to the appearance of the country, the kind of crops cultivated, and the sort of weather required for the harvest, are quite distinct. The eastern half of the District is, as a rule, low, and subject to inundation. The rice crop generally grown is the áus or early one; and abundant cold-weather crops are produced. In the western portion, on the other hand, and in tháná Shamsherganj and the northern part of tháná Sútí, the land is generally high, but intersected with numerous bils and old beds of rivers. The rice crop is the áman or winter one, and the cold-weather crops are few. Indeed, apart from sugar-cane, mulberry, some safflower, and a few other crops, nothing whatever is grown but áman rice. Owing to the differences of situation and surface, and of the nature of the crops grown, these two portions of the District are differently affected by the weather. Thus, for the eastern half, early rains are needed in April and May for the proper cultivation of the áus crop, and steady but not too heavy falls until the crop is reaped in August; a too early break-up of the rains is undesirable, as also are very heavy falls when the coldweather crops are in the ground; and, finally, some rain is wanted during the cold season. For the great staple of the western half of the District it is not so important that there should be early rain, though it is, no doubt, of advantage that the land should be prepared in good time for the reception of the seed. What is wanted above all, is steady rain in the months of July, August, September, and the early part of October, without long intervals of dry, scorching weather. This is especially the case when the seedlings have been transplanted from the nurseries, where that mode of cultivation is adopted.'

RICE forms the staple crop in Murshidábád District, as elsewhere in Bengal. The rice crop is divided into four great classes, known as áus, áman, boro, and jálí. The áus crop, which is sometimes also called bhadaí, from the name of the month in which it is reaped, is sown in April and May, and harvested in August and September. It is a coarse kind of rice, and is chiefly retained in the District as the food of the lower classes. It is usually grown on dry land, and never in the marshes. Convenience of irrigation is the circumstance that mainly governs the selection of land for its cultivation. Provided that water can be readily obtained, the dry or moist nature of the soil is of secondary importance. Fields which border on rivers or kháls are most frequently chosen. It is sown broadcast, and not transplanted. There is one variety of the áus crop the cultivation

of which differs considerably from that which has been just described. It is distinguished from the common bhadaí by the name of kartikí, and is also known as jhanti. It is sown in July and reaped in October. It grows for the most part on moist lands, and is sometimes transplanted.

The áman or haimantik is the principal crop of the District, and constitutes the bulk of the rice that is consumed by the well-to-do classes, and exported to foreign markets. It is sown in July and August, occasionally as late as September, and reaped in December and January. It generally undergoes one transplantation, but sometimes it is allowed to grow up as it is sown broadcast. Well-watered or marshy lands are best suited to its cultivation, though it can be grown on high lands. The áman rice is subdivided into an immense number of subordinate varieties, which differ from each other in the fineness of the grain, flavour, fragrance, and other particulars. The following is a list of thirty-one of these varieties :-(1) Ghi kalá, (2) gandheswari, (3) chitrá sáli, (4) gandha maláti, (5) gangá-jál, (6) dudh rai, (7) laghu, (8) benáphuli, (9) balrámbhaj, (10) rádhání-pagal,—this name means literally, that which maddens the cook,' and implies that cooks cannot restrain themselves from eating up so fragrant a dish,-(11), sundar kalmá, (12) parbat jirá, (13) krishna kálmá, (14) ora, (15) kanakchur, (16) kusam sáli, (17) soná sáli, (18) parmánna sáli, (19) dahar nágrá, (20) jhingá sáli, (21) noná, (22) bánsphul, (23) meghi, (24) bangotá, (25) rángi, (26) kunchil, (27) rám sal, (28) jatá gotá, (29) ráimaní, (30) dád kháni,-this is one of the varieties which is ordinarily known as table rice,-(31) necha kalma.

The boro is a coarse kind of marsh rice, sown in January or February, and reaped in April, May, or June. It grows on swampy lands, the sides of tanks, or the beds of dried up water-courses. is transplanted, sometimes more than once.

It

The jálí rice is not much cultivated. It is sown in spring and reaped during the rainy season. It grows on low river banks, which remain moist even during the hot months owing to subsoil percolation.

It is doubtful whether any general improvement is taking place in the quality of the rice grown in Murshidábád. It is, however, reported by the Deputy-Collector, that within the last ten or twelve years signs of progress have been shown in the Kándí Subdivision. Some of the finer varieties of the áman crop, such as ghi kalá, gandheswari, chitrá sálí, etc., have been introduced for the first time

into this tract of country; but owing to the want of a convenient market they are not grown to any large extent. The extension of the rice-growing area has been very marked during the last twenty years. The Subdivisional Officer of Kándí states that 'within this period the increase of cultivation has been about one-fifth of the total area, and lands which were formerly jungle and fallow are now worked.' It is not known that superior cereals have in any instance supplanted the inferior sorts. But inferior cereals, such as bajrá, chiná, etc., are so little cultivated in the District, that if rice or wheat were to be substituted for them the change might easily pass unnoticed.

Rice, when in the seed, is called bij or bichán; when it germinates, ankur; the young plant is jáwálí; the full-grown plant, gáchh-dhán; just before it is in the ear, thor; when in ear, phulá. The grain until it is husked is known as simple dhán; after husking, it becomes chául; and when cooked, it is bhát or anná.

THE SOLID PREPARATIONS MADE FROM RICE are- (r) Khái, which is paddy or unhusked rice merely parched, the husks separating from the grain during the process of parching. (2) Murki, which is khái dipped in boiled gur or molasses. (3) Murí, a peculiar kind of husked rice, fried. (4) Chirá, unhusked rice boiled, then husked and beaten flat. (5) Chául bhájá, or ordinary parched rice. (6) Pisták, or home-made cakes of parched or husked rice ground into flour. Pisták, or pithá, includes the following varieties:-(1) Puli; (2) saru ckákli, which consists of ground rice made into thin chapátís; and (3) malpuá, which is composed of ground rice fried in oil or ghí, together with plantains and sweetmeats. The liquid preparations made from rice are pachwai or rice beer, and rasi, a kind of spirit.

In the Barhampur market the price of a ser of common murki is about 3 ánnás and 3 pies, or nearly 24d. per pound. Muri fetches 2 ánnás a ser, or 14d. per pound; chirá, 1 ánná 4 pies a ser, or id. a pound; khái, 2 ánnás per ser, or 1d. per pound. Barhampur is famous for the richer and more expensive sorts of murki which are to be found in its market, and are said to be unrivalled in Bengal. Their price is as high as 10 ánnás 8 pies a ser, or 8d. a pound. Chául bhájá costs 10 pies a ser, or §d. per pound. Malpuá, fried in oil, sells at from 1 ánná 6 pies to 2 ánnás a ser, or from id. to 1d. per pound; when fried in ghi, it sells at 4 ánnás a ser, or 3d. per pound. Muri, murki, chirá, and khái are sometimes made into buns and called mowá, of which the price

follows that of the component parts. Safedá is made by grinding husked rice. It is never eaten in this form, but is an important ingredient in the preparation of many kinds of confectionery; it sells at 12 sers for the rupee, or id. per pound. Khud is the name given to the parings from cleaned rice, which are sold at 25 sers for the rupee, or about d. per pound. Tus is the empty husk; and kunrá the pulverized rice and husk swept up after the process of husking and cleaning the rice is completed. Both are largely used as food for milch cows.

CEREALS other than rice comprise wheat (gam) and barley (jab), both of which are sown in October and November, and reaped in March and April; and the following coarser grains, (1) bhurá, (2) chiná, (3) kodo, (4) mere, meruá, or miruá, (5) kowáin, (6) sial nejá, (7) syama. These seven are all sown in April or May, and reaped in August or September. They are either eaten boiled entire like rice, or ground into flour. Oats (jái), bajrá, and bhuttá are also cultivated, but only to a small extent.

GREEN CROPS.-Peas (matar) are sown in October, and reaped in January and February. Gram (chana, chholá, or but) is sown in October and November, and reaped in February and March. The pulses cultivated are of various sorts, and include (1) common kalái, which is sown in October and reaped in January; (2) más-kalái, sown in September and reaped in January; (3) mug, sown and reaped at the same time as the preceding (of mug there are three varieties,―soná mug, krishna mug, and gorá mug, of which the first is the best, and the last the coarsest); (4) arhar, sown in April and reaped in March; (5) musuri, sown in October and reaped in February and March. Khesári is also sown in October and reaped

in February and March. reaped in December.

Barbátí is sown in July and August and Beans (sim) are also sown in July and

August and reaped in December. Kurti kalái is sown in August and reaped in December and January.

OIL-SEEDS.-Mustard (sarishá) is sown in October, and reaped in December and January. Rái sarishá is sown in October, and reaped in March and April. Linseed (tísí) is sown in October, and reaped in February and March. Sesamum (til) is sown in July and August, and reaped in December and January. Surjyágonjá is sown and reaped with til.

FIBRES are jute (koshtá), flax (son), and hemp. These are all sown in May and June, and reaped in September and October. In

the case of hemp, it is to be remarked that, as a consequence of the climate, the narcotic element is developed at the expense of the fibres.

MISCELLANEOUS.—Indigo (nil) is sown in October, February, and April, and reaped in July and August. Mulberry (tut) is a perennial plant, as also is pán or betel-leaf. Sugar-cane (ikshu) is sown in

March, and gathered in November and December.

VEGETABLES include amongst others—pátál, which is sown in December and January, and gathered from March to November; and báigun, of which there are two crops, the first and inferior one being sown in July and August, and gathered in September and October; the later and more valuable crop is sown in September, and gathered from October to March. Radishes (mulá), onions (piyáj), chillies (lanká), jhingá, etc. are sown and gathered at various seasons.

AREA, OUT-TURN OF CROPS.-The area of the District of Murshidábád, exclusive of the large rivers, was returned by the Boundary Commissioner in 1874 at 2462'44 square miles. The Census Report, for the purpose of calculating all averages, takes the area at 2578 square miles. The Revenue Surveyor (1852-55) ascertained the area at that date, exclusive of the Ganges and the Bhagirathí, to be 1,595,265 20 acres, or 24926 square miles. This last figure. must be adopted as the basis for estimating the agricultural area of the District, because no other agricultural statistics are available beyond those supplied by the Revenue Surveyor. Out of the total area of 1,595,265 20 acres, he estimated that 213,739'11 acres, or 134 per cent., are waste, leaving 1,381,526'09, or 86.6 per cent., as cultivated and cultivable. The area actually under cultivation is not otherwise distinguished. According to another principle of classification, he estimated that 7464 20 acres, or 46 per cent. of the total area, were occupied by roads; 24,692 06 acres, or 1'54 per cent., by jhils or marshes; 556.50 acres, or '03 per cent., by hills; 58,36474, or 365 per cent., by long grass jungle and sand; 71,980 95, or 4'51 per cent., by tanks and river-beds (excluding the area covered by the Ganges and the Bhágirathi); 10,396 10, or 65 per cent., by mango topes; and 44,722 41 acres, or 2.80 per cent., by the sites of houses. All these estimates refer to the condition of the District twenty years ago. The total area was at that time very nearly the same as it is at present; but the margin of cultivation, as has been already mentioned, has advanced very much since that date. The Subdivisional Officer of Kándí states