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LXXI.—THE CULTIVATION OF RICE IN BENGAL. 
The following interesting summary of e e respecting rice 
eulture in Bengal has been communicated by Mr. C. B. Clarke, F.R.S., 
well known as an accomplished Indian iar Mr. C. B. Clarke was 
a mem of the Bengal Fducátio on Department sie is the author of 
several tepis published at Calcutta, but inaccessible in England, dealing 
x rice cultu ossessing considerable practical knowledge ‘of rural 
my, his yiews on Aue subject, based on personal observation, are 
cited with piile frankness; even those who may be indisposed to 
with him Aek must feel that on a ia of this nature it 
is very desirable to t throw as much light as possible :— 
DEAR Mz. ——— Dre Kes ne aer endi 
pers at hand, nor any notes, and what I now write must be deficient 
altogether in quantities, and imperfect in many other ways. M 
account refers to the Lieutenant-Governor ship of Bengal only. 
engal several hundred varieties of rice are distinguished, named, 
enl - exiltivated. I have written of them under three main heads, 
viz. :— 
a .) Rowa; harvested in November-January ; grown mainly in small 
fields surrounded by a bank 4-12 inches high, and often at no period 
of growth more than 6-12 inches deep in water. 
(2. mon; harvested in November-January ; swamp-rice, ape 
2-8 feet (locally eo 14 feet) deep in water for several weeks 
—— nein Sept etr 
3. rested June-August 
It is perhaps ardly necessary to state that — are numerous 
sorts of rice fania to the above three. The Rowa is the most 
valusble crop; an proceed to describe the cultiv Min of what I 
have skis as the type variety. 
Tue Rowa Crop. 
Rowa can only be grewn where there is some clay in the soil to 
preveut the water slipping away ; the finest Rowa is grown where the 
small bank round each little field retains the ur rains (which are 
usually oon broken), so that throughout October the Rowa is always 
in inud, but rarely 6 inches deep in i the wate. go such Rowa e 
there is very rarely any second crop; the n iem untouched fro 
December or January (when one crop comes off) till Ju ij-Sipiseibet 
(when the next is dibbled). It grows a Ro d every year— 
and East Bengal I believe it is necessary to go back m human 
memory when an altogether abnormal failure in the ainy season 
occurred, The Bengalees, with that inverted view " politiend economy 
favourite to them, have several times given me, as the reason w y 
second crop in the year is not taken from the Rowa land, that the Rowa 
mences what we call (by a misemploy of the English language) 
ploughing. His implement is a vertical post. with a “flat shoe at the 
base, all of wood; it is, in brief, a simple dultvtor: Many of the fields 
