Census Of India 1911 Vol Xiv Punjab Part - I

· 1912 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

2Censas Report.]

3ABE A, FOFaLATION AND SEHBITT.

4Cdafteb

5Gross cultivated area means tlie area sown vrith crops in one year, inclnd-

6ing double cropping, irrespective of failure of crops.

7Net cultivated area means the area so'wn with crops, irrespective of

8failure of crops, less double cropping.

9The interpretation of the above terms h.as been fixed under the orders-

10of the Census Commissioner.

11j 9. It has not been possible to obtain reliable figures of cultivation from some

12of the Native States. The percentages for these Native States, in the Subsidiary

13Tables, Wve had to be worked out with reference to hgnres of the adjoining-

14Districts or States, in order to complete the materials for stidking averages for

15the Natural Divisions. The results though good enough for all practical purposes

16cannot be viewed as perfectly accurate.

17Of the total area in the Province, about 57 per cent, is cultivable, but

18only 38 per cent, -is sown with crops once or more during a year, In the

19Indo-Gangebic Plain, all but 9 per cent, can be brought under the plough, and

2071 per cent, of the area is so-wn with crops, of which 14*8 per cent, grows-

21double crops. On about one-fourth of the gross cultivated area, the crops are

22irrigated from canals or wells. The facilities for extension of cultivation are

23much less in the Sub-Himalayan Division where only 64 per cent, of the area is

24cultivable, 50 per cent, is sown with crops -with 8*6 per cent, of double

25cropping and only 13 per cent, of the gross cultivated area is irrigated.

26The' tracts in -the North-West Dry Area which are in the transition stage in

27consequence of irrigation from perennial canals approach, in circumstances, the

28Indo-Gangetic Plain, -with the exception only of rainfall, which in a canal

29irrigated tract is not such an indispensable element. But the districts represent-

30ing the type, like Mianwali with 9 per cent, of irrigation or the Bahawalpur-

31State with 13 per cent, of cultivation are at a considerable disadvantage.

32■ The possibilities of cultivation in the Himalayan tract are limited, only 21

33per cent, of the total area being cultivable, and only 10 per cent, being sown

34with crops, once or more, in a year,.

35Natural Divisions.

36/

37Area in equate milet.

381

39Ooltivable. ,

40Gross

41cultivated.

42Net cnlU-

43rated.

44Hauh British Terri-

4570,970

4646,325

4739,990

48Tosr.

49Ihdo-Gangetic Plain

5026,660

5122,778

5219,685

53Himalayan

541,382

551,288

56839

57Snb-Himalayan

5812,048

5911,039

6011,222

619,397

62N.-W. Dry Area ...

6331,980

6410,069

65About -l^th of the crops sown, however,,

66possess facilities of irrigation from hill

67streams. The reserved forests in

68this tract which roughly cover about-

6918 per cent, of the total area afford,

70pasture for cattle and livelihood to a-

71fairly large number of men engaged

72in the conversion of trees into, and the-

73export of, timber and other forest-

74produce. The figures of cultivation-

75for British Territory are noted in the margin.

7610, The mean density on the total area, for the whole Province and.

77the Natural Divisions is given in the

78Province

79and Natural

80Division. ^

81Mean

82density per

83square i^e.

84Percentage of

85cnltivable

86- area on

87total area.

88Percentage

89of netcnlti-

90vated area

91on total

92area.

93Punjab

94177

9557

9633

97I n d o-Gangetic

98Plain.

99286

10091

10171

102Himalayan

10378

10421

10510

106Bub-Himalayan

107305

10864

10960

110North-West Dry

111Area.

11299

11369

11420

115margin, with the percentage of culti-

116vable and net cultivated area in each

117unit. Taking the Province as a whole,,

118there are 177 persons to the square-

119mile (of the total area). It may be-

120in-teresting to know for comparison

121that Australia has only 2 persons to-

122overy square mile, Norway 19, the-

123TTni-ted States have 31, Hungary has

124166, France 189, the British Isles have 287, and Belgium has 589. With reference-

125to the total area, the Sab-Himalayan tract has all along been the most thickly po-

126pulated. The climate is somewhat favourable compared to that of either the

127Himalayas or the Plains, the normal annual rainfall of over 33 inches is abun-

128dant enough for the crops which are, in addition, materially assisted by the

129hill torrents bringing large quantities of rain -water from the hillp, and depositing

130rich silt on the land. The means of communication are generally good. The

131density rose from 301 in 1881 to 329 in 1891. Ten years later, it was Very much

132the same, being 325'; but during the past decade, the causes of general decrease