[ 4-3 ] 



season, on land well prepared by ploughing and rolling with a 

 wooden roller, and the fields are hoed and irrigated when 

 necessary. High class cultivation is also practised on ele- 

 vated lands in some parts of Bengal also, e.g. in Jessore and 

 Nadia. Pruning or feeding the crops for a day by sheep 

 and goats is also practised in some localities. The best 

 indigo is produced in high lands under a careful system 

 of cultivation. The spring- sown crop yields the best dye, 

 but as cultivators are eageY at this time to sow Aus paddy 

 which is directly more remunerative, it is not always con- 

 venient to get a large tract sown in spring. 



629. When Falguni sowing is done on high lands (i.e. in 

 February or March) the land must be thoroughly prepared by 

 manuring with nil-siti, deep ploughing, rolling and ploughing, 

 and rolling again. Sowing is done by a drill after which the 

 land is again rolled. In 3 or 4 days the seed germinates. 

 One or two weedings are then given until the plants are 

 sufficiently high. The Falguni indigo is grown where there is 

 facility for canal irrigation. In dry soils sowing goes on in 

 July to September and the crop is cut in September or October. 

 The second year's crop from early sowings and late sown 

 indigo crop are called Khunti. October sowing (chhitdni] 

 is done on char lands after the water has subsided and 

 when the land is quite soft, without any preparation, but 

 later on in October sowing is done in higher land after 

 ploughing and laddering, when there is still sufficient 

 moisture in the soil. October and April are the two usual 

 seasons for sowing indigo. With indigo sown in October is 

 usually grown some oil-seed which yields the raiyat an 

 additional Rs. 6 or Rs. 7 per acre and the October sowing of 

 indigo is, therefore, not so unpopular with the raiyat as the 

 April sowing. 10 to 15 srs. of seed are required per acre. 

 30 to 40 bundles (a bundle weighing about 300 Ibs.) is the 

 produce per acre and the yield of dye about 12 Ibs. per acre. 

 In Lower Bengal the average yield is 10 to 12 Ibs. per acre 



