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firewood." This class can tide over one or two bad seasons, 

 provided the failure of crop is not general. In all ordinary 

 seasons deaths by starvation are almost unknown, and there 

 is no lack of work to the labouring classes. The old and 

 infirm are supported by their kinsmen or by spontaneous 

 charity and not left to starve, a striking contrast to the state 

 of things in England, where recent inquiries into the condi- 

 tion of the poor have brought to light the fact that of men 

 and women above the age of 65 years not less than 40 per 

 cent, have to choose between starvation and resort to the 

 poor-house. Curiously enough too, it is not in the districts 

 m which famine is unknown, as for instance Malabar and 

 Tanjore, that the lower classes of the population have the 

 strongest physique, but in districts like Kurnool and Ananta- 

 pur. Whether this is due to the dry climate of the latter 

 districts or to the superiority of dry grains which form the 

 staple food in these districts over rice, it is difficult to say. 

 It is noteworthy, however, that these districts contain many 

 malarious tracts, and rice in popular estimation is richer food 

 than dry grains. Inferences based on calculations of money 

 values of earnings of labourers and cost of food in rural 

 tracbs are apt to be very fallacious. In his analysis of the 

 agricultural statistics of the Kurnool district, Mr. Benson 

 remarks that " the whole aspect of the figures is that a vast 

 majority of the ryots in most parts of the district lead a life 

 of poverty, and must, at all times, be but little removed from 

 a state of * short commons.' Nevertheless, whilst observa- 

 tion confirms the general aspect of poverty, still it also 

 shows that the people do not in their appearance record any 

 signs of being in a chronic state of semi- starvation." Again, 

 after describing the dwellings of the poorer classes of ryots 

 as ill-lighted, undrained, un ventilated, dirty and uncleaned, 

 and not water-tight — furnaces in the hot weather and stifling 

 blackholes in the cold, — he goes on to state that " it' is 

 wonderful how the people manage to exist in them, and 

 develope a large proportion of fine men,^^ Mr. Nicholson says 

 much the same as regards the lowest class of labourers in the 

 Anantapur district. According to him the people are not 

 of weak physique. They are sturdy and well set up, the 

 poorest classes, viz., Boyas, being particularly " lusty." The 

 ordinary ryot is a favourable specimen of a man physically, 

 and the general impression given by the appearance of the 

 people is that of a good physique and ability to bear toil. 

 Rickety children are scarce, and deformed and idiotic chil- 

 dren are* especially few. The last census shows a notable 

 decrease in the number of blind and insane persons and of 



