ORYZA 

 AMAN AND AUS BATIVA 



Cultivation 



in iniinv districts. He divides the crops into three groups, subdividing 

 each again into two sections. These are (1) dman, (a) long-stemmed and 

 .msplanted ; (2) dut, (a) ordinary and (6) lepi ; (3) boro, (a) ordinary 

 and (6) lepi. 



AM Ay. Long-stemmed dman is extensively grown in Dacca. Low Aman. 

 lands, the sides of jhils, and low plains un \vlii< h 5 to 15 feet of water 

 accumulate during the rains, are selected. The soil best suited is a 

 stiff clay, deposited on the bottom and edges of jhils. At harvest- 

 time only the ears with about 1 feet of the straw are removed. The 

 remainder of the straw is generally gathered in heaps and burnt, and 

 immediately after the field is ploughed, generally in December. It is HOM. 

 again ploughed once or twice and left exposed till March-April, when 

 the larger clods are broken. One or two more ploughings and harrowings 

 are given, and the field is ready for sowing in April-May. About 15 seen 

 of seed are broadcasted over a bigha of land. In moist low-lying places, 

 sowing takes place a month or even two months earlier, in February- 

 March. Harvest is from 15th November to 15th January. When the 

 seeds have germinated the field is rolled twice with the ladder, and 

 when the plants are 5 to 6 inches high the soil is loosened by the rake. 

 After this the only operation till harvest is a weeding, which may be 

 dispensed with. The yield per bigha varies from 3 to 12 maunds. 



Transplanted dman is grown on two different classes of land, in the BOO*. 

 upper reaches of the valleys of the Madhapur jungle and in the compara- 

 tively high land and old dearahs of the Brahmaputra and its branches. 

 The paddy in the Madhapur valley is a special variety, known as shaldan ; 

 the transplanted paddy of other places goes by the general name of rowa. 

 Seedlings are prepared in a nursery close to the rayiaCs homestead, or Numry. 

 in a corner of the field. The nursery is ploughed four or five times in 

 April-May, and the next month, when a little rain-water has collected 

 on it, the surface is levelled and plastered. Meanwhile the necessary 

 quantity of seed (6 seers for every bigha) is soaked in an earthen 

 pot, drained, and kept covered with mats till it germinates ; then it is 

 sown broadcast so thickly that the grains overlap. When the 

 seedlings are 12 to 18 inches high, they are fit for transplantation. In 

 the case of jungle valleys, the first thing done before transplanting is to 

 repair the embankments thrown across for collecting water. The field is 

 prepared by ploughing in the mud two or three times. The seedlings are 

 transplanted at the end of July about half a cubit apart either way, putting 

 in three to four plants in the same place. The crop is harvested in Harrt 

 November-December. In the case of dearah land, two ploughings are 

 given in the dry field, as soon as the previous crop, generally khesari, is 

 taken off. On such lands two rain-crops are sometimes grown in the same Rotation, 

 field in the same season. As early as possible the field is sown with jute 

 or aus paddy. The jute or the paddy is harvested in July-August ; then 

 the field is ploughed and transplanted with the dman crop. 



Aus. This kind of paddy is grown (1) on the high grounds of the Aus. 

 Madhapur jungle, where sufficient water cannot be collected for the 

 cultivation of shal paddy ; (2) on the comparatively high and sandy 

 dearah lands. Aus paddy cannot be grown on land on which more than 

 2 feet of water accumulates during the early part of the rains. The 

 land on which dus paddy grows is light and easily workable. It generally 

 bears two crops in the year dus paddy or jute during the rains and one iiouuoo, 



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