106 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



Kathiawar. — The following note was drawn up by 

 Mr. Mankad, Assistant to Cotton Specialist, for the inform- 

 ation of the Morvi State, which called upon us for special 

 advice : — 



The District resembles South America in shape; the 

 average rainfall is 18 to 22 inches, very irregular in distri- 

 bution which tells considerably upon the production of the 

 cotton crop. 



Soils. — There are three kinds of soils, viz., (1) black 

 cotton soil, (2) besar and (3) light. The last named is 

 chiefly met with in the southernmost part of the State to- 

 wards Tankara. 



Rotation. — Cotton is rotated mostly with Jowari in 

 cotton soils, but in lighter kinds of soils Bajri forms the 

 principal rotation. 



The average area devoted to the culture of cotton in 

 the State varies from 1,25,000 to 1,40,000 acres per annum. 

 Broadly speaking, on account of enhanced prices of cotton, 

 of late, two-thirds of the total cropped area is annually put 

 out under it, as it pays better to the grower. The average 

 outturn may be computed at 100 lbs. clean cotton per acre. 

 In recent years, however, it has become the general practice 

 to grow cotton without any rotation whatsoever, on the 

 same land, and it is held amongst the cultivators that 

 there is no diminution in the outturn. Economically the 

 practice has proved a sound one owing to the high price of 

 cotton. 



Varieties of cotton. — Practically speaking, there are 

 only two varieties in the State, called (1) Deshi or Wag ad 

 (bolls of which are picked out bodily from the plant and 

 the cotton extracted at home), and (2) Kanvi, acclimatized 

 Broach, the seeds from Kahnum of the Broach District seem 

 to have been brought in these parts some 25 years ago; in 

 addition to these two, there is a third variety called Mathio, 

 mixture of all the neglectum types that compose the cottons 

 of Khandesh and Central Provinces, which occupies a very 

 small area in the south of the district towards Tankara 



