The plough used throughout all India is as rude and imperfect an instrument as can well be conceived. It consists simply of two or three pieces of wood, most clum sily united, or even of a piece of crooked stick, with no thing resembling or serving the purposes of a coulter or mould-board. It is so extremely light, that a Hindoo, a man of no muscular strength, can easily carry it on his shoulder to the field. In Bengal, and generally in Hin dostan Proper, it is drawn by a yoke of oxen guided by the ploughman himself. These, however, work only pact of the day, as there are always two or three pair of oxen as signed to each plough. In some parts of Orissa, the wo men are seen holding the plough, and the female children driving the oxen. Where the same person performs both operations, he generally holds the plough with one hand, (for it has but one stilt or handle.) and occasionally pulls the tails of the oxen with the other. A rair of oxen may be purchased for 6 or 8 tupces, a plough for of a rupee, and a yoke fy.r 4th. In Hindostan Proper, it is cal culated that a man and two oxen can plough a bejah of land several times in the coarse of the day ; and in the south of India, that 121 acres of watered land, and 25 acres of dry land, require five ploughs. In the Zenundary near Bcnarcs, of which Mr. Tctmatit grecs an account, 400 working cattle were kept for 300 acres under the plough. This is a larger allowance per acre than Mr. Grant, in his 4nalyais of the Finances of Bengal, states; fur, according to him, ten yoke of oxen arc sufficient for the ordinary yearly threefold cultivation of 100 bejahs of ground. Wherc it is necessary to plough the ground to a coesidera hle depth, several ploughs follow one another ; but even then, unless the soil is very louse and friable, they do not penetrate far, and the field remains full of dirt and rub bish. Nor is it rendered much more fit for the seed by the repeated ploughings which arc given it ; in Bengal, to the number of three or four; in the Mysore, of seven or eight ; and in the Benares, sometimes to the number of 30 or 40. Indeed, the grass roots arc in general of such great length and strength, and so extremely difficult to kill, even in land that has been long arable, that a much more perfect implement than the Ilindoo plough would produce very little effect. In the Mysore, it is not uncom mon to sec small bushes as firmly and erectly fixed in the soil, after six or eight ploughings, as they were before, and the mould not moved to the depth of three inches. The second ploughing, wThere only three or four are given, is generally across, and the third in a diagonal direction. The harrow is, if possible, a more imperfect implement than the plough: it is simply a bough broken from the nearest tree. The roller is described by Mr. Tennant to resemble a ladder about 13 feet in length, drawn by two bullocks, and guided by two men, who stand upon it, to increase its weight. When a plough with its yoke and oxen is hired, about 4d. a day is the sum commonly given. In most parts of Ilindostan Mete are two hullvaries, or ploughing seasons, namely, after the setting in of the rains in June, and after they cease in October. The wages of a ploughman are five seers of the grain which is in cul tivation, and two rupees for each ploughing season. The wages of the other country labourers arc five seers of grain, and a 25th sheaf during harvest. The hackery, an ill-constructed and clumsy two-wheeled cart, is used by the Ryots of Bengal for some purposes on their farms, where they have not an opportunity of water carriage ; but for heavy burdens, to be carried to any considerable dis tance, oxen and bullocks are most commonly used.
The imperfect cultivation which the arable land in India receives from the plough and other agricultural im plements is by no means compensated by the application of manure. The use of it is entirely unknown in most dis tricts, except occasionally for sugal•. In the Nlysore it seems to be the most attended to. Every farmer in that province forms a dunghill front the litter, &c. of his cat tle, mixed with the ashes and soil of his house ; the soil of the town, however, is not used. In other parts of the
south of India, if the lice straw left on the field be not sufficient for the purposes of manure, small pits are dug in different parts of the field, which are filled with leaves and the tender twigs of trees, and covered with earth. These, when sufficiently rotten, are applied as manure.
The pasture land of India is in fact nothing else but the wastes, forests, and coarse jungle. Artificial grasses would not thrive, nor even exist, during the hot weather. Even the coarse and natural grass of the country disappears in some places dining the prevalence of the hot winds so completely, that the farmers are obliged to feed their cat tle on the roots cut from under the ground and washed. The grass cutters, a class of people who are employed by Europeans to procure food for their horses, will bring pro vender from a field where there is no appearance of ver dure, by means of a sharp instrument which they use. During the rainy season, indeed, the grass lands look green, and are covered with various kinds of pasture; but, for the most part, it consists of a hard grass, very similar to what is called bent in some parts of England, which is neither relished by um cattle, nor nourishing for them. There arc, however, some districts in India, where the pastures are abundant and nutritious. In the north west quarter of the province of Delhi, and partly in the northern extremity of the province of Ajmeer, there is a jungle called the Lacky Jungle, which is celebrated all over llindostan Proper for the fertility of its pasture lands, as well as for its excellent breed of horses, which, origin ally good, have been much improved by Persian horses introduced at the invasion of Nadir Shah and Abdalli. This jungle, which forms a circle 40 miles in diameter, is bounded on the north by the country of Roy Kellaun, on the cast by lint ianeh, on the south by 'Lancer, and on the west by the Sandy Desert. The Poortleah district of Ben gal is also distinguished by the extent and fertility of its pasture land. The excellence of the bullocks of Guzerat, Vo Ilia has already been adverted to, is in some measure owing to the richness of its grass in those parts of the province particularly which lie near the Run, one tract of land in this district being emphatically called Wuddyar, which term, in the language of Guzerat, signifies a herds man, and designated the original inhabitants of the borders of the Run. Immense herds of cattle are sent to pasture here. The table land of India, especially the Mysore, from its elevation and consequent coolness, is favourable to the production of those grasses which are most nour ishing to cattle ; and its pasture lands are accordingly ex tensive and rich.
The pasture lands of India, such as we have described them, are used for the grazing of the cattle that are kept for labour, subsistence, breeding, and the dairy, and for the feeding of sheep. Such cattle as arc for labour are confined to the patches of grass that are intermixed with the arable land : the other cattle, as well as the sheep, are allowed to wander in the forests, &c. In either case, it is necessary that they shouid he watched, and prevented either from injuring the arable land, or going astray. For, in many parts of India. the only fences consist of a iow hank. In some parts of Delhi and the adjoining provin ces, indeed, the strong jungle grass is ;nailed into a kind el basket work, which is carried aleog the sides of the held to protect the grain from the calm. in Guzerat, the fields are divided and protected by ury stone walls ; and in the south of India, fences of the milk bush are not un common. Besides the shepherds who have fixed residen ces, there ate found in many districts of Hindustan Proper, shepherds who come from the country of the Battles in search of employ ment. They are scattered all over the Punjab and the high grounds to the cast of the Indus. The hcrusman is in every case a person attached to the farm or which he is employed.