162 On the Boksas of Bijnour. [No. 3» 



The agricultural operations and implements of the Boksas are the 

 same as elsewhere in the N. W. Provinces. The chief crops of the 

 hot weather (kharif) are rice, of several varieties, and manclei (Manducc, 

 EJeusine coracana), and of the cold weather (rabi) wheat with some 

 barley, but besides these, most of the cereals grown in the open plain 

 are also cultivated to some extent. Maize (makki) is but rarely grown, 

 as it is said to be very subject to be eaten by wild animals (elephants-, 

 pigs and jackals !") So great is the damage to the crops by these, that 

 the inhabitants of one village said, that since most of their guns were 

 taken away, they had been obliged to give up cultivating a number 

 ef their outlying fields in consequence of not being able to protect 

 the crops. 



The pulses are very seldom cultivated, as the leaves are stated 

 to be peculiarly liable to the attacks- of gindar, a kind of worm 

 which injures the plants so much as to prevent their maturing their 

 fruit. For this reason, almost all the pulse used is bought from the 

 bunyas. Another insect, sundi a sort of weevil, commits great 

 damages among their stored grain, especially, they say, during the 

 blowing of the purioa (east wind). 



Nor are the pumpkin tribe cultivated, the reason given for this 

 being that they do not ripen their fiuit. This, if really true, is a very 

 curious circumstance, the Forest tract being so moist that one would 

 have supposed this class of plants would grow well. 



A good deal of sarson (Brassica campestris, mustard) and lahi (22. 

 eruca, rocket) are grown, chiefly for their oil, that of the former being 

 used as food, that of the latter for burning. The young plant of the 

 bill l is also consumed as greens, — as in France and other parts of Conti- 

 nental Europe, — and this is the only green vegetable they raise, such a 

 thing as a garden being unknown among them. 



Their agriculture is probably very slovenly, if one may judge 

 from the huge piles of manure near some of the villages, which 

 they will not take the trouble to remove to, and spread upon, their 

 fields. A still stronger evidence of laziness in this respect is, that 

 they do not, so. far as could be learned, raise a single stalk of tobacco, 

 (which all use), although large cmantities are grown in each village every 

 year by Sanis. The latter are men of the plains and almost all of 

 them reside in the forest for a few months only of each year, specially 



