Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/608

* INDIA. 532 INDIA. Oudli. The pnppy-plant, from which Ihe opium is oblaiiK'd, rfqiiiics irri-^iitioii and can-ful atten- tion, ilosi of tlic priidiK't is exported to China and the Straits Sot t lenient s. The area devoted to its culture dfx-s not vary preatly and increases slowly. Some toliaeco is fn"t"«n in iimst parts of the country for locaf consumption. About half of the total product is ;;roHii in ]!tn;.'al, and part of it is exported. The toliairo is ;;enerally in- ferior to that grown in other countries, and there- fore does not compete seriously in the European market. Indigo has ceased to hold its own, even in absolute importance. The acreage for 1000 was one-third less than that for 1S!)5. The indus- trj" has sullcred from competition, with various substitutes, ami with the pruduct grown in Java. Bengal (paiiicuhuly Mcliar), the Inited Prov- inces of Agra, and Madras lead in its production. Spices .nre raised and cxiiortcd. hut arc of minor importance. The last half-oentury has witnessed a remarkable increase in the production of fibrous plants — cotton and jute. Cotton had long been raised, but had not been drawn upon to supply the foreign market to any great e.xtent imtil the Civil 'ar in .merica stopped the supply from there. A reaction soon followed its rapid and extensive development, and though it subse(piently increased again, it never regained the position held in the early seventies. During the last decade of the nineteenth century the area cultivated averaged about 9,000.000 acres. Cotton cultivation is not confined to any distinct resion, but is relatively most important about the centre of the peninsula in I?erar. The soil of this and the surrounding country is called the 'black cotton soil.' and is noted for the re- markable extent to which it holds nioi-ture. The cotton is a short -staple giade. and therefore in- ferior to the .-Vnierican and Kgvptian products. The production of jute is nmre restricted in exient, the plant growing best in the flooded lands along the Lower (ianges and Brahmaputra in Eastern Bengal. The average annual acreage for the last decade of the nineteenth century was over 2.000.000 acres. Like cotton, the product is largely exported, though there is not so large a per cent, of it that is exported in the raw state. A considerable part of the product is shipped to the United States. Silk culture is an im- portant industry in the Punjab, Assam, and Lower Bengal. The methods of cultivating crops in India are such as have prevailed for centuries. The natives show littl? inclination to take suggestions from the British. The efforts of the latter to accom- plish results by means of ex|H'rimental farms and the holding of fairs have not generally U'cn successful. If better methods or sujH'rior kinds of seed, intended to secure greater results, are urged upon the farmer, ho 8Uspe<'ts the ulterior motive to be that of raising rents; nor is he very willing to show his stock at fairs unlc-s he can secure a reward even if unmerited. But it is claimed that the native has adapted himself to the soil, and understands it better jx'rhaps than his foreign instructors. If he does not plow deep the soil is such that it does not require it. Tlic principle of the rotation of crops is known, though not widely practiced. Manures are util- ized, but the necessity of using them as fuel in many places greatly limits their supply available for fertilizing. Stock-h.visixo, The above table of cultivated crops docs not embrace fodder crops. These, however, are not important, as other (iovermncnt tables show, a fact which suggests the unimpor- tance of the stock-raising industry. During the decade ending with 1000 the area of the fodder crops varied from less than 2.000,000 to nearly 3,000.000 acres, showing some tendency to in- crease during the decade. A number of conditions are responsible for the undeveloped and unsatis- factorj' state of stock-raising. .As is common in a tropical climate, the people are given almost wholly to a vegetable diet. Religious or caste prejudices prevent the greater portion of the Hindus from eating beef or jmrk. The period preceding the annual rains is characterized over a large portion of the eountrj' by a scarcity of both water .tnd pasturage, and stock are gem-rally re- duced almost to starvation. This tends to make the breeds deteriorate. The disregard of projx-r methods in breeding has a similar influence. The grade of stock, therefore, is generally very in- ferior. Over the greater portion of British India cattle serve the same purpose that horses do in most countries. The breed of cattle is one that is unknown in this country, being of the humped variety. BiifTaloes are also used as work -animals throughout almost all India. They are somewhat hardier than cattle and thrive in districts cli- matically unfavorable to the latter. Mules and donkeys are about eqtuil in number to horses and ponies, the former being raised in the largest numbers in the Punjab and the latter in the United Provinces of .Agra. In the dry regions of the Lower Punjab and Sindh camels are the principal domesticated ani- Live .Stock im 1899-1900 PROVINCES Cows, bulla and bullocks Buffaloes YounR stock: calves and buffalo calve? Horses "and pontes Muteff and donkeys Sheep and Koats Camels 2.076.500 ll.fil3.4IKI 5.214.400 8.197,700 893.400 1,385.200 5.3.W.20O 2.109.200 124.600 61.300 8.264. 7(X) 4,479.900 1,323.100 4.000 431 ,600 2.979,200 1 .OS5..500 2.495.200 .508.200 20S..5O0 865.900 213.600 23.800 19.621 2,406,700 1,062.800 249.700 750 246,200 6.408.300 2,427,800 3,712,600 594.000 638.700 1.886.200 1,390,.300 21.000 19.100 4.385.600 1.902,900 249,.500 1.400 35.900 434,400 181.000 312.700 12,100 23,200 94..500 9.900 24,000 400 40.200 167.100 .79,600 83 12.700 262.7IX) .50.200 612,300 6I6.400I 30 4.043,300 11,300 2.0.50.2001 2.100 Oiulh 9.9fl1.900 271.000 41. loot 2.600 17.000 1.33 5.000 .300 120.100 135.600 20.400 23 38.600 961.000 412.700 280.200 2.400 13.415,900 4.261.900 500.900 400 Central Provinces 2.50 1,700 CnnTg 11 129,.30O 280 Total 51,103.600 12.551,071 23.883.600 1,365.083 1.239.056 37.426,900 41.5,971