Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-04-02
Indian Wheat Production.

In order TO get a clear conception of In
dia's place as competitor for the sale OF
wheat, it is necessary to kno" under
hat conditions the wheat is grown, the
mode OF cultivation. the approximate cost
of production, the area in cultivation now
and ten years since, the annual average
production and expectation for series
of years, and the average yield per acre
for such series of years.
From the earliest ages the government
of India has, from time to time, been
changed by conquest, but each conqueror
has succeeded to the ownership Of the
lands, and the universal practice has been
to raise revenue by rack-rentiDg the land
and the waters of irrigation-thus i'm
proving upon Henry Georges single-taX
such tax. until after the British con-
quest, largely paid in kind and collected
by Farmers of the revenue, - who diff
fer from other farmers inasmuch as they
do not sow: vet they do reap crop that
rarely fails.
While having no voice whatever In de-
termnino the amount of rent, the ryot :,
from father to son. retains possession of
the land so long as the assessments fixed
by surveys made by officials of the Indian
Civil Service) are paid, and in many of
the provinces he may sell and transfer his
right of occupancy.
i ne CultlSdLlOll 10 bS IcpedtGu plOW III ,
from to 30-with an implement con-
sisting of triangular piece of wood
about Is inches long and 6 inches in
diameter at the large~end, the other be-
ing pointed. On the fiat side OF this
block of wood a groove is made, into
which flat piece of iron, foot in length h,
an inch wide and a half an inch thick.
is inserted and held in place by one or
two staples. Pointed at ore end, this
iron bar serves as a plow point. The
larger end of the triangular block of
wood is mortised into an upright stick,
the latter about three feet in length. at
the top of which is wooden pin which
serves as a handle. About Is inches from
the ground. strip of board ) inches wide
II inches thick and feet long, is insert
ed in the upright stick, serving as a beam
and tongue to which is hitched a thin,
long legged pair of diminutive cattle. and
with this equipment the Indian cultiva.or
(and his ancestors for thousands OF years.
has managed to scratch over about three
fOurths OF an acre per day: and after
from s 10 30 such plowingss the seed (I20
to lS0 poundS( is dribbled into the shall
low iurrow by hand, and then covered
by dragging log over the ground. Ac-
cording to the Rev. |. L. Hauser, who
spent many years in India, the pair of
bullOcks cost IS. the plow soc; the log
leyeler, 30c: yoke, 15c: weeder, &c;
a winnOwing scoop, &c: a sickle, &c; and
the water-lifter. completing the farmers
equipment. 50c--the entire cost of such
equipment being 1888.
The ripened grain is cut with a sickle
about six inches long, the harvester sit
ting upon his launches and cutting about
one-twelfth of an acre per day, which is
gathered up, bound and shocked by an
other of these efficient workers. and after
curing sufficiently is threshed by being
tramped out by cattle and famed by
hand. Doubtless this has been the Indian
process of growing wheat since the dawn
of civilization and this is likely to be the
process tor many years to come, as the
holdings average less than ten acres,
there is no other way to employ this
great mass of humanity, and agricultural
labor commands but five to six cents per
day. Indeed. human beings are the most
abundant and cheaper. by far, than i'm
proved agricultural implements, as
years wages would not buy tirst-class
steel plow or a fannin9-mlIl, and tn e
land being fully occupied AMI British
competition having long since destroyed
the native manufactures of India, the in
PRODUCTION of improved farming imple-
ments would mean absolute and immedi-
ate starvation of the iaborers thrown aside
for the gang-plow. press drill. self bind
er, and steam -thresher. As the ryot has
a hereditary right Of occupancy 20 his lit
tie plot of land and is thus his own en-
ployer, there seems no immediate pros
pect of his surrendering such plots to
those who can control enough land to
profitably employ labor saving devices,
and the rulers are NOT likely to urge him