Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-05
PEASANT CONTENT in INDIA
Happy on Profitsof $50 Per AnnuD,
Economy in Food and Dress

sou Per Annum-
ECONOMY In Food and Dress.
Calcutta Letter.
I-,' Ia pam, an intelligent small farmer 7
taIor ~ Tue AAahab2d district. NAV he
eaAen as a type of the AVERAGE foInrabI,-
successful peasant in India. He l. b 1,I no
iliieahs what is regarded as we'll tn do Int
ms tls 10y Is such as might be envied nv NOT q
lew OI MS fellows. He lives on a farm IF
zen acres, which he and his forefathars
la. nave possessed for five generations. Since
tne laCe iamlnes, a succession of 0ood
seasons, With rise in prices, has enabled
n nILi 70 paw on the greater part Of the
sSIallhs OI tne money-lender on his build
lhgs, ana, II need should arise he couId
now treat with the ~siIyer brae,3er;;
on equal terms. Last wear
ne cleared a profit Of $75, after having
palu nearly as much for his rent. cesses
ana the expenses of cultivation, He dis
posed OF nearly the whole of his wheat. to
Ihe amount of twenty quarters. when
prices We're ranging from 81 so to SO the
quarter, and was successful in his miIlet.
tooaccO and market vegetables. He is
70 years Old, and has a family consisting
"a SIX members besides himself, to wit:
An aunt, ms wife, two sons. aged % and
TO respectively, the wife of the eldest son.
aged 10, and niece, years old, His
Two daughters, Is and IA years respective
~, nave been both married, and live with
IhelF husbands, visiting their parents for
lew days or weeks on occasions.
me VIE OF Sta Ram has her silver
bracelets and anklets, her silver EARRINGS
and nose-ring, and so has herdaughter-in-
Jaw. Last year, too, the couple were able
10 present their sons wife with a mar of
eXtra-tinished toe-rings. costing ST 20 Of
the Dusserah festival (the time of fhe
harvest moon) and they also hope to greet
the expected grandchild with some auspi-
ciOus ornamental present. Sta Ram and
all the family are sincerely cOntented
with the state Of things now, and would
nafdIy wish tito change, even for better.
Never desire too much, lest in striving
LOT what you have not you should lose
what you have" is deep-rOOted santi
ment in the Indian mind.
One serious care now and then crosses
sta RAMS mind, and over which his aunt
ana MS wife make his head ache when
ever they get chance, namely, that his
niece must be married in one or two wears
inns is a sacred duty, and apart from the
aincuIty OF finding suitable youth in the
higher degree of his caste than he himself
occupIes-a thing highly desirable-the
cost OF such a union would amount in
caste money and in expenses for parties
ana presents to $50 at the least.
IL is general estimate that out ofeyerv
SlOO OF a farmers receipts, nearly fifty per
cent. is for rent of land and farm ex
penses, fifteen goes for marriages and
presents, and the rest is for household ex-
penses, including religious offerings. All
ms wants and luXuries are included i'm
these three items. The idea of saving
does not enter much into his considera.
tions, and thus the least of bad time ia
likely TO drive him into the clutch of the
usurer. This is the great danger of the
indian peasant nearly all over the cOun-
Try. fortunately, however, his improyi
dence never consists in positive waste.
lie does not drink spirituOus liquors, and
MS allowance for tobacco, which is often
grown on the farm. is quite small.
The average daily ration per head in a
peasant family consists of a pound and a
half of grain made into bread without
IeaYen, and seasoned with butter and
salt; from three to four ounces of split
peas, or some kind of pulse; buttermilk.
a pint now and then; vegetables, spices,
betel, betel nut and salt. The salt is an
important item, as the duty on it is nine
tenths OF the price, while the article is
consumed pretty freely by the people. A
family of seven will need eighty pounds
OF salt during the year, costing 81 80. of
which 81 % goes for the duty. In rice
eating districts ten pounds of rice will
supply the daily ratiOns of a family of
seven.
Sta Rams family fares comfortably on
81 month, or say $50 year. Less than
fifth part of the sum will clothe them
for whole year. The male dress consists
OF apiece of coarse linen five yards by
one and one-half, which is folded round
the waist, costing twenty-five cents, and
similar wrapper of smaller size, worth
fifteen cents. In winter the wrapper is Of
wool, mixed with cotton, worth from fifty
cents to seYenty-fYe cents, which will
last two or three seasons. The Women's
dress is not more costly. 1t includes a
short jacket, while from the peculiar
manner OF folding, one end of the wearing
cloth which is little longer than the
mans serves as a wrapper. Two changes
Will run through the year. Shoes are
seldom worn by the males, and never BY
the females.
A farm house like that of Sta Ram will
cost about $50 to build, and will take
from three to four weeks with as MANY
mems labor. Each farm house has a cat
tie fold on the outside, whence You enter
small open court 20 feet square, which
is surrounded by chambers on raised Mat
forms. The structure is of mud. plastered
thick on both sides OF a framework of
bamboo stems, which are about feet
high, hollow in the centre excepting at
theejOints at intervals OF 10 inches. and
about or inches in diameter. Wooden
posts and rafters support the matched
roof, woven with straw, splintered bam-
boo sticks, and jute string.
The furniture Of such a house consists
of brass plates and pots, an iron pan, a
knife or two, stone mortar, a hand mill
for grinding corn, mattresses and pillows.
the total cost of which does not exceed
so, and most of which will last for two
generations.
A farmer will cultivate farm of ten
acres with the aid of his son and two bull
locks, which latter are also employed to
draw water from the well for irrigation,
The land is placed under irrigation in
successiOn-abOut four acres each year.
1t is fairly MANFRED, and the manure, be-
sides yielding lucrative crop, leaves the
land in a favorable state for dry crops till
its term for irrigation and manure comes
again.
The annual rent Of land varies all the
way from 80 cents to $40 the acre. The
average is 50 30 the acre tor wet land, and
- cents for every dry acre.
Farm servants are employed only on
the richer farms, say of thirty or forty
acres or upward. The average extent Of
farms is from eight to ten acres. man
with twenty-five acres is a big farmer,
and represents small fraction of our
agricultural class, while the proprietors
VI lOIIy acres anu over are considered
landhOlders.
LabOrers, when employed, are paid
thus: Two good meals a day, coarse
and from fifty cents to seventy
five cents in cash. A laborer will eat
during the day two pounds of flour and
four ounces Of pulse, with little butter,
buttermilk and salt. A hard working
plowman, working from morning to night,
will eat three pounds of -four in a day.
India is almost exclusively a country Of
peasant farmers. Nearly niLety per cent.
of our rural population belong to this
class. AS general rule, every family, Of
seven in the average, have their little
farm Of eight or ten acres (giving a little
over an acre for every individually, their
grain stock and their cattle. They are
their own masters, work hard at seed
time and harvest, but have long spells of
light or no work between them. An an
nual profit offifty to fifty-fiye dollars is con-
sidered competence for such family.