210 



CLASSIFICATION OF RICK 



acres out of 7,057,414 were under rice. Thus in 1911-12 rice 

 constituted 26 "6 per cent, of the total area under crop in the Central 

 Provinces or 19*2 per cent, of the whole area under crop in the 

 Central Provinces and Berar. 



The earliest complete figures available are for the year 1885-86, 

 when rice occupied 3,170,360 acres out of 13,466,675 under crop, 

 in the Central Provinces, which at that time included Sambalpur, 

 while in Berar the area was 25,832 out of 6,558,379 acres under 

 crop, with percentages of 23*5 per cent, and 15*9 per cent, for the 

 Central Provinces and Berar respectively. Rice moreover occupies 

 the largest area in the Central Provinces, its nearest rival being 

 wheat which occupies 14*8 per cent, of the area. In the Central 

 Provinces and Berar rice and cotton respectively occupy nearly 

 the same area, cotton being slightly the greater and taking up 19 '5 

 per cent, of the whole. 



Detailed figures for 1885-86 and 1911-12 for each district are 

 given below in a tabular form. 



