Hi APP-EITDIX. 



capable of supplying, with wheat, as one. of the most important, and as one 

 moreoTer which the Honoi-able Court of Directors appear at the present 

 time to be ranch interested in collecting data regarding, from aU districts 

 in India capable of producing it. 



I have ta^eu the totals from the Seebundy accounts of 1847 or 

 iPusly 1257, as rendered orally in the cutcherry. Prom these it appears 

 that in 1847, 70 " vuUums" of land were cultivated for wheat, each 

 vuUum producing on the average 400 " kolagums." This " kolagum" 

 which is a measui'e peculiar to the HiU tribes, contains 226 cubic 

 inches, and hence the quantity produced was 

 3,000 bushels 

 or 375 quarters 

 the weight of a kolagum of average wheat (husked) is I find 71bs- 



hence the iiwieZ of Neilgherry wheat weighs 68^ lbs. avoirdupois 



or a quarter 548J „ „ 



A "vuUum" of land is equivalent to 2 cawnies, 21 grounds, and 864 

 square feet. Hence the total quantity of land cultivated for wheat at 

 the present time is, 202 cawnies, or 267 acres : and the produce is 14J^ 

 bushels per cawny, or 11^ bushels per acre. The return in moderately 

 good land cultivated for wheat is 40 to 1 ; or 40 bushels reaped for 1 

 bushel sown. 



That the quantity of wheat, at present produced on the Neilgherries, 

 could be very greatly increased, there cannot be a doubt, provided a 

 better system of husbandry were introduced, and better seed imported 

 from Em-ope, and distributed amongst the agricultural tribes. 



The whole of this Hill district, including the Koondah mountains, is 

 eminently well suited, in point both of soil and climate, for the produc- 

 tion of wheat, but, as the last mentioned tract is not yet surveyed, it 

 must at present be lost sight of, although I feel confident it wiU be 

 found on examination, to furnish a very important addition to the gross 

 amount of laud estimated as suitable for the cultivation treated of, and 

 which at present lies totally waste and useless. 



The quantity of land thus lost to the state I calculate to amount to 

 no less than 200,000 acres, as is shown by the following statement : — 



Square Acres. 



Total content of the geographical surface of 



the NeUgherries 268,494 



Of this quantity, there are now under cultiva- 

 tion, including lands lying fallow Sq. Acres 31,434 



