66 



[January, 1909. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



DRY-LAND FARMING IN THE 

 MADRAS PRESIDENCY. 



By H. C. Sampson, b.sc, 

 Deputy Director of Agriculture, Madras. 



(Illustrated.) 

 Dry-land farming in the Madras Presi- 

 dency offers great scope for investiga- 

 tion and improvement. In many dis- 

 tricts such as Bellary, Cuddapah, Auanta- 

 pur, Kurnool, Guntur and Nellore, the 

 implements in use are admirably adapted 

 for dry-land farming, but in the south, 

 the plough and the land-hoe are the 

 only common implements used for dry- 

 lauds. 



Successful dry-land farming is inti- 

 mately connected with the conservation 

 of soil moisture, and the object of this 

 article is to show how far this can be 

 accomplished by judicious tillage under 

 the conditions prevailing in the Madras 

 Presidency. Before discussing the sub- 

 ject further it is necessary to explain 

 the meaning of the term "soil moisture" 

 as well as its sources and how it may be 

 retained or lost. Soil moisture is the 

 water which is held in the soil after the 

 surplus has been allowed to drain away. 

 This is necessary to dissolve the plant 

 food which is in the soil and to convey 

 it to the plant roots, but the surplus of 

 drainage water is inimical to the healthy 

 growth of plant as it prevents the 

 aeration of the soil. 



The sources of soil moisture are 

 rain, subsoil water and atmospheric 

 moisture. 



Rain is the chief source, and it is of the 

 greatest importance that the land should 

 be prepared to receive it. A hard-baked 

 surface cannot absorb much water ; 

 therefore, the surface should be loosened 

 by tillage so that the rain can penetrate 

 the soil. Subsoil water is another im- 

 portant source. Not only does the sub- 

 soil relieve the soil of its surplus water, 

 but it can replenish the soil moisture 

 when helped by proper cultivation. 



Besides these two main sources, the 

 soil can by its hygroscopic properties, 

 not only absorb moisture from the air, 

 but can retain this in considerable 

 quantities if a good tilth is secured. 

 Thus, in parts of Madras the heavy dews 

 which are experienced are of great 

 value. 



The retention of soil moisture cac be 

 assisted by surface cultivation which 



gives a loose surface soil or dry mulch. 

 Deep cultivation and a firm soil will 

 assist in keeping the soil particles to- 

 gether, and thus cause a more even distri- 

 bution of moisture through the soil. 



The following description will show 

 how these principles are carried out in 

 the dry-land cultivation of Madras. For 

 this purpose the Presidency can be 

 roughly divided into two tracts. In the 

 former draught implements other than 

 the plough are used, and in the latter the 

 plough is, as a rule, the only draught 

 tillage implement. 



The former includes the black cotton 

 soils of Bellary, Cuddapah, Anantapur, 

 Kurnool, Guntur, and part of Nellore, as 

 well as the lighter soils of these and of 

 the Kistna district. 



In the black cotton soil ot this tract 

 two types ot plough are used. One, a 

 heavy wooden plough which has now 

 been largely superseded by a heavy iron 

 one, and the other a much lighter 

 wooden plough. The heavy plough is 

 only used once every five or six years, 

 and is followed by a very heavy bullock 

 hoe, known as a " Bara-Guntaka " which 

 works to the same depth as the plough- 

 ing. What benefit is derived from this 

 latter operation is difficult to see. The 

 plough works the soil to a depth of a 

 foot or more. Ploughing is done during 

 the hot weather and huge dry clods of 

 earth are poised up and beneficially ex- 

 posed to the air. In other years either the 

 light country plough or the bullock hoe 

 called a Guntaka is used for preparatory 

 cultivation. (Plate XVI.— vide p. 67.) 



In the lighter soils of this tract this 

 deep ploughing is not practised. 



Preparation for Sowing. — This work is 

 usually done with the bullock hoe or 

 Guntaka. If worked after the land has 

 been ploughed, it is a very useful imple- 

 ment- It makes a fine firm seed-bed and 

 brings any larger clods of earth to the 

 surface which are broken down by 

 subsequent rains. The practice of work- 

 ing the soil with the Guntaka without 

 previous ploughing is sometimes prac- 

 tised. This is objectionable as only the 

 surface is loosened and the soil below 

 remains hard set and lacks aeration. 

 Occasionally, when the rains are very 

 late, some such method of cultivation 

 has to be resorted to, but the"Gorru" 

 or seed drill without the bamboo sowing 

 attachment is preferable to the Guntaka. 

 (Plate XVII.— vide p. 67). In some places 

 this is weighted with stones and worked 

 across the land in both directions, and 



