17-Jj SUGAR. 



inclios of the surface arc taken off, and thrown without the enclo- 

 sure. The ground is ploughed to the depth of nine inches more. The 

 clods are broken, and the eartli made tine. In Maug or Faugun 

 (January, February) the sugar cane is planted ; a mouth after- 

 ward* earth is raised about the plants ; after another month this 

 is repeated. The crop is cut in Poous and Maug (December, 

 January). If the ground be not waste, but cultivated, the sur- 

 face is not taken off. After cutting the crop, it is not usual again 

 to grow sugar cane on rhe same ground for eighteen months, on 

 account of the indifferent produce afforded by a more early 

 planting. 



In the Zillah, North Mooradabad, the land is broken up at the 

 end of June. After the rains have ceased it is manured, and has 

 eight or ten ploughings. This clears it of weeds. In February 

 it is again manured and ploughed four or five times, and just 

 before the sets are planted, some dung, four cart-loads to each 

 cutcha beegah of low land, and five cart-loads to high land, are 

 added. The land is well rolled after the four last ploughings, and 

 again after the cuttings are set. 



About Benares and the neighbouring districts, Mr. Haines says, 

 that owing to the hot winds which prevail " from March until the 

 setting in of the annual rains in June or July, the lands remain fal- 

 low till that period. In the mean time, those fields that are selected 

 for sugar cane are partiallymanured by throwing upon them all man- 

 ner of rubbish they can collect, and by herding their buffaloes 

 and cattle upon them at night, though most of the manure from 

 the latter source is again collected and dried for fuel. 



When the annual rains have fairly set in, and the Assarree crops 

 sown (in some instances I have seen an Assarree crop taken from 

 the lands intended for sugar cane), they commence ploughing the 

 cane lands, and continue to do so four or five times monthly (as 

 they consider the greater number of times the fields are turned up 

 at this period of the season, the better the crop of cane will be), 

 till the end of October, continuing to throw on the little manure 

 they can collect. 



Towards the end of October, and in November, their ploughs 

 are much engaged in sowing their winter (or rubbee) crops of 

 wheat, barley, grain, &c. ; and at this period they make arrange- 

 ments with the shepherds who have large flocks of sheep, to fold 

 them upon the fields at night, for which they pay so much per 

 b recall in grain. 



During the latter part of November, and early in December, the 

 fields are again ploughed well, and all grass, weeds, &c., removed 

 with the hoe ; then the surface of the field is made as smooth as 

 possible by putting the hengah (a piece of wood eight to ten feet 

 in length, and five to six inches in breadth, and three or four inches 

 in thickness, drawn by two pairs of bullocks, and the man standing 

 upon the wood to give it weight), over several times for three or 

 four davs in succession. This makes the surface of the field very 

 i- veil and somewhat hard, which prevents the sun and dry west 



