Punjab State Gazetteers Vol Xvii A, Phulkian States, Patiala Jind And Nabha With Maps

· 1904 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

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2Patiala State. ] Agriculture. [ Part A.

3CHAP. II. A. Throughout the State bullocks are generally used for ploughing, but in

4— some parts of the Jangal and in the Mohindargarh District camels are also

5Economic, Only one camel is yoked to the plough.

6AoRieoLTOtK. Irrigated lands are ploughed after flooding. For wheat and maize the

7Agricultural fields are ploughed after 4 or 5 waterings, and for canc after 6 or but

8aperations s sugarcane fields are generally ploughed with the aid of the winter rains.

9Ploughing. unirrigated lands are always ploughed after the first rain. After

10ploughing the surface is levelled with the sohdga, so that they may retain

11the moisture. For some crops the fields are only ploughed once or twice.

12With regard to ploughing there is a proverb : S&wan baht sdwani, Bhddon

13ki bhadwir, Assu men bihi na bihi bargijdn—^ Ploughing in the month of

14Sawan produces an autumn crop, in Bhidon bhadwdr grass, and in Asauj,

15plough or not, it’s all the same." There is another proverb showing the

16number of ploughings required for certain crops : Pachis bdhi fdjrdu,

17sau bah kamid, j&n jdnbdlniie hanak nun tun tdn fdwo sowdd — “25

18ploughings are requirra for carrots, 100 for sugarcane, and the more you

19plough the wheat field the better will be the crop." The first ploughing is

20done by the Hindus after consulting Brahmans, and sometimes the

21advice contained in the followi^S proverb is followed: Budh bakui,

22mangel ddii — “ Sowing on Wedn®®^®yj on Tuesday the sickle."

23Hoeing. Hoeing is called guddi or itiddi if done by hand. It is done in a

24sitting posture with the khurpa or ramba, but in the Bnngar an d Mohindargarh

25it is done standing with the kasola. The irrigated crops are generally hoed

26after every watering. The cotton and cane require a large number of hoeings :

27Jo guddi nahin dopatti, tu kydn clmgne di kapatfi—" If you did not hoe your

28cotton earlier, why have you come to pick cotton, 0 bad woman ? ” In the

29Bet cane is hoed by the kasola and khurpa Hoeing is very good

30for crops ; the grass and weeds are uprooted and the earth round the plant

31is loosened. Hoeing is confined to irrigated lands, except in the hills,

32where the land is hoed for all kharif crops.

33Hedging. In some places where sugarcane is largely grown, hedges are put round

34the fields, the branches being tied with tatthds (pressed cane) to make the

35fencing strong. This is done in the Bet, in the Pail and Basf tahsils, and

36is called bate wdli bdr. In the Mohindargarh District these fences are

37generally built of mud and in some places branches of trees are stuck up

38round the field. Fences are generally made of kikar, beri and malla, or

39any other available material.

40Reaping, itacking The reaper reaps in a sitting posture, laying by the handfuls ho cuts,

41and tbresiiing. These he afterwards binds into sheaves and stacks {Idii) in the field.

42The sheaves are then taken to the threshing floor {khalwira), a piece of

43hard ground chosen for the purpose. The place is swept clean and the

44crop is spread out there in a heap 2 or 3 feet high ; the thresher or

45phdld is drawn round and round by two bullocks driven by a man or a boy.

46By this process the straw is broken up fine and the grain is separated

47from the grain and husks. Winnowing follows and requires a wind.

48The mixed straw and grain is tossed in the air with a tangli and thus

49the grain is separated from the straw. After^vards it is put in the

50winnowing sieve {chhaj) and allowed to fall gradually from above, the

51wind blowing away the remaining straw from the grain. Every kind of grain

52except mmze is treated thus. In the case of maize the chkatUs (knirls)' are

53cot and piled up and then beaten with rods and the grain separated from the

54chbatUs, In the Bet the maize is threshed.

55Apiculteal The implements of the agriculturist are few in number and very simple,

56implements and The common plough ijial) is used in all parts of the State ; it opens the

57applianees, jpjj jgpjj, of 8 or lo inches and produces a fine tilth, The plough