HORDEUM 

 VULQARE 



Kashmir 



THE BARLEY PLANT 



U. Prov. 



C. Prov. 

 and Berar. 



Rajputana. 



Panjab and 



N.-W. 



Frontier. 



Kashmir. 



and northern districts. It is more especially met with, in South Bihar, 

 where it forms one of the cheapest of foods. In North Bihar (Bhagalpur) 

 it is of less importance. The cultivation of barley diminishes south and 

 east, and is practically not grown in Bengal proper nor in Orissa. Though 

 in recent years Bengal stands second as regards the total area under this 

 crop, within the province it is comparatively unimportant, the percentage 

 of the normal area under barley having amounted in 1904-5 to only 2'50. 

 The total barley area in that year was 1,514,700 acres, and the yield 

 494,243 tons ; hence if an average be assumed, these figures would show 

 6*4 cwt. per acre. In 1906-7 the area was 1,411,100 acres. The chief 

 localities are usually Patna, Bhagalpur, and.Chota Nagpur. [Of. Mukerji, 

 Handbook Ind. Agri., 1901, 245-7 ; Basu, Agri. Lohardaga, 1890, ii., 32-3 ; 

 Banerjei, Agri. Cuttack, 1893, 78-9 ; Rept. Admin. Beng., 1903, 15 ; Ind. 

 Planters' Gaz., Sept. 19, 1903 ; Oct. 10, 1903.] 



United Provinces. These provinces stand first in British India as 

 regards the total area under barley and the annual output. In 1905-6 

 it amounted to 4,127,936 acres, of which Agra contributed 3,137,104 

 and Oudh 990,832. The largest areas were in the Gorakhpur, Benares, 

 Lucknow and Allahabad Divisions. Duthie and Fuller estimated the 

 average outturn of unmixed barley at 16 maunds per acre if irrigated, 8 to 

 11 maunds if unirrigated. [Cf. Cawnpore Exper. Farm Rept. Dist. Gaz., 

 U. Prov. (many passages).] 



Central Provinces and Berar. The total area for 1905-6 in these pro- 

 vinces would appear to have been 11,608 acres, and the chief districts 

 Jabbalpur, Damoh, Bilaspur and Chanda. Of Berar, 94 acres have 

 been returned as under this crop. 



Rajputana. The crop is apparently an important one, especially in 

 Ajmer-Merwara, where, during the ten years ending 1899-1900, it is 

 returned as having occupied 16' 1 per cent, of the average cultivated area. 

 [Cf. Rajputana Gaz., Ajmer-Merwara, 1904, i., 46.] But of the whole 

 province, in 1904-5, mention is made of a total area of 38,728 acres. In 

 irrigated land it yields an average of about 7 '34 cwt. per acre, but in 

 dry crop land the average outturn is given as only 1*46 cwt. 



Panjab and North- West Frontier. The system of cultivation is very 

 similar to that in Bombay and the United Provinces, but the practice of 

 topping an over-leafy crop is said to be common ; the crop is generally 

 grown unmixed. The total area for 1905-6 was 1,205,678 acres in the 

 Panjab and 315,272 acres in the North- West Frontier. The most im- 

 portant localities are usually Ferozpur, Hissar, Gurgaon in the Panjab ; 

 Peshawar, Hazara and Bannu in the North- West Frontier. [Cf. Mont- 

 gomery, Barley Cult. Pb., in Select. Rec. Finance Comm. Office, 1885, No. 

 29 ; Rept. Govt. Agri.-Hort. Gard. Lahore ; Dist. Gaz. Pb. (many passages).] 



Kashmir. According to Lawrence (Valley of Kashmir, 1895, 341), 

 barley is the most important spring crop, if area alone be considered. It 

 is not, however, of good quality, and no pains are taken in its cultiva- 

 tion. In the higher villages, at an elevation of 7,000 feet, there is a peculiar 

 variety known as grim, or Tibet barley. The grain is naked like wheat, 

 and it is said that if cultivated at a lower level it takes on the type of 

 ordinary barley. It is sown in May and June, ripens in August and 

 September. Barley gives on an average 8 maunds per acre ; grim, about 

 4 maunds. [Cf, Assess. Repts. Baltistan : Kaye, Skardu Tahsil, 1901, 8-9 ; 

 Clarke, Kargil Tahsil, 1901, 19, 23 ; also Skardu Tahsil, 1901, 20-3.1 



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