AGRICULTURE. Bengal is an agricultural coun try, about four-fifths of the population being engaged directly or indirectly in agricultural pursuits. Accordihg to official estimates, the total area under cultivation amounts to about 55,000,000 acres, of which over 40,000,000 are under rice, the staple of Bengal: about 11,000, 000 acres under cereals, and over 4,000,000 acres under oil-seeds. The land is in some cases held by the farmers direct from the Government, hut the practice of subletting land by the :am indaris is widespread. Of rice, there are cultivated three varieties: the hors, or spring rice, the aus, or autumn rice, and the «man. or winter rice, the last the most extensively cultivated of the three varieties. Of late the cultivation of jute (largely used in the manufacture of bagging) has in creased to a considerable extent, and in some parts has even replaced rice. Indigo, once a very important product, receives only scanty attention from the native farmer; its cultiva tion is confined chiefly to the European planta tions, and it is still an important crop, especially in Central Bengal. Among other products are tea, cinchona, opium (tho cultivation of which is a Government monopoly), and silk.
The manufaeturing industries of Bengal have not only not kept pace with the agricultural development of the country, but have in many instances even retrograded. Many of the native industries, such as the manufacture of dyes and the filler silks, as well as minor articles of gen eral consumption, have almost disappeared, and the local demand for these articles is supplied largely by British manufacturers. Of late a number of large mills equipped with modern machinery have been established by Europeans in the larger centres of population. In the rural districts, however, a large part of the popula tion, formerly engaged in industrial pursuits, have turned their attention to agriculture. The
decline of the native industries is due largely to the developmeht of railway transportation, Nthich has enabled the machine-made goods of Great Britain to compete with the local hand made articles. Taking into consideration the fact that the principal railway lines of Bengal were constructed at the expense of the State— he. of the native taxpayers—it may be doubted whether, on the whole, the natives have received a fair return for their outlay.
The foreign commerce of Bengal is consider able, and has been steadily increasing. The sea borne import trade shows an increase from Es241,386,662 ($78.200,000) in 1885 to Rs353, 644,924 ($114,6004100) in 1900, a gain of more than 46 per cent. in 15 years. The export trade has increased (luring the same period from Rs331,332,660 ($107,350,000) to Rs506,593,287 ($164,136.000), or nearly 53 per cent. The in consist mostly of cotton piece goods and cotton twist and yarn, which come almost ex clusively from Great Britain; metals, mineral oil, machinery, and sugar. Of the exports, about one-fifth consists of opium and rice, and the rest of seeds, indigo, wheat, cotton, etc. The annual trade with Great Britain amounts to about $160,000,000, nearly equally divided between ex ports and imports. Outside of Great Britain, Bengal deals with China, the United States, Ger many, and the Straits Settlements, Bengal has about ten ports, but by far the largest part of the trade passes through Calcutta. Internal communication is facilitated by numerous navi gable rivers, as well as by roads and railway lines. Of roads. Bengal has about 40,000 miles, of which only about one-eighth is macadamized. The railway system includes three main lines— one leading from Calcutta toward the northwest: a second eastward; the third to Madras. The total length is about 22,500 miles.