Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/244

 BELGAUM.

234

The

or weirs thrown across them.

red

chief varieties of soil are black

and

by far the most fertile. It is of two kinds ; one so friable, that when swept by a strong wind it rises in clouds of almost impalpable powder. Under foot this soil is heavy, and when impregnated with moisture forms a tough, clay-like substance, almost impervious to water, and therefore very valuable as a lining for tanks. of these the black



The

is

other variety of black

unless

it

soil is

abundance of

receives

not so tenacious of moisture, and

irrigation,

either natural or artificial,

not nearly so productive.

The

to the fact that, being of a

more sandy composition,

for

a shorter time.

chiefly

retains moisture

it

In order to bring a waste of black

the field must receive

due

inferiority of the red soil is

soil

under

—one

tillage,

one and one diagonal. For the future it does not want any further ploughing on the contrary, the great aim of the cultivator is to maintain the surface as firm and consistent as possible, and all that is required annually before sowing, is to clear the ground and loosen the surface with a small knife. The red and sandy soils are very apt to cake and harden after rain, so that the object of the farmer is to keep them as loose and friable as possible. For this purpose the field must be ploughed ever)' year ; if possible, once lengthwise and a second time transversely. This is done by a smaller plough of the same constructhree

complete ploughings

direct,

transverse,



tion as the large plough used for black fields, but so light that the

farmer on his way to and from work

on

his shoulder.

may be

seen carrying his plough

Fields of pure black soil do not want

manure



on

the other hand, the out-turn from red and sandy lands seems to depend

almost entirely on the amount of dressing they have received.

Culti-

vators are aware that land requires stimulating, but, from the scarcity of

firewood,

sumed

On sown

much cow-dung, which would be

dry

their best

manure,

is

con-

as fuel. fields,

most of the

grain, pulses, oil-seeds,

and

fibres

are

of these some are cultivated on red and sandy soils during the

rainy months

others are grown

on black soil as a cold-weather crop. on black soil as a cold-weather crop, is usually sown about the middle of August, or rarely in September. Before sowing, the seed is first dipped in cow-dung and water, and then mixed with a little earth, that it may slip easily through the bamboo drill. Cotton is generally sown by itself, but it is sometimes drilled in rows in the same field with a crop of Italian millet {bdjrd).

Cotton, which

The

is

raised entirely

threshing of the

monsoon crops commences

the cold-weather crops, in March.

On

in

December ; of

a convenient part of the field a

1 2 to 20 yards in diameter is wetted and beaten until it becomes smooth, hard, and firm. In the case of spiked and red millet, The farmer’s the heads are cut off short and thrown upon the ground. whole stock of cattle is then fastened abreast to a rope round a post

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