Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/193

 RAE 185 « The dates on which these divisions commence are ascertained from pandits, and the difforent kinds of seeds are sown accordingly. For instance, early sowings of rice commence in Ardra, and the latest can be made in Pukkh; juár, makái, (Indian corn), arhar can be sown at the same time; múng, moth, urd are sown later till Magha. Reaping of the rain crops commences from Uttra, or about the middle of September, and continues for two months or more. " Festivals and superstitions.—On the occasion of the Guria festival, which takes place on 5th Sáwan Sudi, 23rd July, 1871, no one ploughs or weeds. On 6th Bhadon Badi, 6th August, 1871, occurs "Harchhath, a fast day in this district for women, on which no ploughing or weeding is done here. On the last day of Ashlekha and the Ist Magha it is in some places considered unlucky to plough or weed. Lestened fertility of the land.—People say that the land is not as fertile as it used to be twenty years ago. Doubtless since annexation it has had less rest than it used to have during the native rule. " Local methods of irrigation from wells.—Everybody is familiar with the sight of the long rope passed over a pulley, to the former of which are attached a leathern bag at one end and a pair of bullocks at the other. The bags used in this district are small because the bullocks are small; they contain about twelve gallons of water, and if worked well are capable of bringing between 600 and 700 gallons to the surface per hour. Some of this falls back into the well in the effort to hand the bag, and much of it is lost by soakage and evaporation before it reaches Hence it often takes as many as eight days to irrigate an acre the crop. in this way. " Cost of irrigation from wells.--A man and a pair of bullocks can be hired in the station of Rae Bareli for five annas per diem, which makes the cost of irrigating one acre once Rs. 2-8-0, or from Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 per season; but this is hired labour, and the cost to cultivators, who have their own bullocks, cannot be calculated at this rate. "From marshes and ponds. The beri' or ' dugla' is a basket with strings fastened to each end; it is worked by two men standing on either side of a narrow cut open towards the water supply and dammed at the other end. By a succession of easy and graceful movements one side of the basket is swept just below the surface of the water in the cut; it is lifted brimful over the level of the dam, there upset by a dexterous action of the wrist, and returned to its original position in very much less time than it takes to describe the process. Two baskets are frequently worked at one cut, the men being relieved regularly at intervals of from ten to twenty minutes. The labour is really hard, and generally persevered in from early dawn to sunset, with the intermission of about one hour at noon. The water has often to be taken far and lifted high. In November, 1868, fifty-one men were employed irrigating some fields near Katghar in the Dalmau Pargana in the above manner; supposing that there were with reliefs eight men at each lift, and giving a raise of three feet and a half for each, the water must have been raised about twenty feet. 24