New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-23
JyDI4'S FOOD SUPPLY.

A lucid and commemorative account Is given
T., "Tbo National Review" Of London OF the
character Of III, native food supply Of India,
the time Of planting and gathering tne crops
and the influence of the weather IN CRUISING
nlenty or scarcity. In point OF acreage rice
IL bv far the most important crop, us acre
age in 1S94-95 having been no less than o.
$50 3O3. More than half Of this was In Bengal
where the prepondcrance Of rice Is so great as
n make II really the only crop of importance
Wheat came next. with 30. 76l .3OS acres. mostly
in tho puniaub the Northwest Provinces and
Oude. and other north and central States.
Juar. or great millet, was third. with 20.SG3.0'o
ocros largely in Madras. where it is the chief
crop. and in Bombay. Gram, chenna or chick
pea Is the principal pulse crop. lis acreage
was 13.533.934. pretty generally distributed
throughout the empire. Bajra, or spiked Hill
lot had an acreage of II ,337 9G3. in the same
regions as juar. Barley had ',ls9.42o acres
mostly in the Northwest Provinces ana Oude
maize 5.o55.971 acres, in Upper India ana
raci an inferior milet 3.6sj,sO2 acres, chiefly
in Madras and Bengal. There were also u
SGT. SIS acres of miscellaneous cereals and
pulses: o.549392 of orchards and vegetable
gardens. and 1.oSO,994 Of other food crops.
Generally speaking. all are divided into
kharif and rabi crops. the former including rice,
maize and the mcts. and the latter including
wheat barley and chickpeas. though some are 10
be found in both classes. The acreage of the for
mer is nearly three times as great as OF the lat
ter The kharif crops are chiefly planted in May
and June. and harvested from September to De-
cember and the rab crops are planted from
September 10 November and harvested from
February 10 April. These rules are, Of course,
subject TO some variations in various parts or
the empire but they generally hold good. The
success of the crops depends, therefore, so FAR
as the weather is concerned, upon the occur
renee of light rains nj the time of planting the
kharif. in May and June Of heavy rains from
June TO October. when rice is TO be transplant
ed kharif cereals ripened and rabi crops plant
ed: and moderate rains during The rest Of the
year. for the good of the rabi crops. The pres
cnt famine IS due 10 rather scanty kharf
harvest in the fall of 1899. n scanty rab har-
vest in the spring Of 1896, and very scanty
kharf harvest in the fall of 1896. AS there was
a general droufh from mid August to mid No
vember last year not only was the kharf har-
vest largely failure. but the planting of a
full rabi Grip was made impossible so that the
Z
be scanty and full relief cannot possibly come
until the gathering of the kharif harvest next
fall
The most obvious method Of insurlng the
harvosts against vicisstudes Of weather Is IT.
rigation Unfortunately it has not yet been
generally adopted. No statistics of its adoption
in Bengal are available. In the rest Of the
empire less than one-sixth of the land Is irri.
gated. The Punjaub is best served. more than
nc-fourth Of IL being irrigated; in Madras the
ratio is less than one-iifth; in the Northwest
Provinces and Dude, scarcely One-seventh; In
Bombay and Scind little more than one
eighth, and in the Central Provinces only about
one-twcnty- eighth. The present famine not
only terribly emphasizes the need Of further
| irrigation but Will. happily, lead 10 a consider
able supplying Of that need. for the Govern
ment is relieving distress largely by giving en-
ployment 10 the destitute, and IL Is employing
them largely on the construction of wells
canals and other irrigation works. With lis
fertile soil and climate favorable 10 vegeta
ton, India should be n verltabe garden and
granary. always producing far more than
enough food for even Its teeming population