red), but it is sweeter than Budaija
(Tarim Ms.) / like the husk of the eggplant (badhinjan) and it has a
larger grain than Budaija (Cairo Ms.157), but its grains have not the
hardness of Budaija. It is sought after, not unpalatable, coming next
to Budaija in quality, nor is it any less valuable than it. It forms the
bulk of the Wadi Nakhlah crop at Hais as has been stated. It is sown
ten days after the SabT (sowing of 2 October) of Budaija, and in
good fat land only. It is sown also as ‘Ashawl, i.e. at the rising of
al-Tlniraiya (the Pleiades) in the evening as I have mentioned earlier,
and is so called after that; this (rising) is on the six(teenth) of Tishrln
I (29 October). The places where it is grown are (all in) al-Sharj 1 S 8
al-‘Ulya of Wadi Zabld.
Then (comes) Jahrl (sowing ?) (when) the Baida’ (White) and
Hamra’ (Red) (varieties of Budaija are sown, the period for sowing it
being the first ten (nights) of Kanun I, (14-23 December), after the
Sabi‘I (crop) has gone. The most suitable (crop to sow) at this time is
Hamra’ (Red millet). As for Budaija/Bujaidah it gives a poor crop and
there is no good in its stalk. Jahrl159 is sown in whatever land it be
of the upper or lower parts of Wadi Zabld, but as for Sabi‘I it is only
sown in the best ground. The harvesting of this (all of it) takes place
after three months. That Budaija sown in the lower part of Wadi
Zabld as SabiT is harvested after seventy nights and (even) less, down
to as little as sixty nights.
Summer (saif) (begins) when the sun first falls in Hamal (Aries)
(22 March—) — what is sown at that time is called SaifI, most of the
sowing then being Hamra’ (Red) millet and bulrush (Pennisetum)
millet (dukhn).'60 The time for sowing it is from the first of
HazTran (14 June) and it is harvested after four whole months. It is
sown in whatsoever ground in the hot regions it be, and in the
mountains also in land near the heat, though as for the cold districts
it is not sown there. In Surdad and Mawr they call what is sown at
this said time WasmI (Wasml-rain crop) because it is sown at the first
rain of the year — which latter for the cultivator starts when the sun
falls in Hamal (Aries) (22 March).
My father, God rest him, said: ‘Rum!1 6 1 bulrush millet [dukhn]
has a fruit1 6 2 like that of the bulrush millet of the Yemen except
that it is finer and looser of ear. Its grain is white in colour, small,
with a delicious taste to it [when] prepared with milk and bread.
There is some better than any bread I have (ever) eaten, and this is
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