Report On The Administration Of The Punjab And Its Dependencies For 1867-68

· 1867 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1GENERAL REPORT

2ON THE

3ADMINISTRATION

4OF THE

5PUNJAB AND ITS DEPENDENCIES

6FOR THE YEAR 1867-68.

71. In the present report, the order of subjects prescribed by the

8Calcutta Statistical Committee will be followed, and the forms have been

9adopted and filled in as far as possible,

10PART lL.

11STATISTICS OF PHYSICAL, POLITICAL, AND FISCAL

12GEOGRAPHY.

13A.—Physical Geography.

142, AnreA—From Appendix I. A—1 it will be perceived that the British

15possessions of the Punjab cover an area of 95,768 square miles, of which

1632,432 are returned as cultivated, 23,780 as culturable, and 389,556 as

17unculturable. Of the cultivated area, 8,121,173 acres consisted at the

18beginning of the year of unappropriated culturable waste ; of these, 49,711

19were sold or granted during the year, leaving 8,071,462 acres unuppropriated

20at the close of the year. But of this large area returned as culturable

21waste, the property of Government, the greater portion is situated in

22tracts where the rain-fall is so scanty that cultivation without irrigation is

23impossible, while the water is so far from the surfuce that wells are too

24costly to admit of their construction with any prospect of future remunera-

25tion. Another large portion consists of rubis or scrub, the retention of

26which is necessary for fuel purposes. Probably not much more than a

27tenth of the total culturable wuste is really available for cultivation.

28The area of the Native Statesin political relation with the Punjab

29vernment is given approximately at 197,319 square miles; but there are

30no reliable statistics showing the proportion of the area brought under

31cultivation or culturable.