The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-05-25

n Aen1eo Heaeaasss Daily kee-Whoe Cou1o
ss Dsae - iasrssss che wheat crss.
CALCUTTA, April a. Sta Ram, an intelli-
cont small farmer know In the Allahabad dis
trict. may DO taken a. . typo Of tho average
tolerably successful peasant In India. He 10 by
no means what II regarded ~ we'll TO do. but
his lot 10 such a. might be envied By not few
OF his fellows. He lives on farm OF ten acres
which he and his forefathsrs have possessed
for Ave generations. Since the late famines. .
succession Of good seasons. with rise In
prices. has enabled him to pay on the greater
part Of the elaine Of tho money lender on his
holdings. and. II need should arise he could
now treat with the silver breeder" on equal
terms. Last year hs cleared . profit OF 80
after having paid nearly 40 much for his ront.
cesses. and tho expenses OF cultivation. He
disposed Of nearly the whole Of his wheat. to
tho amount Of 20 quarters. whom prices were
ranging from s2.60 to IS he quarter. and was
successful In his millet tobacco. and market
vegetables. Ho IL 45 years old. and has family
consisting Of six members besides himself. 10
wit: an aunt. his wife. two sons aged ~ and
Is respectively. the wife OF tho eldest son. aged
Is. and nisoa. 0 years old. His two daughters.
IL and IA years respectively. have beon both
married. and live with their husbands. visiting
their parents for few days or weeks on occa.
sions.
The wife OF Sta Ram has her silver bracelets
and anklets. her silver earrings and nose ring.
and 30 has hor daughter.in.law. Last year. too.
the couple wore able to present their sons vito
with q pair OF extra. finished toe rings costing
ti.5O. at the Dusserah festival the time OF the
harvest noon. aud they also hone to great tho
expected grandchld with some suspicious
ornamental present Sita lam and all the
family IRE sincerely contented with the state
OF things now. and would hardly wish It to
change. even for better. Never desire too
much. lest In striving for what you have not
you should lose what you have" Is q deep
rooted sentiment OF the Indian mind.
Ono serious care now and then crosses Sta
Rams mind. and over which his aunt and his
wife make his head ache whenever they get .
chance namely. that his niece must b mar
ried In one or two years. This Ia sacred
duty. and apart from the dificulty OF finding q
suitable youth IN the higher degree OF his caste
than he himself occuples-a thing highly de-
sirabe-the cost OF su Oh union would amount
In caste money and In expenses for parties aud
presents to $50 Mt tho least.
1t IL a general estimate that out OF every 500
Of q farmers receipts. nearly 80 per cent Is for
rent Of land and farm expenses. Is goes for
marriages and presents. and tho rest is for
household expenses. including religious offer.
Auko. AL MS WbutS uuu iuAuElo6 hr0 luctuU0u
In these three items. The idea OF saving docs
not very much enter into his considerations.
and thus the least OF bad times is likely to
drive him into the clutches OF the usurer. This
Ia the great danger OF the Indian peasant
nearly all over the country. Fortunately. how
ever. his improvidence never consists in posi-
tive waste. lilo does not drink spirituous liquors.
and his allowance for tobacco. which Ii often
grown on the farm. 10 quite small.
The average daily ration per head in peas
ant family consists Of a pound and half OF
soned with butter and salt; from 8 to ounces
OF split peas. or some kind OF pulse; butter
beS snd ak Il
Of ths .prise. while the. article is oonsamsd
o. Salt aasns tie E, s yssr
costing $2.5O. Of which s2.25 goes Tor tho duty.
sss5 Sas y Psm; 81 .Ss x
sitn Rams family fnres comfortably on q .
e.. say s vii ySos. Issm ' or
year. Tho male dress consists Of a. pisce. Of
coarse linen. yards By ~. which Is folded
wrapper Of smaller size. worth Is cents. In
EsS!S iSss. sSs5
while from the peculiar manner Of folding, ono
longer. than the man 81 serves as a wrapper.
Two changes will run through the year Shoes
are seldom worn by the males. and mover by
A farmhouse like that Of Sta Ram will cost
about $40 to build and will take from three to
has satte ea on the S0e cu ssc
whence Sne you enter to- a small Omen court twenty
on raised nl%tiorms The straotups s Is Of mud
| plastered thick on both sides Of a framework
Of bamboo stems. which are about eight feet
joints at intervals Of fifteen inches and about
three and, four inches in diameter. Wooden
straw stsIs
The furniture Of such house consists OF
two. stone mortar. = hand mill Tor grinding
sa, and the cost
< farmer viii sSitivats q farm Of ten acres
with the aid Of his sous and two bullocEs. which
tho well for irrigation. The land is placed I'M
der irrigation IN .succession-a about four acres
nure. besides Yielding = lucrative crop. leaves
its term for Irrigation and manure comes
The anuual rent q land varies all the way
from tnitY Cents 70 $40 the acre., The averane
- s1o9 tho acre for wet land. and rs cents for
,,i Farm servants gre @ employed only on the
Gs ~ or 70
acres. 4 man with IS acres Is = bis farmer m j:
ana represents small fraction OF our Agricul-
tural class. while the proprtetors Of 40 acres
and over are considered landholders.
Laoorors. when employed. arc paid thus:
Two good meals n day, coarse clothing and
from Soc. to 75c. In cash. A labOrer will ent
during the day pounds OF flour and ounces
81 pulse. With a little butter. buttorniIk and
salt. hard-workng ploughman. working
from morning to night. will eat pounds Of
India is almost exclusively country Of peas.
ant farmers. Nearly ninety per cent. Of our
rural population belong to this class. As a
general rule. every family OF seven IN the aver
n9e. have their little farm Of eight or ton acres
txiylnK little over an acre for every individuHl)
their grain stock. and their cattle. They nre
their own masters. work hard At seed time and
| harvest. but have long spells of light or no work
betwssn them. An annual profit Of $50 to t55
| IL considered u competence for such family
Peasant women. beside doing the ordinary
housework. grind the corn for home use
with the hand mill In tho afternoon when they
sing Mt Il great rate and are Joined In the chorus
by tho children. This Is Tor the purpose of
cheering the family IN and OF luling the male
toilcrS to their afternoon nap.
Another peculiar branch Of rural female in
distrv Is the Preparation Of fuel from the dung
| OF the cattle. This Is important 10 itself as
we'll As IN Its conseQuences, inasmuch rs the
offal which would otherwise be valuable ms
manure is thus used up. Tho dung IL kneaded
with broken straw into round cakes. and plas-
tered aga INST the outer walls OF tho house TO be
baked In the sun. Nsnr the towns this forms
an article OF ready sale.
Besides two builocks tho other cattle OF n