66 THE WHEATS OF BALUCHISTAN 



There is much waste of water due to want of system and orgaiiization 

 and in ospecial the frequent breaking of these huge earthen dams leads to 

 deflection and waste of water. Jn a very few places. i\otably on the Bolan, 

 Persian wheels are used to lift the water. Apart i'rom this flood irrigation, 

 there seem xjractically no other sources of water. Oi\ly seventeen Mrezes and 

 nine springs are in use and there are haidly any wells. 



Wheat is grown to the greatest extent on the west si(U^ oi Kachhi as 

 permanent irrigation exists there. It can only be grown on flood areas if 

 floods have occurred in August and September. 



Irrigated laud is always fallowed for two years, if wheat is grown. It 

 is seldom manured but sometimes bat's dung or pigeon's dung is spread over 

 the field when, the crop is a foot high. The land is watered and ploughed in 

 October and the seed is sown broadcast. On irrigated land, the beam is never 

 used. The second watering takes place when the wheat is three inches 

 high and it is then watered about every fortnight, the length of the interval 

 depending on the water -retaining power of the soil. Harvest takes place 

 ii\ April. 



In dry crop cultivation, the land is phuighed and smoothed after the 

 .summer floods and sown with the drill in Octo))er. 



On both irrigated and unirrigated lands barley is sometimes sown with 

 the wheat. 



Six samples were received from Kachhi, four from the Dhadar lahsil 

 and two from the (4andava fahsil. 



Dhadar, Kaolthi. 



1 . Reli. This wheat is said to hav<! been introduced by the British. It 

 is much liked and is iu)w extensively grown. The beardless ears are very 

 large and bold with fan-shaped apices. The chaff is white and felted but the 

 felting seems to vary in density. The grain is white ami hard and the 

 very strong and .stout straw is ])iuk in colour turning black on ripening 

 (var. leurospermmn Kcke. Class LIII). A similar wheat with smooth chaff 

 was present (var. albiflmn Al. Class LXIII). The ])resence of these smooth 

 ear.s combined with the variation in density of the felted ears makes it appear 

 probable that iu this sample we are dealing with the progeny of some natural 

 cross between a smooth and a felted wheat. 



2. Baj. This is said to be a red wheat and to be valued less highly 

 than Reli. Seven-eighths of the sample however consisted of a wheat 



