80 CLIMATE AND RESOURCES OF 



one-eighth of the weight, or upwards of 12^ per cent. This 

 soil was at eight inches from the surface ; at a few inches 

 lower down the soil was much moister, but I did not test it. 



To get rid of all its moisture, a substance must be exposed 

 for a lengthened time to a temperature of 212 Fahr. I had 

 not the necessary apparatus for carrying out the experiment 

 properly, and the soil was not exposed to a greater heat than 

 103 at any time during the trial. 



Another plot in my garden I also had dug up rather late in 

 the rains, sixteen or eighteen inches deep, and sown with jowar. 

 I wanted here to see to what extent the land would be dried by 

 letting the crop stand for some time after the cessation of the 

 rains, so I had the crop cut and buried in the soil of the field 

 one foot deep, about ten days or a fortnight after the rains 

 had ceased. On half this plot I sowed peas in rows, and 

 between the rows, beetroot, radishes, turnips, &c. From the 

 crop of jowar having been allowed to stand after the rains 

 had ceased, the soil had become dry ; the water in it had been 

 taken up by the roots and given off from the leaves of the 

 jowar, consequently the seeds of vegetables which I sowed 

 did not germinate, from want of moisture, except in a few 

 shaded places. I irrigated this land once ; the ground having 

 been so deeply dug took a great deal of water, but with that 

 one watering the vegetables came to perfection, and never 

 appeared as if they wanted any more water. 



The other half of this plot I sowed with linseed the seed 

 from the former year's crop, which was raised from seed 

 bought in the bazar. This was treated in exactly the same 

 way, and was once irrigated. The crop of flax was as good 

 as any I have seen in England. Flax is sown in India only 

 for its seed, the fibre is not known as an article of any com- 

 mercial value by the natives, and the plant is used for fuel 

 or thrown away. 



