'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR, 1910-1911' [‎218r] (19/150)

SUMMARY.
ipio-iP 11 ^
xiii
the favourable inundation was followed
area and a decrease of fallow.
by a general extension of the cropped
The tota a ea under food crops aggregated nearly i 9 million 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 nearly 4 nnlhon acres in Sind. Jowdri shows a total
acreage of 7 millions bajri of nearly 6 millions and rice of nearly q millions.
Though the area under jowari increased it was still a million acres below the
normal, while that under bajri decreased but remained half a million acres above
normal. Of the other food crops the cultivation of wheat and gram expanded
while that of tur and other cereals and pulses contracted, the net result being a
decrease of 2'8 per cent, in the area sown with food crops 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 an increase of 5 per cent, in Sind. The fluctuations in Sind compared
with the previous year were specially noticeable, the increases under jowari and
wheat amounting to no less than 25 and 19 per cent, respectively. The total
area sown under non-food crops showed a considerable expansion, which was
mainly due to the marked increase of cotton cultivation. Out of an aggregate
of less than 7 million acres sown with non-food crops the acreage devoted to
cotton was 4^ millions: and whereas the* increase in the former case
amounted to 10 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 22 per cent, in Sind, the
area under cotton increased by 13 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. and by 30 per
cent, in Sind. The extension of cotton growing appears in every district but one
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. and Sind and is most noticeable in the districts of Khandesh,
Ahmedabad and Dhdrwar. Including Baroda, Kdthidwar and other Native
States it is estimated that the total area under cotton was 7^- million acres
Though the cultivation of oil-seeds also expanded the total area was generally
below the normal. The increase appears chiefly in the rabi oil-seeds 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 in sesamum and jambho in Sind. The gross irrigated
area 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 8,000 acres or ‘g per cent., but
the decrease appears chiefly in a contraction of the area irrigated more than once.
In Sind irrigation extended by 6 per cent, owing to the favourable inundation.
28. The experimental work of the Agricultural Department was continued Agricultural
on the same lines as in previous years. The positive results of this work are experiments,
becoming increasingly evident. In several directions the field of theoretical
experiment has now been systematically surveyed and the immediate problem
is to bring into practical application on a large scale the results attained by
experiment on Government farms and in selected localities. In particular
the question of cotton improvement has reached a stage when it is possible
to formulate certain definite conclusions. The areas indicated for exotic
cottons have been narrowed down to Sind, which is eminently suitable for
American and Egyptian cottons, and to the south-east of the Dhdrwar district
where Cambodia cotton is shown to yield excellent results. Investigations
conducted on the farm at Surat have led to the selection of two or three
species as the best adapted to this locality. The value of this discovery has been
practically demonstrated by the offer of a Bombay syndicate to buy up 2,000
bales of selected cotton at a figure 5 per cent, in excess of the current local
rates. The suitability of the short stapled Roseum cotton for Khandesh and
Broach seed cotton for the Southern Maratha Country has also been
established. The important problem of the quantity of irrigation most favourable
for sugarcane growing has heen under investigation for some years at various
ce ntres. The results attained have been uniform and may now be considered
conclusive. Experiment has also proved the value of sulphate of potash for
ttl >s crop. Systematic work is being carried on in seed selection for jowdr and
18 ^ely i n the long run to produce marked results. The distribution of foreign
B 963 - 4 s