4 



PANICUM FRUMENTACEUM. 



Season, 



Soil 

 Sowing. 



Diseases and injuries. 

 Oattnrn, 





Meerut 

 Division. 



Rohilkhand 

 Division. 



Agra 

 Division. 



Allahabad 

 Division, 

 excluding 

 Jaunpur. 



Benares 

 Division, 

 including 

 Azamgarh, 

 Basti and 

 Gorakhpar 

 Districts 

 only. 



Jhansi 

 District. 



Knmann 

 Division, 

 including 

 Tarai 

 District 

 only. 



Total. 





acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 





9,972 



25,072 



521 



10,815 



14,933 



10,386 



4,281 



75,980 



As a rule sawan is sown shortly after the rains break. In some parts of Oudh and 

 the Benares Division, however, it is customary to sow it a week or two before the mon- 

 soon sets in if there is a fall of rain in the hot weather, and it becomes therefore possible 

 to plough up the ground. The seed does not germinate until the rain falls upon it, but 

 the plants get a start if sown in this manner, which has the advantage of bringing the 

 grain sooner to maturity, and enabling the ground to be cleared sooner for the prepara- 

 tion for the succeeding spring crop. 



The soil should be rather light than heavy, and it is said that in Azamgarh land 

 with some admixture of usar salts is rather preferred than otherwise. The seed is sown 

 at the rate of 10 lbs. to the acre, and the young plants require at least two weedings. 

 The crop is liable to damage from excessive rain, and suffers from blight, but is as a rule 

 a generous one, producing from 8 to 10 maunds of grain to the acre. This is, however> 

 only on fairly good soil, and on the poor land of Bundelkhand the average outturn is 

 said not to exceed 4 maunds to the acre. 



Sawan has a special utility to the poorer classes in its early ripening, which affords 

 a supply of cheap grain during August and September before the bajra harvest com- 

 mences. 



1 . Entire plant (reduced) 



2. A lower leaf, 



3. Inflorescencei 



Explanation of Plate XXIV. 



• A spikelet, 



nat. size. 



7. 



A flower with pales and lodicules 

 removed, 



Drawn from a living specimen gathered in Dehra Dun. 



} 



enlarged. 



