ground for eighteen months, on
account of the indifferent produce afforded by a more early planting.

In the Zillah, North Mooradabad, the land is broken up at the end of
June. After the rains have ceased it is manured, and has eight or ten
ploughings. This clears it of weeds. In February it is again manured
and ploughed four or five times, and just before the sets are planted,
some dung, four cart-loads to each cutcha beegah of low land, and five
cart-loads to high land, are added. The land is well rolled after the
four last ploughings, and again after the cuttings are set.

About Benares and the neighbouring districts, Mr. Haines says, that
owing to the hot winds which prevail "from March until the setting in
of the annual rains in June or July, the lands remain fallow till that
period. In the mean time, those fields that are selected for sugar
cane are partially manured by throwing upon them all manner of rubbish
they can collect, and by herding their buffaloes and cattle upon them
at night, though most of the manure from the latter source is again
collected and dried for fuel.

When the annual rains have fairly set in, and the Assarree crops sown
(in some instances I have seen an Assarree crop taken from the lands
intended for sugar cane), they commence ploughing the cane lands, and
continue to do so four or five times monthly (as they consider the
greater number of times the fields are turned up at this period of the
season, the better the crop of cane will be), till the end of October,
continuing to throw on the little manure they can collect.

Towards the end of October, and in November, their ploughs are much
engaged in sowing their winter (or rubbee) crops of wheat, barley,
grain, &c.; and at this period they make arrangements with the
shepherds who have large flocks of sheep, to fold them upon the fields
at night, for which they pay so much per beegah in grain.

During the latter part of November, and early in December, the fields
are again ploughed well, and all grass, weeds, &c., removed with the
hoe; then the surface of the field is made as smooth as possible by
putting the hengah (a piece of wood eight to ten feet in length, and
five to six inches in breadth, and three or four inches in thickness,
drawn by two pairs of bullocks, and the man standing upon the wood to
give it weight), over several times for three or four days in
succession. This makes the surface of the field very even and somewhat
har