Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/95

 PAR 87 sánwán. Sowing súnwán and covering in with hínga. Should rain fall in this month, the bijar or kuári dhán fields are ploughed. Early peas cut and carried At the end of this month, incisions are made in the poppy heads with the pachupi towards evening, and the opium, which exudes, is collected with the kachhni early the next morning. February-March (Phágun).–Fourth irrigation of rabi, which water- ing however is confined to wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, and poppy. Conti- nuation of sugarcane planting and of sánwán sowing Putting sicklo to the barley, peas, and here and there early sown wheat. Gathering sarson, Manufacture of gur. Extracting opium as described in Mágh. Chait.--Harvesting wheat, barley, peas, gram, linseed, sehuán, mus- tard, barre, and arhar; cutting down poppy and tobacco; irrigation of cotton; continuation of sugarcane sowing, and watering of that previously sown in Mágh and Phágun ; flooding and preparing fields for the jethi dhán, which is sown in this month of and irrigated constantly up to the time that it is cut in this and following months. Threshing out and winnowing of grain in the khalián or threshing floors. Baisakh.—Irrigation of sugarcane, cotton, tobacco, and sánwán, gather- ing the kapás or ordinary cotton. Storing bhúsa brought from the thresh- ing floors. Jeth.--Manuring the kharíf fields. Irrigating the sugarcane and sán- wán second cutting down of tobacco plants. In this month, the cultiva- tors re-thatch their huts in anticipation of the coming rains, and store fodder, wood, and cow-dung fuel. Irrigation. Under district Rae Bareli is givon an elaborato account of irrigation from masonry wells in the high land which skirts the Ganges, the same holds true for this district. Throughout this tract, whose breadth is from three to seven miles, water is inet with at from 50 to 60 feet from the surface, but the digging is generally continued about fifteen feet further till good springs are reached. The entire depth then will be 75 feet or fifty cubits, the cost of digging is estimated at one rupee a cubit, but such a well will last many years, and two large leather buckets can be used in it. From such a well two superior bullocks, whose labour is worth four annas per day, will draw up in an entire day of nine bours enough water for five biswas, three men will attend them and the distribution of the water. They will water a bigha in four days at a cost of one rupee for cattle, and one rupee eight annas for human labour. This will amount to four rupees per acre for one watering. The consequence of this costliness is that the cereals, wheat, &c., which require three waterings, hardly ever get more then two, and generally only one. In Patti Tahsil water is much nearer the surface averaging about 20 feet; there irrigation is cheaper. It is of the same nature as that described in south Lucknow, which also lies mainly between the Sai and