'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1914-1915' [‎199r] (67/150)

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AGRICULTURE. 41 Chapter IV.
PRODUCTION
AND
the area under the latter fell off in the Deccan. Pulses advanced by 133,000 acres in the distribution.
Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. proper and by 71,000 acres in Sind. In the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. proper the area under
oil-seeds on the whole showed a decline of 4U000 acres or 4^4 per cent, below the previous
year and of 234,000 acres or 2o , 8 per cent, below the average. In Sind it was about iu6
and 23-5 per cent, respectively over the previous year’s areas and the average. Under the
stimulus of high prices the cultivation of cotton is extending year by year and" now occupies
US P er cent, of the total cropped area against 10 to 12 per cent, previous to 1902-0'?.
During the year its area showed a further advance of 3 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of acres in the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent.
proper and totalled 4,199,000 acres. I his is slightly lowerthan the area returned in 1910-11
but exceeds the average of the twelve years ending 1902-03 by more than 62 per cent.
Ahmednagar and Sholapur are taking more and more to cotton and for seasonal reasons
cotton was more extensively grown in Bijapur and Belgaum.
3. The irrigated area of the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. proper rose by 5 per cent, to 903,000 acres. Irrigation.
It extended mainly in Dharwar, Ahmedabad, Kanara, Khandesh, Nasik and Kaira. In Sind
the irrigated area rose by 7 per cent, to 3,685,000 acres, as a result of the favourable
inundation of the year. 1 he increase was general but was mainly shared by Larkana, Upper
Sind Frontier and Sukkur. The ratio of the irrigated area to net cropped area was 3*5 per
cent, in the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. proper and nearly 82 per cent, in Sind. Irrigation from Government
canals in the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. proper decreased by 4,700 acres, while irrigation from private
canals rose by 3,000 acres. Irrigation from wells expanded by 3,500 acres or-6 per cent.
The area under tank irrigation rose by 29,000 acres or about 28 per cent., owing to plentiful
supply of water due to heavy late rains, Dharwar and Kanara claiming nearly 84 per cent,
of the total increase. Other sources show an increase of 15,000 acres or 20 per cent., owing
to extended irrigation pats wcitS. bandharas \x\ Satara, Ahmednagar and Nasik. In all
districts of Sind except Karachi, irrigation was extended owing to ample supply of w ater in
canals due to the favourable inundation of the year. Irrigation from private canals and other
sources was also resorted to to a larger extent tbrpughout the province. As regards the
crops grown under irrigation, in the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. proper wheat showed an increase of 37,000
acres and rice of 34,000 acres. Other cereals and pulses w^ere helped to a larger extent in
north Gujarat and Sholapur, but the area under them was curtailed in Satara, Poona,
Ahmednagar and the Karnatak. Fodder crops were grown to a larger extent in Ahmedabad,
but their area declined in almost every other district, resulting in a net decrease of 4,100
acres. In Sind the principal increase was under wheat (+ 158,000 acres) and non-food crops,
cotton and oil-seeds (+125,000 acres). The area under rice and other cereals and pulses
rose by 2,700 and 37,000 acres respectively.
4. The return showing the sources of water supply having been made decennial, no Water supply,
fresh information is available for the year under report.
3.— Agricultural Experiments.
1. The number of officers on the staff of the Director of Agriculture and the number General,
of agricultural stations and plots remained the same as in the previous year. The expenditure
of the depaitment amounted to Rs. 8| lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees as against 7I lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in the previous year. The
major portion of the increase represented the cost of a steam plough purchased for Gujarat.
I he work of the department received valuable assistance in the shape of contributions
from the Sir David Sassoon Trust Fund and the King Edw ? ard VII Memorial Fund, Kanara,
from private gentlemen and from District Local Boards. The departmental receipts
credited to Government amounted to over Rs. 1 lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees .
2. In Sind, American cotton continues to do well and is quite satisfactory both as Cotton,
regards yield and quality. Cultivation is however so scattered and the country so undeveloped
that it is not easy to make rapid progress. In Upper Sind the difficulty is that the people
have not hitherto been accustomed to grow cotton at all. In low T er Sind a fair start has
been made, but it received a check owing to the defective buying arrangements. In Surat
progress w T as made by inducing the cultivators of a group of seven villages to combine to
grow cotton from the seed of the department’s improved strains, to gin their own cotton
and market it jointly. The arrangements were carried out by a committee and the cotton
was sold at a substantial profit and gave great satisfaction to the purchasers 1 he intro
duction of N. R. cotton into Khandesh continues to progress, though it received a temporary
check owing to the heavy fall in the price of Khandesh cotton in 1914- I n the Southern
Maratha Country Broach cotton has done badly during the past two seasons wffiich have
been very wet. The greatest obstacle to the spread of Broach cotton is that it must be sown
early when the people are busy sowing jowdn. In some tracts Broach cotton seems to be
established but as regards the greater area it appears to be more advantageous to concen
trate attention on putting out a strain of Kumpta with a good ginning percentage.
3. Excellent results were obtained in the growing of sugarcane. On the Manjri Sugarcane,
farm 40 tons per acre and upwards of stripped cane of excellent quality were obtained on
very ordinary soil while at the same time large economies of water and manure and in the
cost of cultivation and seed were effected, as compared with local practices. Many profitable
improvements were made in testing the ripeness of cane and in crushing, boiling and gut
making. These improvements are spreading amongst the cultivators, among whom the
requisite implements for cultivation and saccharometers find a ready sale. Men have been
sent all over the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. to build improved furnaces and to give instruction in gut
making. Pow T er crushers are becoming more and more appreciated,
H 1314—11