ZEA MAYS 



Bengal 



THE INDIAN-CORN PLANT 



Cultiva- 

 tion. 



Eipe Grain. 



Green 

 Vegetable. 



Climatic 

 Adaptations. 



and 



Rdbi. 



Area. 



Imperial. 



Provincial. 



Diseases. 



Bengal. 



Districts. 



Yield. 



Phases. 



CULTIVATION. Though grown practically all over India, the area of 

 maize cultivation as a ripe grain may be said to be the central tableland, 

 the northern extremity of the plains, and the Himalayan slopes and river 

 valleys up to an altitude of 9,000 feet above the sea. On the lower or 

 Gangetic plain it is grown chiefly as a green vegetable. In the vicinity of 

 large towns the sale of the unripe cob is so remunerative that by peculiar 

 systems of cultivation and selection, special forms have been matured that 

 could scarcely be eaten in the condition of ripe grain. On the other hand, 

 within the region where maize is grown for its ripe grain, it is hardly 

 possible to procure green cobs as a vegetable. But adaptation to local 

 conditions is perhaps more strikingly seen in the fact that in many parts 

 of India there are forms of maize that require six months to mature, 

 others not more than three months. In some parts of the country, 

 indeed, both kinds may be seen growing separately or as mixed crops. 

 Further it may be added that where the transition of the seasons into 

 Man/ and rabi crops allows of tropical cultivation during the former 

 and temperate during the latter, two widely different forms of maize may 

 be found. In the greater part of the plains of India, maize is a kharif 

 crop, but rdbi maize is by no means unusual, i.e. maize sown in autumn 

 and reaped in spring along with wheat and barley. 



Area. According to the Agricultural Statistics, the area under the crop 

 in British India for the six years 1900-1 to 1905-6 averaged 6,083,484 

 acres, and in the last year, 1905-6, was 5,790,543 acres. In the Native 

 States the area during a similar period averaged 269,017 acres, and in 

 1905-6 was 221,687, giving a total for all India in that year of 6,012,230 

 acres. Bengal had the largest average area during the period in question, 

 viz. about 2 million acres ; followed by Agra with about 1 J million ; the 

 Panjab, from 1 to 1| million ; Oudh, to million ; the North-West 

 Frontier, | million ; while the Central Provinces and Bombay had 130 to 160 

 thousand acres under the crop. But it should be here recorded that the 

 above areas do not include production as a green vegetable, an important 

 admission, since nearly every peasant grows a few plants near his home- 

 stead, which of necessity escape registration in agricultural statistics. 



Diseases. Barclay described a species of Rust found by him on Indian- 

 corn (Agri. Ledg., 1895, No. 20, 284-5) ; a species of Smut ( UstUago) has 

 also been recorded (I.e. 278). More recently Maxwell-Lefroy (Agri. Journ. 

 Ind., 1906, i., pt. ii., 97-113 ; also Mem. Dept. Agri. Ind., 1907, i., No. 2) 

 discusses the Moth-borer of the sugar-cane, maize and sorghum. 



Bengal. The area in 1905-6 was 1,825,400 acres and the yield, accord- 

 ing to the Season and Crop Report, 448,670 tons. The largest areas 

 were Patna Division with 820,500 acres, Bhagalpur with 657,800 acres, 

 and Chota Nagpur with 307,800 acres. The yield per acre varies con- 

 siderably, but the provincial average for the years 1901-2 (Agricultural 

 Statistics) shows so little difference between the returns for unirrigated as 

 compared with irrigated, that the latter may be disregarded. The yield 

 for unirrigated land comes to 1,522 Ib. to the acre. The districts that 

 show the highest yield are Santal Parganas (2,739 Ib.) and Manbhum 

 (2,447 Ib.). Mukerji (Handbook Ind. Agri., 1901, 249-53) states that 

 " 5 to 8 maunds of grain per acre is considered a fair yield, but 30 to 40 

 maunds are sometimes obtained." 



Maize cultivation may be said to manifest three phases : (1) the home- 

 stead cultivation in Lower Bengal, to produce green cobs : (2) the cultiva- 



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