The Washington times., 1914-01-02
MOHANNEDAN STATE
3. RULED BY A WOMAN
Making an Effort, Assisted BY
Sons, to Improve Condition
of the People.

population of 7C0nQO. 1t is a Mchan'
medan state The ruler is a woman
known as the Begun Geminine of Ma
v-ab) who is actively interested in mod
ern methods and appliances and theil
possible application tc her country.
Agriculture is the chief industry, bUt
il is carried On by primitive methods
and owing 20 this fact, as well as tC
amiEe and disease, the average area
under cultivation is only l,SG6 square
niles, or a5 per cent OF the area of the
state. The average holding Is lI, thlE,
teen acres. Irrigation is general, though
rot fully developed, the sources used
being fells and tanks.
In the case OF wells, which predOmi-
nate, the water is usually drawn up by
leather bag lifts, the motive power
heing furnished by cattle. which in
BhOpai are very strong and active.
From tanks irrigation is effected by
means of channels and gravitat1on.
There are vast tracts Of land IN the
state, which could apparently be again
brought into cultivation only by the
establishment of state farms and b.
the introduction OF outside labor and
importation of machinery for irriga-
ton and cultivation, writes Consul
Henry ID. Baker, on special commercial
service in India. The establishment OF
such state farms, or at least one as an
experiment, is under consideration by
The chief industries OF Bhopal aside
from agriculture are weaving and print
Jug Of cotton Goth, the making of jewel
~ and preparation of n mixture uI
saffron, lime and other ingredients eaten
With betel leaf OF which the Bhopal
variety is famous. There are three
Gotten ginning factories. and a state
cotton weaving establishment is to be-
erected next year. At the state jail
carpets and tiles are manufactured.
City With I64 Mosques.
Bhopal, the capital city, which has a
population of nearly S0,O00 is noted for
the great number of its mosques Q6D,
Of which 10 are supported by the State,
uleven from the Begum's priavte purse
and forty-three are private edifices. A
great new mosque is in course of cree
ton, which when completed will be the
largest in India. There are also fifty
two Hindu TEMPLES and a Roman Catho-
lie church. One of the finest buildings
IN Bhopal is the I,ansdowne Hospital for
Eomen, which was built and is main
tanned at the Begum's expense.
The principal exports are wheat,
gram, mustard seed, linseed, sesamum.
poppy seed, opium, cotton, ghce (clari-
fed butterl, hay, gum, lac, tamarind-
hides, bones, scissors for cutting beteI
nuts, honey. wax and wood for building
kerosene. sugar, salt cOcoanuts, beteI
nuts (arecanuts), catechu. tobacco,
r"mhS made OF norm. pins. needles.
knives. paper, pens, English shoes, caps,
umbrellas, cloth, melons, plantains and
:datch boxes. The state is dependent
ch'eay on Bombay for distribution of
inDCTts and exports.
The Begun attends personally to the
general policies of administration, with
The assistance Of her three sons. The
second. son comma nds the army Of
about 5000 men. The state has q iu-
dicial minister and a revenue minister
talso in charge of agriculture. The
.evenUes arc derived chiefly from land
axes and customs duties, principally
the former, and show a slight tendency
10 increase The Begun is her own
minister of public works. but has
CHEZ engineer in active charge of the
department.
The chief engineer states that the
Government has under contemplation
the development of some of its water
power resources for Industrial purposes,
and possibly for motive power for
light railway TO extend in a circle
around the state for about 200 miles.
Gne source of water power is about five
miles from Bhopal where il is proposed
10 develop a combined irrigation and
water power scheme by erecting a dam
100 feet high, 800 feet wide, and $50 feet
deep. and To make use at first of about
5f'D horsepower Tor ldCIOTT ana IlRhIlnG
purposes in Bhopal
Another dam about eighteen miles
from Bhopal would create a reservoir
That would create q reservoir that would
secure the water from a catchment
area of about 80 square miles. with an
average rainfall of thirty-six inches
Hehe 1,o00-horsepoWer might. with ad-
vantage be developed. The light rail-
way proposed would have a two foot
six inch gauge, and if found feasible
H@Wk-~ h. 81
with the waterpower developed The
cost of all these works might be about
S,OOOO0, but no detailed surveys have
been made. The engineer would like to
secure from the United States any in
formation available from manufacturers
as 10 electrical machinery, turbines, and
tTamway equipment.
Interest In Agriculture.
The Begun stated in an interview
that while she was anxious to introduce
improved agricultural implements. she
thought her subjects should first re-
ceiye expert advice not only as TO the
different types of American piows but
also as 70 the kind OF land that each
type is specially adapted to work. and
detailed Information on the subject is
greatly desired. The palace is being
used as 3 school, and the Begun is
transIating English books on sgricuI-
lure into Urdu. the language Of the
country.
Two seasons are recognized. the
'lIhaTif, or shialu. lasting from about
the end of May TO October and the
rabi, or unhalu. from October to March. |
in the first season crops, such as iowar
kodOn, maize, baJra- tuaT. etc. are
sown. and in the latter wheat. gram. /
barley, and poppy. The crops of the
earlier season are the staple food crops, |
and those of the latter the revenue
paying crops.
The field which is to be sown for the
May 10 October season is first cleared
OF weeds by means of the baklIhar or
mences usually in April. and the DlOw
is passed as soon as possible. This is
done before the kind known as the
kUlawan COMMENCES. This breeze
should blow from the southwest for
several days in succession and then
ease, recommending a few days later. |
After the third burst it should return, !
bringing rain in its train. A change in
direction OF aEg interruption Of its regu- !
larity prognOsticates a failure of the !
monsoon.
The ploughing is not carried deeper !
than SIX inches, as the nutritive elc- |
Hent in the soil known as phul is be- |
lieVed not 10 exist further from the sur |
face. Poppy land is ploughed eight !
times during the rainy season and once |
more Immediately before sowing. Sugar /
cane land IS ploughed eight times and |
II three times, namely, in May. July and |
October. The whole area is thus fully /
during the wet weather
The khaTif or simmer crODs re cl1f