384 



A Plea for Sea Fisheries. 



CiiArr. xxvi. 



43. These rough calculations of square miles reduced to acres 

 would be 2,562,500, but the exact amount is 2,535,003 acres of 

 land in the whole Madras Presidency so irrigated as to be safe from 

 famine. The reported yield on this acreage, both from 1st and 

 2nd crop cultivation combined is, I find, 1, ."24, 5S(i, 180 lbs. This 

 is the yield in the Famine year when there was an enormous 

 stimulus to cultivation on safely irrigated acres, a stimulus so 

 great that the cultivated area under the Lrrigation Company's 

 Canal increased eight-fold. Nevertheless, I take it as the best case 

 that can be made out for rice. This weight above given, is the 

 weight of unhusked paddy, and if we make the usual deduct inn of 

 one-third for husk, we shall have 2, SS.">, (153,458 lbs., or, say, 

 1,287,077 tons of rice per annum, against the safe water farm of 

 which I speak, which for no culture whatever bears from the sea 

 alone ( .H>,5 13, .".Oil tons of tisl). 



44. If'l wished to be more particular, I should be entitled to go 

 still a step further and examine what is the comparative value as 

 food of the tons of fish and tons of rice. The following percentage 

 table will give it : — 



