THE BLACK SOIL REGION.—The greater part of the Bombay Presidency south of the Narbada, along with the detached district of Kathiawar, the Malwa plateau in Central India, the whole of Berar, the west and centre of the Central Provinces, and the west of Hyderabad are covered with a basaltic formation known as Deccan trap. The soil derived from this rock by weathering is often fertile, and, being peculiarly tenacious of moisture, is specially adapted to the needs of this part of India where, except in the Cen tral Provinces, the rainfall is generally less than 40 inches per year. The black cotton soil, as it is called, is, it must be noted, not continuous throughout the whole region of the Deccan trap, but it serves to give to its economic activities their distinctive characteristics, and entitles it to be considered as a separate natural region.
The most important food grains are wheat and millet, except in the more humid Central Provinces where rice is the principal food crop. Wheat is exported, but, in the Central Provinces at least, its cultivation has been largely abandoned in favour of that of cotton, which is now the chief commercial product of the region, where it covers over 15,000 square miles, or very nearly two-thirds of the total area devoted to its growth in India. But although, on the black soil, cotton has been grown for thousands of years, it is inferior both in quality and in yield. The staple is short and coarse, and the average return per acre is only about 100 lbs. It is said, indeed, that within the last century or two Indian cotton has greatly deteriorated, but, whether this be so or not, it remains true that the quality of the cotton produced might be greatly improved. Within recent years attempts have been made to do so, both by the introduction of exotics, which have thriven in their own environment, and by the endeavour to breed up native varieties to a higher degree of productiveness. The first of these methods seems to have been a failure, and it cannot be said yet that the second has proved a success. On the Govern
ment experimental farms, both the quality and the yield have been greatly improved, but whether it will ultimately be possible to induce the somewhat careless Indian cultivator to take the necessary care and trouble remains to be seen. It would appear, however, that it is in the improvement of native varieties that the best hopes of Indian cotton lie.
The opium poppy has hitherto been cultivated to a considerable extent on the black soil of the Malwa plateau, the greater part of the product being sent to China. Pulses, oilseeds, and sugar are also grown in many parts of the Deccan trap region. Stock-raising has not reached a high state of development. Cattle are found in all parts of the region, but, except when climatic conditions tend to the growth of good grassland, the quality is poor. Buffaloes axe generally found where the rainfall is heavy, and sheep and goats where it is moderate.
Throughout the whole region agriculture is the chief occupation of the people, and, outside of the industrial districts, is their only important pursuit. Besides the usual manufactures of most Indian towns, cotton mills, obtaining their raw material from the black soil, have been established in Broach at the mouth of the Narbada, at Ahmadabad in Gujarat, at Nagpur and Jubbulpore in the Central Provinces, and at Hyderabad in the state of the same name.
In that part of the Bombay Presidency which lies within the Black Soil area the people are, as a rule, of Scytho-Dravidian origin. This race, as represented by the Marathas, extends into other parts of the region where, however, the Dravidian element generally prevails, more especially on the poorer upland soils. Indeed, in many places the line separating good and bad soils also separates Maratha and Dravidian peoples. This is especially noticeable in Hyderabad, where the trap areas are occupied by Scytho-Dravidians and the granitic and calcareous tracts by Dravidian.