The Washington herald., 1921-04-10
INDIAN WHEAT IS
SOMEWHAT BELOW
LAST YEARS YIELD
Greatly Reduced Acreage
Hampered by General
Drought.
CONDITION SERIOUS
Wonderful Irrigation System
May Save Production in
Certain Districts.

1he crop. oeih6
month in the greatest wheat grow
ing district Of India will be ma
teriaIly smaller than the 1920 crop
according to the Bureau Of Mar
kets, United States Department OF
Agriculture. The 1890 crop, which.
according to the final official esti-
mate was 377,ooo.o0o bushels. has
been exceeded but twice and then
only by 100000 to 100000
bushels. .-
This season the area in wheat Is
5000, 900 to 100000 acres less than
. last year and, furthermore, extreme
drought conditions prevailed in the
wheat districts throughout last
summer and fall and until the mid
die Of January. From June until
September the rainfall was much
below normal, and during the re-
mafnder of 1920 it was even lighter
Good rains finally fell about the
middle of January.
Rains Necessary Before December.
II rains do not come in the sum
mer or early fall with the monsoon
Cthe prevailing southwest wlno
during that season, which begins
in the summer and should bring
the rainy season. the crop outlook
is unfavorable from the outset.
And IL November passes without
rains, the situation is regarded as
serious A season similar to the
one Just passed was that of 19e7-s,
when little rain fell before the sec
ond week of January. 1908. The
wheat crop that year was only 22s'-
900, 900 bushels. or nearly 100000
900 short.
Fortunately, however, the .crops
do not entirely depend upon rain
fall. Great systems Of irrigation
save vast districts from famine in
seasons like the present, for with
cut irrigation certain large areas
could not produce enough foodstuhs
to feed the population.
Over half of the wheat acreage
Of India is IN two districts, the
north central and the northwestern.
The latter includes the Punjab and
the northwestern frontier provinces,
while the north central district in
cludes the united provinces Of Agra
and Oudh and also Berar. These
two districts combined have, under
average conditions. a wheat area
of between 100000 and 100000
acres. considerably over half OF
which is in the Punjab district.
The total irrigated area of the
Indian empire under control of the
State is approximately 43,00o.ee0
acres, of which 100000 acres are
watered from canals, 100000 from
wells, 100000 from reservoirs,
and S,000. 900 from other Sources,
An additional area of 26,OOO,O00
acres is watered from private irri-
cation bitches
The Punjab with its 100000
acres of wheat fields, 100000
acres of other cereals, 100000 Of
rice, 100000 of cotton, $4,000 Of
over one-third of the cultivated
area, under the ditch" a dozen
years ago.
The main canal of this province
is $50 miles long and has $500 miles
of branches. The area SO watered
is a great plains region, and was
arid before irrigation was begun.
The water is distributed through .
vast network of interiacing canals.
India, though the second wheat
growing country of the world, with
Russia out of the reckoning, is an
irregular exporter. However, ii has
an important bearing on ward
markets.
Prewar requirements of wheat
for bread and seed were estimated
at $4,000. 900 bushels. The con-
sumption of wheat in India has in
creased with the production, for
never until 1903 did the crop ap-
proach a total of 30o, 1000, 900 bushels
Crop and Exports
The wheat crop of India by
years from 1908 to 1915, inclusive,
together with the exports (wheat
and -FOUR for the crop years, be-
ginning April l, is shown in the
following table: