UPPER INDIA. 91 



is spent in improving the agriculture of the country, and it is 

 carried on in the old antiquated way. This arises from a 

 want of agricultural knowledge amongst Government officials 

 in India. Agriculture is not included in the various branches 

 of knowledge in which a civilian or a military man has to pass 

 an examination; it is never studied by candidates for Govern- 

 ment employ in India ; and consequently it is rare to find any 

 Government official in India who has any knowledge of either 

 the theory or practice of agriculture. Engineering is con- 

 sidered agriculture. The cost of canals for irrigation is 

 budgeted under the head of agricultural works, while the 

 truth is canals and irrigation are doing more than anything 

 else to destroy the agricultural prosperity of the country, and 

 to reduce land formerly fruitful to a state of sterility. 



Statements periodically appear in the various Government 

 Gazettes showing the amount of land irrigated during the 

 week or fortnight, and the amount of water supplied; the 

 acreage under the various descriptions of crops is carefully 

 laid down, but no statement is published showing the extent 

 of land rendered sterile by reh, or otherwise depreciated by 

 the effects of irrigation. The supposed benefits are made the 

 most of, and the losses are not shown. A rather one-sided way 

 of keeping accounts, and calculated to mislead. 



Improvements are being made in every direction, except 

 in agriculture, on which the country is dependent for its very 

 existence. Education is being pushed on, money can be found 

 for that, but as far as I am aware, as much as a five-pound 

 note has not been spent in agricultural education in Upper 

 India in the last twenty-five years. The very branch of 

 knowledge which is most necessary is neglected, the remark 

 met with when suggesting improvements in agriculture being, 

 depend upon it, the natives of a country are the best judges 

 of the style of agriculture adapted to its requirements. I con- 



