KHOTAN
Khotan lies in a plain on the river of Qarasu, at least 25o fathoms wide. The river bed is deep and has steep banks. In front of the W gate there is a crowd of buildings, closely packed in front of the gate and in scattered groups further off. In front of the N gate is a smaller collection of houses. That part of the dwellings of the Sart population which fills the space between the Sart and Chinese towns, extends to the E wall. — The wall of unbaked bricks. The parapet crenellated and of baked bricks with loopholes, 4 fathoms high. The gates are single without projections to protect them. The centre tower has 4 gates of baked bricks and is 22 feet square. The distance between the towers is 94 feet. The ramparts 8 fathoms wide. The parapte in front of the protected passage outside the ramparts is of clay, in bad conditio,n about 4 fathoms high and without loopholes. The fosse is 12 fathoms wide, deep, badly kept. No open space; trees and scattered houses everywhere. The distance from the N wall to the bend in the ravine about 165 m, from the S wall to the bend of the ravine eastward about 260 m. The intermediate towers are 12 fathoms wide. — In the SW corner of the fortress an infantry in with clay walls. Yamen likewise. Bazaar street from W to E. Water is collected by means of an ariq from the E in a pond near the infantry in. Grain stores about 8o,000 poods. — Drawn by the author.
that the Khotan oasis and Lob are divided into 17 Beg districts. Each Beg has 20 Yuzbashis on an average, who administer an average of 200-300 houses. If we calculate 6 inhabitants and to mou of tilled land per house, we obtain a result of 68o,000 mou. These figures are approximately double those given by Korniloff, but I doubt whether they are in reality very much exaggerated. A Yuzbashi should really administer ioo houses, but the majority have far more. — The livestock can probably be calculated at about r horse, r —2 cows, 2-3 asses and 5 sheep per house, or about io beasts per house. — The land is divided into three categories giving an average crop of r o, 8 and 5 tcheraks per mou for i tcherak of seed. The quantity of manure seems to vary considerably according to the proximity of the field to dwelling centres, highroads etc. Efforts are made to secure not less than i6o180 poods per mou, but in more distant parts the peasants are content with considerably less. Besides animal dung, the waste from oil manufacture, fruit kernels, flax and other waste, walls of old buildings, the upper layers of roads etc. are employed. All the fields are very small and are flooded for 2 or 3 days in the year. The crops seem to depend entirely on this opportunity of flooding. The agricultural implements are of the most primitive kind. A wooden plough is used with a single short metal blade which is poked into the top-soil. The soil is loose earth or sand. — The rotation of the crops is approximately as follows: t of wheat, i of maize, r of wheat or rice and so on. No fallow land. Winter wheat in very small proportions. Before the winter sowings the land is given not more than a couple of months' rest. Lucerne is used exclusively as grass. It is not included in the rotation of crops. Once it is sown, it retains its growing power for 16 years and yields 4. crops an-
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