294 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. INovemeer i, 1888. 
AGRICULTURE AND ITS IMPROVEMENT 
IN SOUTHERN INDIA. 
[The following extracts from the lecture delivered 
in England by Mr. Robertson, for so long a period 
Superintendent of the Saidapett Farm, Madras, 
have a reflected interest for us in Oeylon. It will be 
seen that a better and less aquatic rice than that 
indigenous to India can be obtained from Madagascar, 
but that this and Carolina rice require deep plough- 
ing ; maize and sorghum ought to be profitable crops 
if properly attended to, and each can be sown in 
alternate rows with cotton, if the soil is rich ; cotton 
will, we trust, yield larger crops than are obtained 
in India; while tobacco requires soils rich in carbonate 
of potash. — Ed ] 
Carolina Rice. 
About 20 years ago, on the suggestion of Dr. 
Forbes Watson, F. R. S-, attempts were made to 
introduce Carolina rice into South India. Dr. Forbes 
Watson pointed out the fact that Carolina rice in 
the European market usually sold for a price nearly 
twice as great as ordinary Madras rice. Through his 
agency a quantity of Carolina rice seed was obtained 
direct from the United States, and forwarded to 
Madras. The average temperature of the rice districts, 
of Madras in the cropping season does not differ 
greatly from that of the rice region, in South Caro- 
lina, at the time of year when the rice is cultivated. 
The seed was widdely .distributed in all the rice growing 
districts of the province, and it was sown ordinarily 
under the same conditions as the common rice. The 
cultivation was left entirely in the hands of the people 
willing to undertake the experiment, though papers 
containing suggestions for their guidance were printed 
in the vernacular and distributed with the seed. In 
a number of widely scattered places the new crop 
grew well, and yielded in some instances heavier crops 
than the common rice grown under similar conditions. 
But a wide experience showed that the seed be- 
longed to a stage in agricultural progress that had 
no yet been reached in South India. The general 
results showed clearly that the slovenly treatment to 
which the common rice is generally exposed is much 
more pernicious in its effects in the case of Caro- 
lina rice. Oropd of the common rice grew and gave 
fair results under conditions that proved disastrous 
in the case of the higher rice. The Carolina rice 
plant was found to have long roots that feed deep 
down i.'ito the soil, while the roots of the common 
rice spread over the soil and form into a network 
over the mud on which the crop grows. Ordinarily, 
in Madras the soil for rice is shallow tilled, and is 
worked, while under water, into a puddle. Under 
this treatment the undersoil becomes sour and un- 
fitted for healthy root growth. A soil in this state 
would be utterly unfitted for the growth of a crop 
of Carolina rice, and yet, a fair crop of the common 
surface feeding rice might be produced on it. Fur- 
ther supplies of seed were obtained, and the experi- 
ments were repeated, but the general results were 
all similar. When the soil was deep and healthy, 
with fair underdrainage, and the irrigation water was 
used with care and judgment, good crops were pro- 
duced ; under the opposite conditions the crop generally 
failed. It is doubtful, however, whether if the culti- 
vation was better, and the crop generally succeeded, 
the rice produced from the Carolina seed in Madras 
would sell for a much higher price than that for 
which ordinary Rladras rice sells, unless the method 
of husking and preparing the rice for market was 
raised to the American standard. I sent a small 
consignment of Madras grown Carolina rice, prepared 
in the ordinary native method, to this country to test 
these questions and the price realised, though higher 
than that of any Madras rice sold at the time was 
considerably below that at which American Carolina 
rice, was then b lling. It being generally believed in 
the Ur,it;d Statos that Carolina rice was introduced 
from Madagascar. / obtained from that Island a 
number of samples of the varieties of rice general- 
ly cultivated, and among these was pleased to find 
0110 variety, known as ltajafatsky, that resembled 
gowuwliut Carolina rice, a resembkuico i found much 
closer when I saw the crops of the two kinds of rice 
growing. If this is not the variety of rice from which 
the Carolina orginated, it is, neverthless a variety well 
worthy of attention in South India; it possesses so 
many of the goods points of the Carolina, while it 
has been grown under the same rude agriculture as 
prevails in South India. One of the chief points of 
importance common to both the Carolina and Madagascar 
rice plants is that they are much less aquatic in their 
habits than the ordinary rice, and consequently may 
be grown with an expenditure of much less irrigation 
water. 
I may mention that among the samples of rice 
received from Madagascar there were some not un- 
like a few kinds of Madras rice. May it, therefore, 
not be possible that Madagascar obtained the rice plant 
from India, and that the so-called Carolina rice may 
be descended from Indian rice, its excellencies being 
due to good cultivation in a virgin soil, under a favour- 
able climate. 
Maize. 
Maize was another cereal that engaged our attention 
at about the time we were introducing Carojina rice. 
Maize is almost unknown as a field crop in South 
India. A few different vatieties were obtained from 
the Southern States of America, Egypt, Queensland, 
the Cape, and Queensland seed ; it appeared to need 
no acclimatisation. Heavy yields of grain and straw 
were obtained from sowings of this seed. The straw 
proved to be especially rich in saccharine juices. I 
had some experiments made in extracting this juice, 
and in making jag. ery (crude sugar) from it; follow- 
ing in this the usual native process. The results 
showed that from 100 pounds of fre.-h straw three 
pounds of jaggery could be made. This jaggery, on 
analysis, was found to contain 34-99 per cent of 
crystalisable, and 1146 per cent of non-crystalisable, 
sugar. This maize was produced on a soil containing 
90 per cent of sind : on a good soil the yield of 
saccharine juices in the straw would, of course, be 
much greater. The refuse straw, after being crushed 
in squeezing out the juice, formed excellent cattle 
food. The Maize crop may thus yield grain for the 
food of man and stock, a crude sugar and straw. 
Very good results were obtained in growing maize 
along with cotton in alternate lines. It was found 
that the shelter the maize ptants afforded the young 
cotton plants was very beneficial, while as the maize 
was removed bofore the cotton needed the whole of 
the land, the cotton crop sufferred in no way. Or- 
dinarily cotton occupies the land in Madras about 
nine or ten months, and maize about three months. 
Both crops being sown at one time, the. maize crop 
was usually harvested when the cotton plants were 
just beginning to throw out their side branches, and 
needed the extra space. This combination of crops 
removes one objection usually made to cotton culture 
in South India where food for man and beast is so 
much needed, that it provides no food for man and 
but little food for stock. 
Unfortunately, maize has made but little progress 
as a field crop owing chiefly to the inferior character 
of the cultivation generally adopted. A short time 
ago I saw a lot of cobs that had been received from 
one of the districts in which the crop has been 
persistently cultivated, and none of these weighed 
more than one-seventh of the weight of the average 
crop produced by the first sowings of the imported seed. 
Sugar Sobghums. 
The sugar sorghums received a great amount of 
attention. Sorghum vulyare is extensively grown in 
South India. The area annually under this crop is 
over 31 milliou acres black seeded, yellow seeded, and 
white seeded, varieties are all grown. All give fair 
yields of grain, and of straw, but the straw generally 
contains no saccharine juice. As far has yet been 
ascertained, there are none of the sugar sorghums 
indigenous to South India. It was therefore considered 
desirable to introduce some of the sugar yielding 
varieties. Seed was obtained from China, from Queens- 
land, from the Cape and from the Southern States 
of America. The varieties introduced were the aac 
charatum and the kafft •avium. Both grew well in all 
