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[Page 2]
of two seasons, they cultivate these grounds with cotton.
The soil is commonly chosen in Dolea and Brodra Purgunah of a heavy black clay.
No. 3. Basota of Boynegare and Aradawan, in the Purgunah of Lymsee. As this grain is remarkably nourishing, and not easily propagated in the flat districts, it is purchased at an exorbitant price from the inhabitants of Aradawan, and Boynegare, in Dolca and the Province of Cambay. The inhabitants of Aradawan, as their districts are sandy and commonly situated on the banks of the Sabermatty, and owerflown by the freshes at the height of the rains, saw this grain yearly on the cane fields into small furrows at the depth of 3 inches, and two feet from each other as soon they are able to penetrate the earth with the plough, they have then no further concern with it, than to guard it from the numerous birds of passage, which frequent this district at the season when this species of grain ripens, and to collect it in which commonly occurs if the season is favorable in the month of October, they cut it at the height of 3 inches from the ground, and as there is but little grass in this Purgunah, they appropriate the remaining stalks as the most eligiblest food for their cattle, which is of the species with hump backs, white coloured, and of a prodigeous height.
As the soil is impoverished by frequent culture they are under the necessity of manuring it yearly with cowdung, which is here managed in a manner by fare superiore to any manure I have observed in my travells either in India or Europe.
Their maintenance consisting chiefly of milk they are obliged to rear a great quantity of cattle and it is not uncommon to meet with a herd consisting of 200. heads and the property of one farmer, in consequence they are not at a loss or in want of manure to enrich their culture, but to improve it more effectually they collect all the minute particles of the dung of their cattle both during the cold, and hot season / into large pitts made for that purpose, where they preserve it by an addition of water so as to keep it in constant moistness / untill the grain is to be put into the ground, that is about two, or three days before the first fall of rain of which they are warned by loud explosions of thunder/ as some prognostic of the aproach of the rainy season, / Then previous to ploughing the ground, they take this manure in a tub, and carry it in that liquid state into the field watering it by a watering machine made in imitation of our cullanders, by which means the field is regularly manured, which the subsequent rains drain into the crevisses, and as the grain is immediately sown after