ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 91 



They were at work at daybreak, accompanied by the 

 village authorities, and in a rough field-book all entries 

 regarding the tenure, holder, cultivator, and area, of a few 

 fields, were daily made. 



On going home these entries were written out in a fair 

 book, and a plan, drawn on a scale, was made of each field 

 which had been measured that day. 



The fields were then daily added to the large map of the 

 village under survey. 



Eoads, tanks, or ponds, wells, etc., were all shown on the 

 plan. 



Boundaries of fields were marked by stones or mounds of 

 earth. 



The classing assistants had each under him twelve native 

 classers, and each had to go over as much ground as three 

 measuring assistants. 



Their duties were to examine and class the soil according 

 to its capability. 



This they did by ascertaining the depth and nature of the 

 soil. All land was divided into first, second, and third classes ; 

 and the standard was lowered as deteriorating qualities 

 existed. 



Mixture of lime, gravel, sand and clay, and salt, were 

 held to be bad, as was also liability to flooding in the rainy 

 season, or a surface whence the rainfall would at once 

 run off. 



All unculturable land was deducted from the gross area. 



Finally, the area being fixed, the field was classed accord- 

 ing to its merits, the great object being to secure, by constant 

 supervision and co-operation, that lands of equal value should 

 be entered by the various native classers according to the 

 same standard, and consequently in the same class. 



