50 THE COMPETITION FOR LAND 



generally succeed in abstracting considerable quanti- 

 ties of grain before it comes to division. To check 

 this the landlords are compelled to protect their own 

 interests by employing men to watch the crops from 

 the time they ripen. The tenant cannot cut his crop 

 when it is ready ; he must wait till |the landlord is 

 ready and able to supervise the operation through 

 his shahnas, or watchmen, and so with every subse- 

 quent process till the actual division. The tenants 

 are thus taught to depend not so much on the exercise 

 of their own industry, as on the success of their plans 

 to defraud the landlord, who is compelled to exact 

 more than his proper share by way of reprisal. The 

 batai system gives a tyrannical and grasping landlord 

 such a power over his tenants that their condition 

 often becomes one of almost pure serfage.' 



1 One of the greatest evils of batai,' wrote Mr. 

 Boulderson in 1830, 'is the necessity of watching the 

 crops till the division takes place. This not only 

 compels a heavy expense, but it creates incessant, 

 wearying, harassing interference between landlord 

 and tenant — makes a constant sore and irritation 

 where a good feeling is particularly requisite. Very 

 considerable portions of the produce of the land are 

 yearly lost under this system. If a landlord wishes 

 to ruin a tenant, he has only to hold off from dividing 

 the crop till the rain comes down and rots it, or the 

 same effect will follow from his not being able to 

 attend or depute an agent. This often occurs with 

 regard to the rabi* crop. In this year very large 

 quantities of grain have been totally destroyed or 

 greatly damaged by an unexpected heavy rain with- 

 out the fault of either party. Only, however, the 

 batai estates suffered, where the division delayed the 

 cultivator in storing or selling his produce.' (Mr. 



* Wheat, barley, gram, etc., which are reaped in March and 

 April ; the monsoon rains break at about the end of June, but 

 thunderstorms and local showers frequently occur in May. 



