gtiO Account of the Hindu Method 



But to return to the culture of sugar : in these two ze- 

 muidaries from 350 to 700 vissums, or from 700 to 1400 

 acres of land (the vissum bemg two acres) is annually em- 

 ployed for the rearing sugar cane, more or less, according 

 to the demand for the sugar ; for they could and would 

 with pleasure, if they were certain of a market, grow and 

 manufacture more than ten times the usual quantity ; for 

 it is very profitable, 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 the Godavary. 



From the same spot they do not attempt to rear a second 

 crop oftener than every third or fourth year; the cane im- 

 poverishes 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 perfect judge : they find the legumi- 

 nous tribe the best for that purpose. 



The method of cultivating the cane and manufacturing 

 the sugar by the natives hereabouts is, like all other works, 

 exceeduigly simple ; the whole apparatus, a few pairs of 

 buffaloes or bullocks excepted, does not amount to more 

 than a few (15 or 20) pagodas; as many thousand pounds 

 is generally, I believe, necessary 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, readily 

 crumbles down into a very fine mould : it is also necessary 

 for it to be of such a level as allows of its being watered 

 from the river by simply damming it up, (which almost the 

 whole of the 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 situation, havmg been well melio- 

 irated by various crops of legiuiiinous plants, or fallowing, 

 for two or three years, is slightly manured, or has had for 

 some time cattle pent in it: a favourite manure for the 

 cane with the Hindu farmer, is the rotten straw of green 

 ^nd black pessaloo [phaseolus niingo max). During the 

 months of April and May, it is repeatedly ploughed with 

 the common Hindu plough, which soon brings this loose 

 rich soil into very excellent order. About the end of May 

 and beginning of June the rains generally set in, in frequent 

 heavy showers: now is the tin)e to plant the cane: but 

 should the rains hold back, the prepared field is watered, 

 flooded from the river, and while perfectly wet, like soft 

 r.uid, whether from rain or the river, the cane is planted. 



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