Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/368

 360 SIT Landlord's 25 sers, tenant's 20; finally each contributes 2), sers for the village expenses, and the result is :- Landlord's share 223 Tenaut's 171 Patwari's 8 For every maund in the heap. 2 45 ветв. . The tenant thus gets only its or less than one half of each maund which he produces a proportion which I have not found to be the rule in any other pargana than Gundlamau. The custom above noted as prevailing in the Chablári iláqa is as follows: -The tenant first takes 7 sers as-a kúr out of the maund, and the balance is then apportioned one-third to the landlord and two to the tenant, who thus gets 29 sers against the others 11 out of every 40 produced by the land. These represent the usual rates for batái rents, and the system is in force with respect to all lands, excepting those which produce sugarcane, poppy, tobacco, and vegetables. The ryots prefer the batái system. There has been no desire evinced by the people, save in very exceptional instances, to have their pay. ments in kind commuted into cash payments, and perhaps it is too much to expect that any such change should take place immediately. For the Oudh cultivator is wedded to his old ideas, and stubbornly stands upon the antiquas vias of bis forefathers: what they have been doing for hundreds of years cannot surely be wrong : who is he that he should set himself up against the immemorial custom of his family. All this to be sure, is very much to be regretted. As long as the system of batái prevails so long we may expect little advance in the cultivation of the country. Irrigation will not spread: and until forced by the increase in the population which is yearly taking place, the people will do little or nothing towards improving their farming or breaking up new ground. The following remarks are the result of enquries on the spot :- Condition of the people. The condition of the people does not greatly vary from its aspect in the adjoining district (Bara Banki): population is not so dense, the landlords are more generally Hindus, and akin to the mass of the people, the properties of the taluqdars are larger, averaging 23,800 acres each, the smaller proprietors are lightly assessed, wages are higher, and there is a great aspect of contentment and prosperity. The people is more homogeneous, there are more heads of clans in the position of taluqdars and fewer mere farmers, court favourites, and city Musalmans. The average size of the farms is small; there are only one and two-thirds of an acre for each adult head of the agricultural popula- tion; the farms average 33 acres; the profits of cultivation after paying for labour are calculated to be about two rupees per acre; the human