1851.] 



Statistics of the Sircar Yelgunthul. 



25 



The following is a list of soils in the order of their esteemed va- 

 lue. The uchha regur being considered the most fertile, and the 

 salee doobbee as unfit for any agricultural purpose whatever. 



Uchha regurree, cutta regurree, chowka regurree, paurah, yerra 

 chukka, pawtee, choonakaputterka regurree, chowtak zemin, rewa, 

 chowtah sowdoo, ghedoosoo boome, rala sowdoo, salee doobbee. 



The uchha regurree is found only on the banks of the Godavery 

 and superimposed upon trap dykes, and, although its position ge- 

 nerally precludes the possibility of bringing it under rice cultiva- 

 tion, it is when favourably situated for that purpose equally fertile 

 with the cutta regurree the usual rice land, which differs from it in 

 mechanical as well as in chemical constitution, the uchha is black- 

 er in colour, more plastic when wetted yet parting with its moisture 

 sooner than the cutta ; the chemical difference being the possession 

 by the latter of more organic matter and silica and less lime. They 

 are rated equally when similarly situated. The chowka regurree is 

 a reddish soil good for rice, and jooaree is a mixture of decomposed 

 syenite with vegetable matter, owing its colour to the felspar ; the 

 other varieties enumerated are mostly of a light nature forming the 

 high lands and cultivated for millets. 



Atmosphere and The climate partakes of that of the general cha- 

 Climate. racter of that of the D eccan? f rom j une to October 



the N.W. and from October until April the N.E. monsoons blow 

 across the Sircar. July is looked forward to with much anxiety by 

 all classes as in that and the succeeding month the annual supply 

 of water is expected ; sacrifices are privately made in the house of 

 every husbandman to Gunnatheputtee and publicly the goddess 

 Pochummah is deluged with the blood of goats that no failure may 

 occur in this respect. Rain does not fall equally in all parts of the 

 Sircar, the Western Purgunnahs always getting a larger amount 

 than the Eastern, and this apparently is caused by the ranges of 

 hills which traverse it ; in the Racherla Purgunnah a sufficient 

 quantity generally falls to allow of the usual extent of land being 

 prepared for seed, and every three years an extraordinary fall is 

 calculated upon with some degree of certainty ; while in the Arsa- 

 kota and Thevecondah Talooks besides the annual supply being 



VOL, XVII. NO, XXXIX. D 



