Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057345).pdf/323

 LUC 315 Irrigated land.—The irrigated land consists of two kinds-irrigated from wells and irrigated from jhils, tanks, and rivers. The last does not amount to much. The irrigation from jhíls and tanks, or what may be called natural means, amounted in the old district to 72.5 per cent of the whole, and was most in Bijnaur and Mahona. This is a very large pro- portion, and seeing how dependent and precarious such irrigation is, the existing necessity for encouraging and aiding the cultivators to dig wells can never be too fully recognized. The land watered from wells is always the best land. The operations of irrigation are described at length in the Partabgarh district article. Culturable land.—The culturable land is of very varying qualities in the different parganas, and in most cases little can be done with it with present means and appliances. If it were good it would be cultivated. Land is wanted. This may be illustrated by the facts disclosed in the parganas of Lucknow, Bijnaur, and Kákori, which are shown in theac- companying table. While the population in these parganas presses the heaviest, and the holding of the cultivators are the smallest, the amount of culturable land left is the least. Taking all the parganas, it would seem that the extent cultivated was in inverse ratio to the density of the popu- lation, which would hardly be the case if there was much land left that could be used. In the best parganas, which are undoubtedly Mahona and Malihabad, the amount of cultivation increases with the sparseness of the population. In Malihabad, which has 786 to the cultivated mile, the average holding per caltivator is from 4 to 41 acres ; while in Lucknow, which has 1,229 to the square mile, the holding per cultivator is as low as three acres. The following table will show the variation in holdings for all the different parganas :- square Districts, A. R. P. POL > Lucknow *** Bijnaar Kókori Mohanlalganj Nigobén Sissaindi Malibabad Mahona ... 146 148 60 201 72 187 147 55,800 42,855 19,181 65,543 20,860 70,973 62,743 7,925 8,283 3,007 80,093 12,973 28,240 20,542 666 454 530 568 517 413 486 1,229 1,005 1,059 1,103 1,005 786 872 18,490 73,664 5,948 19,830 6,415 15,127 10,615 3 0 0 3 0 25 3 0 38 3 1 13 3 3 94 4 2 91 3 0 22 BOR 403 000 Total . 10 327,955 .. 100 The culturable land is said to amount to 210,208 acres, or 237 per cent. of the whole area; but the account is illusory, for of this 27,731 acres or 13-2 per cent. are groves, and there is still the question whether, in the interest of what stock there is, the remainder had not better be left untouched. But this might pass; the beasts are of so poor a quality now, and pick up so scanty a pasture, that if, by agricultural means, the quan-