274 SEVENTH REPORT—1837. 
Agriculture. 
Some general observations will be necessary, as the crops 
and agricultural process in the Mawuls * differ materially from 
the crops and agricultural process in the Desh.} The princi- 
pal crop of the Mawuls is that of the rains, and the most 
valuable of its produce is rice}. The severe labour attend- 
ing the preparation of the rice ground in the hot weather 
is great, and in the rains the cultivator has to trample up to 
his knees in water and mud ploughing the rice field, pro- 
bably in a deluge of rain, but with his head and back most se- 
curely protected by the Eerluh §, however much exposed the 
rest of his body may be. The transplantation is performed 
under similar exposure. The other monsoon grains of the 
Mawuls are the Sawa, Wuree, and Natchnee, and Karlee, 
or Kalee Teel|| which is an oil plant of the only other monsoon 
product. 
The labour attending the cultivation of these grains, in a 
very unfavourable climate, at the time they are grown, falls 
very severely on the people, but they are compensated for 
their labour and suffering by good returns of that valuable 
produce rice; and the returns of the other grains are great, 
and the crops seldom fail. 
The Koonbees, or farmers of the Mawuls, also have an 
advantage which those of the Desh are not always assured of, 
ji. e. the certainty of finding a market for one of their products, 
rice. 
Dry Season Crop (Mawuls.)—The dry crop of the Mawuls 
does not call for any mention in this place. 
Dry Season Crop (Desh.)—With respect to the Desh, the 
most valuable is the Rubbée, or spring crop§. ‘The agricul- 
tural processes in both crops is certainly defective, less owing to 
the ignorance of the cultivators, who are well aware of the 
advantage of a ploughing adapted to the character of the soil, 
of good manuring, complete weeding, rotations of crops and fal- 
lows ; than to their necessities, which compel them to rack their 
land; they cannot generally afford to purchase a sufficiency of 
* Hilly districts along the crest of the Ghats. 
+ Flat country, eastward of the Mawuls. 
t Vide No. 118, wet crop, Mawuls. 
§ Eerluh, or basket-work hood, covered with leaves and quite impervious to 
rain. 
|| Wet season crop (Mawuls.) 
{ Consisting of wheats, gram, barley ; Shaloo, (Andropogon Saccharatum) ; 
Dhal, (Cytisus cajan), oil-plants, &c. 
