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to exhaustion caused by taking of heavy crops at first with- 

 out manure. 



314. Cultivation. Shortly, the land is to be ploughed 

 and cross-ploughed, first with country plough or Sibpur plough 

 and then with grubber as often as convenient, and operations 

 commenced as soon after the rains are over as possible. When 

 by ploughing, cross-ploughing, grubbing, harrowing and roll- 

 ing land has been prepared, all the operations following close 

 one upon another that there may be no undue loss of moisture, 

 seed should be sown by drilling. Deep cultivation is advisable 

 for the wheat crop, hence grubbing is recommended. Sowing 

 should be done after cold weather properly sets in i. e., some- 

 what later than when barley, and other rabi crops are sown. 

 Beginning of November is ordinarily, the best time for Lower 

 Bengal. In rocky and laterite soils sowing should be done 

 earlier, say about the 2oth or 25th October, or earlier still if the 

 rains cease early in October. About 100 Ibs. of seed are 

 used per acre, but this is too much. 50 Ibs. are quite enough. 

 After sowing, the field should be divided out into irrigation- 

 beds by scraping up little banks of earth with a wooden shovel 

 which are usually worked by two boys in the N.-W. P. and 

 Oudh. This wooden shovel may very well be introduced 

 into practice in Bengal for making irrigation-beds. If the soil 

 is too dry it should be irrigated before sowing. Three or four 

 irrigations altogether are ample for dry localities ; but one or 

 two irrigations should be always done, though in moist tracts 

 irrigation may be altogether dispensed with for the wheat and 

 barley crops. Where the natural climatic conditions in any 

 season are exceptionally favourable no irrigation may be re- 

 quired. The land may be moist at sowing season, and in 

 December and January there may be two or three fairly heavy 

 showers of rain. One hand-weeding should be done within a 

 week or ten days after the first watering. Two hoeings with 

 the American wheel-hoe may be given afterwards to promote 

 the growth of the crop. 



