UPPER INDIA. 



81 



Another plot of my garden I had trenched about two feet 

 deep, also early in the rains. I did not, 'in this case, grow a 

 crop to bury as manure. Shortly after the rains I transplanted 

 into some of this land cauliflowers and cabbages. When 

 brought from the bed where grown and planted out, each 

 plant got about a pint of water, and the same amount of water 

 two days later. Beyond this these plants were not watered. 

 The only rain that fell from the conclusion of the rains till the 

 end of January or commencement of February was only four- 

 tenths of an inch. The cauliflowers did not, as is usually the 

 case with them when irrigated, all flower at once, but lasted 

 for a long time : this might partly be caused by some of the 

 plants being more shaded than others. The great difference, 

 however, was in the flavour ; these cauliflowers, grown without 

 irrigation, being infinitely superior to the insipid, watery plants 

 grown by irrigation, and were not inferior in size and weight. 

 I had good opportunities of making comparisons, as in the 

 remainder of my garden I grew vegetables in the usual way 

 with irrigation, and from the same seeds. 



The peas I have mentioned as grown being irrigated only 

 once, came into bearing earlier, and continued to bear some 

 time later, than peas of the same kinds the seed from the same 

 packets, sown on the same day, and irrigated ; and the flavour 

 of the non-irrigated, or rather once-irrigated, peas was also 

 superior to that of those which had to be irrigated at least 

 once a week to keep them alive. 



It was interesting to watch these plants and compare their 

 appearance during growth. The unirrigated plants were 

 throughout more healthy, looked more vigorous, and their 

 leaves of a deeper, darker green than the irrigated plants. 



I purposely kept water away from some of the irrigated 

 vegetables for a short time, and the consequence was they 

 soon withered away, the moisture in the ground within reach 



Q 



