822. 
ly carried on in the Peddapore, and 
Pettapore, along the banks of the 
Flyseram river, which, though small, 
has a constant flow of water in it the 
whole year round, sufliciently large, 
not only to water the sugar planta- 
tions during the dryest seasons, but 
also a great variety of other pro- 
duétions ; such as ‘paddy, ginger, 
turmeric, yams, chillies. This stream 
of water, during the dryest season, 
-renders the lands adjoining, I pre- 
sume, more fertile than almost any 
‘other in India, and particularly fit 
for the growth of the sugar cane. 
In these two zemindaries, from 
350 to 700 Vissums ; or from 700 
to 1400 acres of land, (the vissum 
being two acres), is annually em- 
ployed for rearing the sugar cane, 
more or less, according to the de- 
mand for sugar: for they could, and 
-would with pleasure, if they were 
certain of a market, grow and ma- 
mufacture more than ten times the 
usual quantity. It is very profit- 
zble; and there is abundance of 
very proper land; all they want is 
a certain market for their sugar. 
Besides the above mentioned, a 
third more may be made on the Delta 
of Godavery. 
From the same spot they do not 
attempt to raise a second crop, of- 
iener than every third or fourth year. 
‘The cane impoverishes it so much, 
that it must’ rest, or be employed 
during the two or three intermediate 
years, for the growth of such plants 
as are found to improve the soil, of 
which the indian farmer is a perfeét 
judge. ‘They find the leguminous 
tribe the best for that purpose. 
The method of cultivating the 
cane, and manufacturing ‘the sugar 
by the natives, hereabouts, is like 
all their other works, exceedingly 
simple. ‘The whole apparatus, a few 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
pair of bullocks excepted, does not 
amount to more than fifteen or 
twenty pagodas; as many thousand 
pounds is generally, I believe, ne- 
cessary to set out the West India 
planter. 
The soil that suits the cane best, 
in this climate, is a rich vegetable 
earth, which, on exposure to the 
air, crumbles down into a very fine 
mould: it is also necessary for it to 
be of such a level as allows it to be 
watered from the river, by simply 
damming it up, which almost the 
whole land adjoining to this river 
admits of, and yet so high, as to be 
easily drained during heavy rains. 
Such a soil, and in such a situa- 
tion, having been well meliorated, 
by various crops of leguminous 
plants, or fallowing for two or 
three years, is slightly manured, or 
has had cattle pent upon it. A favou- 
rite manure with the Hindoo farmer 
is» the rotten straw of the green 
and black pessaloo. During the 
months of April and May, it is re- 
peatedly stirred with the common 
Hindoo plough, which soon brings 
this rich loose soil into very exccl- 
Jent order. About the end of May 
or beginning of June, the rains usu- 
ally set in, by frequent heavy show- 
ers, Now is the time to plant the 
cance: but should the rains hold 
back, the prepared field is watered 
by flooding from the river, and when 
perfectly wet is like soft mud, whe- 
ther from the rain, or from the ri- 
ver, the cane is planted. 
The method is most simple: la- 
bourers with baskets, of the cut- 
tings, with one or two joints each, 
arrange themselves along one side 
of the field ; they walk side by side 
in as straight a line as their eye or 
judgment enables them, dropping 
the sets at the distance of about 
eighteen 
