CROP DETAILS.

Cereals.

The following are the chief details of the leading field and garden crops. Of cereals there are fifteen:

Kolhapur Cereals.

 

Bajri.

Bajri, of only one kind with an area of 32,570 acres, [ The tillage area given here is throughout for 1881-82.] holds the fourth place among the crops of the State. It is a finer grain than jvari, and requires much more careful tillage. Though it is sometimes grown in garden lands and river-side alluvial deposits, the best lands suited to it are the red, brown, and alluvial soils. It is generally sown in August-September and reaped after four months. It holds a secondary place among the staples of the State. The stalks called saram are used as fodder for cattle. The average acre outturn is about 850 pounds.

Rice.

Rice, with an area of 89,038 acres, is an early crop, sown towards the end of May and in the beginning of June. Rice holds the second place among the cereals of the State, and the rice-crop forms twelve per cent of the entire produce of the country. It is the staple food of all the richer classes and the inhabitants of the tract near the Sahyadris. Rice is grown throughout the State, especially in the western hilly sub-divisions where the rainfall is heavy. The crop is raised in the rich valleys and on the slopes of the hill sides, where the tillage is carried far up the ascent in a series of well defined terraces prepared with embankments to retain the soil and regulate the water-supply. In Kolhapur twenty-three varieties of rice are grown, of which about fifteen ripen in September and are called halve bhat or early rice; seven ripen by the end of October or the beginning of November and are called mahan bhat or late rice; and one, vayangan the only irrigated rice-crop, ripens by the end of March. [The twenty-three varieties of rice are: ambemohor, antarsal, aviste, bhongal, gajvel, jirge, joge, jondhle, kalebhat, karamat, khavrisal, khirsal, kokansal, kothimbirsal, lavhesal, patni, raybhog, somsal, tamsal, vaksal, vandarsal, varangal, and vayangan.] It is grown only in a few places in the alluvial river-beds and in hill-side terraces well supplied with water. In Kolhapur rice grown in Ajra is considered the best. Two varieties jirge and kalebhat are also highly esteemed for their delicious odour when cooked.

There are four distinct modes of cultivating rice: 1. It is raised from rabed seedlings near the Sahyadris. In April a plot is chosen for the seedbed, and on it are spread layers of cowdung brushwood and straw. These layers are called rab. [The chief difference between rab and kumri, the two forms of woodash tillage, is that in rab the burning is confined to the seedbed.] When it is quite dry the rab is fired at noon. The next morning the plot is ploughed with a light plough to mix the ashes with the soil. After the first rain in June the seed is sown broadcast and ploughed in. The seedbed is then carefully levelled. By the end of a fortnight when six or eight inches high, the seedlings are taken from the seedbed and planted out by hand in bundles of four to six at a distance of a span from one another in wet narrow fields which have been ploughed four times, well manured, and levelled. If rain fails the plants are watered. In September the crop is weeded twice, and by the latter end of October it is reaped and left on the ground for a day or two to dry. It is carried to the thrashing floor where it remains spread on straw for two days, when it is trodden out by bullocks and winnowed by hand. 2. It is raised from artificially germinated seed. To induce germination the seed is mixed with cowdung and hot water, placed in bundles of grass, and subjected to pressure for three to four days. It is then sown broadcast on a carefully prepared level seedbed and left as it falls. The seedbed requires to be watched for two days to protect the uncovered seed from birds. Sometimes the seedlings are not transplanted but transplantation as in the first mode of cultivation is the custom. 3. In the plain country the seed is sown broadcast, but there is no trans-, planting. 4. Further east where the land is more level, rice is sown by the ordinary seed-drill. Rice is usually pounded and then called tandul and boiled for food. But it is also customary to grind the cleaned rice into flour. Of this a coarse bread is made. The straw is used as cattle fodder. An average acre outturn of rice in husk varies from 900 to 1280 pounds. A large quantity of rice is exported from the State to the principal markets of the Eastern Deccan and other parts of the Bombay Karnatak.

Wheat and Spelt.

Gahu together with khapli showed an area of 10,014 acres, thus holding the twelfth place in the order of crop returns. Wheat is a late or cold weather crop. As a dry-crop it is grown in black soil where a shower of rain, as the crop comes above ground, is considered beneficial; but in cool seasonable weather with heavy dews it thrives best. As a wet crop it is grown in garden lands. The chief varieties of Kolhapur wheat are shetgahu a dry-crop, and khapli usually but incorrectly considered as a variety of wheat and pangahu, two watered crops. Shetgahu a hard red variety is grown in black and alluvial soils as cold weather crop. Both these soils are highly retentive of moisture and in them it thrives best. Khapli is largely grown in watered lands as a crop alternating with sugarcane. The grain is coated with an adhering husk which cannot be separated without pounding. Pangahu, which is said to have travelled from Gujarat during the 1876 famine, is yellowish, large, full, and soft. It is only sown to a small extent with khapli in garden lands. But as it is one of the varieties now so largely exported to Europe, it is likely that it will spread as people understand its value better. To sow an acre with wheat, forty to eighty pounds of seed are required. In black soil the land is prepared by running the harrow three to four times over the land so as to clear it of weeds. In rice or garden lands where wheat is grown as a second crop, the soil is first broken up by the plough and then harrowed. Wheat is sown with the heavy seed-drill, followed by the harrow to cover up the seed. The dry-crop variety ripens in about four months. The irrigated varieties take a month longer. The average acre outturn is about 480 pounds. The ripe grain is principally made into bread. It is used by rich classes and seldom by the poor except on feast days. The flour is also used largely in pastry and sweetmeats. A small quantity of wheat is exported to the Konkan.

Harik.

Harik is grown in Sahyadri villages both on flat lands and on steep hill slopes, where, according to a general practice, it follows vari and is followed by sesame. As it is the cheapest grain in the State harik is largely used by the poorer classes. It is generally sown about the end of June and takes about four months to ripen. The average acre outturn of harik is estimated to be 500 pounds.

Jvari.

Jvari, the most largely grown cereal in Kolhapur, covered 260,197 acres. There are numerous varieties of Indian millet, some of which belong to the early and others to the late harvest. The early crop is called kar and the late shalu. The kar or early Indian millet Holcus sorghum with 220,697 acres, is the staple food of the eastern sub-divisions and with nachni is largely used by the lower classes of the western sub-divisions. It is sown from the beginning of June to about the middle of July and takes four to five months to ripen. It has eleven varieties, dagdikoli, dukri, gidgyap, gulbhendi, khirsagar, kuchkuchi, madangitti, motichur, sadgar, turati, and vangi. Of these the gidgyap, dukri, and sadgar are common and are grown as substantive crops. The others mixed with these are sown to a small extent. The unripe ears of the khirsagar, kuchkuchi, and gulhhendi varieties are plucked and roasted, The stalks or kadha provide the best fodder for cattle, those of gidgyap being specially preferred to those of other varieties on account of their being leafy and soft. In mal or uplands the early varieties are sown with occasional rows of ambadi, kulith, matki, mug, nachni, rala, tur, and udid. In good black soil free from weeds, the land for the early varieties does not require ploughing every year, but it is only stirred up with the kulav before sowing. Inferior black soil, red soil, and land overgrown with weeds always require ploughing. Whenever practicable five to ten cartloads of manure are laid on an acre of millet field. The average acre outturn of the early varieties is 1170 pounds. A small quantity of it is sent to the Konkan districts below the Sahyadris, and a large portion is consumed locally. Shalu or late Indian millet Holcus saccharatum, with 39,500 acres, is not so important as the early or kar millet. It is sown chiefly near river-banks and in the Shirol and Gadinglaj sub-divisions where, on account of the lateness of the rains, early millet cannot be sown. - Its grain is much prized for its white and sweet flour; and as it is hard and without much pulp, its stalk is not considered good food for cattle. The four varieties of the late Indian millet are kalgundi, machchundi, mangundi, and mhaldandi. It is generally sown in September and October and takes about five months to mature. The average acre outturn is about 960 pounds. Shalu is grown in garden lands as a fodder crop only for cattle in the hot season.

Maize.

Maka, with an area of 3295 acres, is one of the important crops in the State. This crop is largely grown to provide unripe ears for roasting. When specially so intended it is grown in garden lands and in small gardens attached to houses. It is sown in June, and by the end of two months and a half the heads or buthas become ripe enough for roasting. The regular crop is sown in September all along the river-banks and as a row crop in turmeric, earthnut, rala, nachni, and vari fields. It takes about four months to ripen. The average acre outturn is about 1300 pounds. The middle and poorer classes use maize as a substitute of jvari.

Nachni.

Nachni or nagli, with 82,980 acres, is the staple food of the people in the. west and holds the third place among the crops of the State. It is also largely sown in garden and alluvial lands in the plain country. Its tillage differs considerably in black and red soils. In red soil the same process of burning and preparing the soil as used for rice is pursued. As an early crop it is sown in June either by hand or with the drill. After it is reaped, it is dried for a few days before it is thrashed. The husk and straw are used as cattle-fodder. On hill land where rab is practised it is always the first crop after the fallow. In the plain country the land is ploughed and harrowed and the seed drilled as for jvari. In the Konkan Ghatmatha it is also grown as a cold weather crop by the help of water. In garden and alluvial lands nachni is always followed by a second crop of watered wheat, peas, gram, castor seed, or other crop. Some pulses and jvari are sown with nachni as row crops. On hill-side slopes nachni is grown as a mixed crop with kang. Nachni takes about three to four months to harvest. The average acre outturn is about 300 pounds in hilly lands and about 1600 pounds in alluvial and garden lands.

Rala,

Rala, with an area of 19,125 acres, holds the ninth place among the crops of the State. Poor people use it as a substitute for rice. In Kolhapur five varieties of rala are grown. Lavka and dhoka as substantive crops and panada as a row crop are grown in garden lands. Lunga or mohana is grown as an early crop on the mal lands. Tuljapuri is sown as a row crop in cotton fields. When rala is sown as a principal crop, udid, mug, and sometimes tur are sown with it. The average acre outturn is about 850 pounds.

Sava.

Sava, with an area of 19,952 acres, holds the eighth place among the crops of the State. It is much used by middle-class and poor husbandmen in the sub-divisions of Ajra, Bhudargad, Gadinglaj, and Panhala. It is sown broadcast in June and harvested after three or four months. The average acre outturn of sava is about 480 pounds.

Barley.

Satu, with an area of 146 acres, is grown only to a limited extent. In rice fields it is grown as a second crop and as subordinate crop with other cereals. It is sown in the end of September and in the beginning of October and harvested in January. The average acre outturn is about 320 pounds.

Vari.

Vari, with an area of 7148 acres, stands next to nachni as a staple food in the State. Kolhapur vari is of three kinds, vari proper, gholvari, and vara. The first two kinds are grown in poor uplands and kumri lands. They are sown in June and are harvested after two months and a half. Vara is grown as a garden crop in black soil in the plain country. Its grain is larger than the vari proper. The average acre outturn of the latter and gholvari is about 500 pounds and that of vara about 700 pounds.

Besides these chief cereals some coarse grains such as barag, kang, and rajgira are sparingly grown. They are sown in June and harvested after three to four months.

Pulses.

Ten pulses are grown in Kolhapur. The details are:

Kolhapur Pulses.

Gram,

Harbhara, with an area of 17,738 acres, holds the tenth place among the crops of the State. Gram is a cold-weather crop. It is generally sown in the end of September and in the beginning of October, and takes about five months to harvest. In black soil it is sown as a first crop, and in rice and garden lands it is raised as a second crop following rice or nachni. It is also grown as a subordinate crop with shalu or late Indian millet, and sometimes barley and kardai are sown mixed with it. Gram is considered the best bevad or preparatory crop for jvari and cotton. It certainly checks weeds. But it as certainly benefits the land in other ways also, which are not yet satisfactorily known. The average acre outturn is about 650 pounds.. It is eaten raw, but is also made into dal and eaten boiled in a variety of ways, and its flour is used in many sweetmeats. It is given whole to horses, and thus a large quantity is consumed by the State cavalry and in the palace stables. Husbandmen use the young leaves and shoots as a vegetable.

Mug.

Mug, with an area of 3308 acres, is grown to a limited extent. It is sown as a subordinate crop in June or July and reaped in about four months. The average acre outturn is about 300 pounds.

Tur.

Tur, with an area of 22,078 acres, holds the seventh place among the crops of the State. It is generally grown as a subordinate crop with bajri or jvari in black and alluvial soils, and with nachni or sava in red soil. Tur does not yield a certain crop every year. It succeeds best when the main crop with which it is sown fails. Tur is said to flower seven times a season. Its outturn is precarious because especially in cloudy weather it is much eaten by worms. Tur is generally sown as an early mixed crop. It ripens slowly and always remains standing after the other crops of the field have been cut. It is generally harvested in January-February, and its acre outturn varies from 150 pounds to 600 pounds. The green pods are eaten as a vegetable and the ripe pulse is split and eaten boiled in a variety of ways. The yellow split pulse is in common use, being made into amti and varan which resemble porridge. The leaves and husk are used as cattle fodder. The stalks make the best charcoal for gunpowder.

Udid.

"Udid, with 3308 acres, is grown to a small extent chiefly in the Alta, Gadinglaj, and Panhala sub-divisions. It is sometimes grown alone in black and red soils, but it is generally grown as a mixed crop with jvari, nachni, rala, and sava. It is considered the most fattening grain for horned cattle and is also used as a pulse. It is generally sown in June and harvested by the end of August. The average acre outturn is about 300 pounds.

Peas.

Vatana, with an area of 4470 acres, is sown in rice or nachni fields after those crops have been reaped, between lines of tur which remain standing. In alluvial land it is sown as a subordinate crop with shalu or late Indian millet. In the western sub-divisions peas are largely used in the place of gram and tur. Peas are sown in September-October and are harvested in January-February. The average acre outturn of peas is about 300 pounds.

Chavli, kulith, math, masur, and pavta are grown only to a small extent.

Oilseeds.

Eight oilseeds are grown in Kolhapur. The oils of some are solely used in cooking, of some both in cooking and burning, of some in burning and medicine, and of some in medicine only. The spread of kerosine as a lamp-oil is said to have slackened the demand for country oils and the area under oilseeds has fallen. The details are:

Kolhapur Oilseeds.

Brown Hemp.

Ambadi, with an area of 482 acres, is grown as an early crop. It is generally sown with bajri, jvari, nachni, rala, and rice. It is grown both for its seed and fibre. According to his yearly want, every husbandman grows more or less ambadi. It is sown in June and ripens late in December. Oil is extracted from the ripe seed generally mixed with the seeds of safflower. The bark yields a valuable fibre which is separated from the stalk by soaking. The stalks are tied in small bundles and kept for five to six days in water. When thoroughly soaked, the bundles are taken out, and every stalk is separately washed. The bark is then stripped off beginning at the root end and dried in the sun. The dry bark is tied in bundles and either sent to market or kept for home use. It is made into ropes for various purposes. As ambadi grown in the State is not enough to meet the wants of the people, aloe fibre is extensively used by husbandmen for rope-making. When ambadi is grown in earthnut and sugarcane fields, its tender leaves, which have an acid flavour, are used as a vegetable.

Earthnut.

Bhuimug, with an area of 27,543 acres, holds the sixth place among the crops of the State. It is grown to a considerable extent as a garden crop. Bhuimug thrives best in alluvial black soils and though it will grow in other soils such as chunkhad, it then requires liberal manuring. It is sown in June and harvested in January. After the south-west monsoon has ceased in November and December, it requires four to five waterings. Poorer classes use it at the evening meal and on fast days. Almost all classes eat it parched. An edible oil is pressed from the nuts which are first mixed with kardai. When not mixed with kardai, five pounds of bhuimug yield about one pound of oil. Though edible the oil is chiefly used for burning. The oil-cake or pend, the residue left after the oil has been expressed, is an excellent food for cattle. The average acre outturn of bhuimug is thirteen hundredweights without shells and seventeen hundredweights with shells.

Castor Seed.

Erandi, with an area of 1986 acres, is either grown by itself or with late jvari and maize in red, black, and alluvial soils, and harvested in January. There are three varieties, chitkya or small seeded, dholkya or large seeded, and ghaderandi. The first two varieties; are grown as ordinary field crops, and the third, as it requires much water, is planted either near the leading channel of a sugarcane field or around the field. The oil, which is used more for burning than as a medicine, is drawn by boiling the bruised beans and; skimming from the surface. To raise the oil to the surface, cold  water is poured on. The refuse is an excellent manure for plantain trees and the stems are used as fuel or thatch. The average acre outturn is 530 pounds.

Linseed.

Javas, with an area of 505 acres, is grown to very small extent. It is grown with cotton, late jvari, and wheat. It is harvested in about 3½ months. Pure linseed oil is expressed for painting purposes only. Most of the linseed grown in the State is sent to Bombay. Its average acre outturn is 375 pounds.

Safflower.

Kardai, with an area of 5223 acres, is grown in considerable quantities as a late crop. It is sown in September and harvested in January. In rich black soil it is grown with gram and wheat and in poor soil as a regular rotation crop. Though much esteemed in cooking pure kardai oil is seldom offered for sale. As it does alone not yield a large quantity of oil, kardai seed is generally mixed with ambadi, bhuimug, korte, and javas. The average acre outturn of kardai is 600 pounds.

Korte.

Korte, with an area of 9442 acres, is grown in considerable quantities as an oilseed, and holds the fourteenth place among the crops of the State. It is grown both in red hilly lands and in black soil. Though sometimes sown with bajri and rala, korte is often raised as a second crop in land first cropped with rala sava and vara. As an early crop in red hilly Soil it is sown in June, and in black soil always in August. It is always pressed mixed with kardai. The average acre outturn is about 300 pounds.

Mustard.

Mohari is grown in small quantities as a row crop with wheat, peas, onions, maize, and earthnut. The seed is used in spices, the seed-oil in medicine, and the young leaves as a vegetable.

Sesame.

Til, with an area of 927 acres, is grown only in small quantities. It is of two kinds, black or brown and white. It is sown in June and harvested in September. As the produce is small, sesame is not much used as an oilseed. It is sometimes eaten raw and forms an ingredient in many sweetmeats. Sugar-coated sesame seed is distributed among friends and kinsfolk on Sankrant the 12th of January. The average acre outturn is 320 pounds.

Besides these, oil is expressed from kangoni and karanj. These seeds are gathered in the western forests and the oil obtained from them is mostly used in medicine.

Fibre Plants.

Four fibre plants are grown in Kolhapur. The details are:

Kolhapur Fibre Plants.

Ambadi.

Ambadi. See under Oilseeds.

Aloe.

Ghaymari is planted along hedges. As aloe fibre is much used in rope-making, its cultivation is likely to increase and will probably soon compete with brown hemp. The broad aloe leaves are cut into strips and soaked for ten to twelve days and then dried in the sun and beaten with a wooden mallet to separate the fibre. The ropes, which are used for various field purposes, are generally made by Mangs and sometimes by husbandmen.

Cotton,

Kapus, with an area of 29,192 acres, is the most important fibre crop and holds the fifth place among' the crops of the State. As attempts in growing the American and other exotic varieties have not proved successful only the indigenous variety is sown. It is grown in black soil in the eastern parts and thrives best in the Ichalkaranji and Shirol sub-divisions. It is sown in August and harvested in February. The seed is mixed with fine manure and sown with the seed-drill. Cotton is picked by women, who generally receive the tenth part of the picked cotton as their wages. The seed is given to cattle as food, the leaves to sheep and goats, and the dry stalks are used as fuel. In 1881 the cotton crop was estimated at about 9790 hundredweights of cleaned cotton or thirty-seven pounds per acre. The yield per acre varies from 250 to 300 pounds seed cotton in rich soils and from 125 to 250 pounds in ordinary soils. The proportion, by weight, of seed to clean cotton is three to one. The husbandman for one acre of cotton spends about 7s. (Rs. 3½) in labour, 4s. (Rs. 2) in manure, and 1½d. (1 a.) in seed, and pays 9s. 3d. (Rs. 4?) in rich soils and 6s. (Rs. 3) in ordinary soils as rental, and according to the season his profit varies from 11s. 6d. (Rs. 5¾) to 4s. 6ri. (Rs. 2¼) in rich soils, and from 7s. 6d. (Rs. 3¾) to 3s. (Rs. 1½) in ordinary soils.

Bombay Hemp.

Tag, with an area of 3160 acres, is grown as a fibre crop. As it is supposed to refresh the exhausted soil, it is considered a good bevad or preparatory crop, and is grown as such every second or third year in some of the fields required for sugarcane, tobacco, and other rich crops. Sometimes it is grown as a second crop and ploughed in when young as a green manure. It is sown in August and harvested in December. When full-sized the plants are cut and the heads are separated. The plants are then tied in bundles and soaked for about a week, when they are dried in the sun, and the bark is separated in the same way as in ambadi. The bark is tied in bundles, soaked in water, and beaten to loosen the fibre. Of the fibre a long smooth thread is span by means of a chati or reel, from which are made well-ropes, twine, and sacking. The average acre outturn of Bombay hemp is 150 pounds.

Dyes.

Only one dye is grown in Kolhapur. Halad, Turmeric, Curcuma longa, with 1267 acres, holds an important place in the garden; crops of the State. In Kolhapur two varieties of turmeric, gadvi and lokhandi, are grown. Gadvi is short and spare and is not much grown. Lokhandi produces a long hard and well-filled tuber, and is . widely grown. When there is a good supply of well-water turmeric is sown in May, otherwise it is generally sown in June, after the first rain. Except that it is not so well manured, the; land is ploughed and prepared in the same way as for sugarcane.: Turmeric seed is planted on the sides of furrows nine inches apart and alternating with rows of maize. After the maize crop is removed, the turmeric crop is manured with cowdung. It requires watering once a week. It is harvested in January. The tubers are dug out by women with the kudal or pickaxe.

Turmeric.

The central and round tuber is kept for seed and the offshoots are boiled and dried. The unripe tuber which is called chora is sold to Atars or perfumers for making kunku or redpowder with which Hindu women mark their brows. The root is in universal use as a condiment, being the chief constituent of curry powder. Only a small part of Kolhapur halad is used locally. The greater part is exported to Bombay. The average acre outturn is 720 pounds of dry turmeric besides the seed.

Narcotics.

Three narcotics are grown in Kolhapur. The details are:

Kolhapur Narcotics.

 

Betel Leaves.

Pan is grown to a small extent in Alta and a few other villages, most of the leaves used in the State being imported from the neighbouring districts. It has two kinds deti and gangeri. The latter has a red stem and fibre and is softer than deti. Of the two kinds deti is chiefly grown. It thrives only in rich soils such as alluvial or black, and requires great skill and attention and a plentiful supply of good sweet water. The betel-vine garden is well fenced and is divided into convenient blocks crossed by water channels. One acre of betel-leaf garden is divided into forty blocks, each having seventeen beds, fifteen small and two large. The two large beds are called baudtang. Of the small beds, two on the left side are called khandtang, the four front beds chiretang, and the remaining nine kurgache vafe. Plantain leaves are used to shelter the vines from the sun and wind and for this purpose plantains are grown along the hedgerows and at certain points in the beds. The vines are trained up slender hadga, nimb, pangra, shevga, and shevri trees. For this purpose in June shevri seeds are sown along the ridges of beds, and hadga, nimb, pangra, and shevga seeds are sown here and there all over the garden. When the standards have grown two feet high, cuttings about fifteen inches long from the best ripened shoots of the old vines are planted three inches deep and nine inches apart. In each large bed eighteen and in each small bed twelve cuttings are planted. In about a fortnight the cuttings begin to throw out new leaves. As it grows, the vine is trained to nurse-trees at short intervals and tied with lavhala grass. It wants water twice a week and in the hot season every alternate day. Fifteen months after planting the leaf-picking begins. The leaf-picker cuts the leaf with his thumb sheathed in a sharp nail-like claw. Every year in January the vine is loosened from the nurse-tree, stripped of its leaves, coiled away, and buried above the root under fresh earth and manure. The old vine throws new shoots which are trained up the nurse-tree. Some of them which are unhealthy die off. In five or six years when they are at their best, each vine has thrown out generally eight to ten shoots. In good soils the vines go on yielding ten to twelve years, Tirgul Brahmans, who generally cultivate the vine, sell it to leaf-dealers. The betel-leaf is chewed by all classes with betelnut, quicklime, catechu, and sometimes with tobacco and several spices. The average yield of a well covered block is estimated at about five kudtans. [ Four hundred leaves make one kavli and forty five kavlis make one Kudtan.] The leaves are sold retail at the rate of a penny a hundred.

Betelnut.

Supari is planted in pleasure gardens above the Sahyadris and as a crop in a few villages below the Sahyadris in the Bavda State.

Tobacco.

Tambakhu, with an area of 10,193 acres, holds the eleventh place in the crops of the State. It is grown in the customary rotation in black and alluvial soils and garden lands. It is sown in the middle of August and reaped after six months. The soil is prepared as for other late crops, but is always richly manured by folding sheep. The average acre outturn varies from 300 pounds in ordinary soil to 450 pounds in alluvial soils. Most of the tobacco grown in the State is locally used.

Spices.

Thirteen spices are grown in Kolhapur. The details are:

Kolhapur Spices and Condiments.

Ginger.

Ale is grown to a small extent in Alta and Panhala. It is raised from layers at any time. Dry ginger is not prepared in the State but is brought from Rajapur and Vengurla. As it keeps longer than Kolhapur ginger, Satara green ginger is also brought into the State.

Fennel.

Badishep is grown to a small extent. The seed is eaten in curry, and is largely used as medicine for women and for children especially in diarrhoea.

Turmeric.

Halad is in universal use as a condiment and forms the chief ingredient of curry powder. Details have been given above under dyes.

Carry Leaf.

Kadhilimb is generally grown in house compounds. The tree is large and the leaves are used in curry.

Kalimiri is grown in small quantities in gardens and house compounds in villages of the Konkan Ghatmatha. The produce is small and is barely enough for local consumption.

Coriander.

Kothimbir covered 2570 acres, 2472 of which were in the Gadinglaj sub-division where it is mostly grown for its seed. It is raised both as a green vegetable and as a crop for its seed called dhane. The green leaves are much used in curries and relishes and the powdered seed in spices. When grown as a vegetable it is raised at any time of the year; but when raised for its seed, it is sown in good black soil in September and harvested after three months. The soil is ploughed and prepared in the same way as for jvari, and the seed is sown with the seed-drill with kardai in occasional rows. To sow an acre with coriander, about sixty pounds of seed are required. The average acre outturn is 1300 pounds. The rupee rate of coriander varies from eighty to a hundred pounds. The yearly export from the State to Athni, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Poona, Rajapur, and Vengurla is estimated to be worth £2500 (Rs. 25,000).

Fenugreek.

Methi, like coriander, is grown at any time of the year and is largely used by all classes. The leaves are eaten boiled as a vegetable and the seed is used in medicine and condiments.

chillies.

Mirchi, with an area of 8469 acres, is sown both in garden and dry lands. It is generally grown in red and black soils. It is of two kinds, the long with thin pods and the short with thick pods. The long pods are more pungent than the short pods and are much used locally; the short pods are mostly exported. The seed is sown in May in a seedbed, and when after six weeks or two months they are six inches high, the seedlings are planted out two at a time in rows three feet apart. The plants are earthed up and in garden lands are watered once or twice. Sometimes a row of cotton plants or coriander plants is grown between two rows of chillies, when they have grown about a foot high. When the plants are sown the soil is harrowed with the kulav, and the soil around the plants is weeded and loosened with a Khurpe or trowel. In about three months the plants begin to "bear and the first green crop is gathered about the middle of August. As they become fully coloured, the pods are picked and spread in the sun to dry thoroughly. The average acre outturn of chillies is about 200 pounds. Nearly one-fourth of the produce finds its way to- Chiplun in Ratnagiri, and the rest is locally used.

Mustard.

Mohari. See under Oilseeds.

Ova.

Ova, a blind nettle with fleshy aromatic leaf, grows freely as a weed in gardens.

Dill Seed.

Shepu is grown sparingly just enough for local use. The green leaves are used as vegetable and the ripe seed both in condiments and medicine.

Sugarcane.

Sugarcane, one of the most important crops in the State, occupied in 1881-82, an unusually dry year, a tillage area of 9900 acres. In ordinary years the tillage area under sugarcane varies from 12,000 to 15,000 acres. As it requires a larger capital and a longer time to ripen than most other garden crops, it may be fairly presumed that the farmer who grows it is fairly prosperous. Five kinds of sugarcane are grown in Kolhapur bhonga, chimnapunda, khadkya, ramrasal, and tambdi or red. Of these five kinds bhonga is streaked white and red and is grown in garden lands to a less extent than ramrasal. Chimnapunda seems to be a species of ramrasal. Its skin is thin and its joints are close. As it is considered inferior to other kinds very little sugar is made from it. Khadkya is white, grows about the thickness of a good Indian millet-stalk, and has very little saccharine matter. It is grown in the Panhala, Karvir, and Bhudargad sub-divisions. It is hard and requires to be watered thoroughly only once during the dry months. Ramrasal, a white variety, about five to eight feet high and an inch thick, is largely grown in the garden lands of the Alta, Karvir, and Shirol sub-divisions. Its joints are far apart, and it is the most juicy of all varieties. Tambdi or red was once very common, but it has now given way everywhere to bhonga and ramrasal. Though less juicy it is sweeter than ramrasal and is much eaten. Of these five kinds the white and the striped kinds seem to have been introduced about thirty-five years ago, and they, if not the acclimatised varieties of Mauritius, very much resemble it. Sugarcane is grown in three kinds of soil black, red, and brown-red which is alluvial deposit on river-sides. The brown-red is considered the richest and best suited to sugarcane. Sugarcane requires much watering and heavy manuring. Sugarcane takes much out of the soil. Unless he is satisfied with a poor return, the Kolhapur landholder does not grow sugarcane oftener than once in three years. Still when the area of garden land is small, sugarcane is grown alternately with either hemp chillies or spiked millet; but this soon impoverishes the soil and makes long rest necessary after a few years' cropping. In the plain country sugarcane is followed in the second year after a heavy manuring by Indian millet, and in the third year either by hemp, chillies, groundnuts, or spiked millet. In the western parts of Kolhapur sugarcane alternates with rice or nachni. In garden lands and riverside lands which are flooded as many as a thousand sheep are folded on one acre for five days and besides this about thirty-five to fifty cartloads of ordinary manure are laid on the ground. Nightsoil where procurable is preferred. It is considered superior and the; quantity required is about half that of ordinary manure. In riverside alluvial deposits sheep urine and droppings are the only manure. When he cannot afford to manure the whole field, a husbandman only covers the furrows in which the cuttings have been planted with ordinary manure.

In parts near the Sahyadris sugarcane cuttings are planted in December, and in the eastern sub-divisions of Alta and Shirol between January and March. In the western parts the land is ploughed three to four times, the clods are broken down with the kulav, and furrows about eighteen inches apart are made by a heavy; plough. The cuttings are then laid and are covered with manure. A small plough runs by the sides of the furrows and covers the-cuttings. The field is then watered. After the cuttings have sprouted the field is weeded. Before the crop is ready the field is occasionally weeded and the plants are earthed up. The plantation is generally well hedged to protect it from jackals and wild pig. In garden lands and river-watered plots the field is ploughed crosswise in December and the clods are broken and the surface levelled with wooden mallets. Between January and February the field is manured with sheep urine and droppings and then with ordinary manure. The field is then thoroughly ploughed to work in the manure. Parallel ridges or sars about eighteen inches apart are made and water is let into channels between the ridges. The field is ready for planting. Much care is taken in selecting cuttings. Cuttings are taken from the healthiest and biggest canes in the field. It is also seen that the canes have no turas or flowery spikes at the top. Seed canes are cut into kandis or pieces fifteen to eighteen inches long with three or four shoots. They are then dropped lengthwise into the furrows and pressed by the foot well into the ground. About 10,000 cuttings cover an acre. On the fourth day after planting comes the first watering or ambavni and on the eighth day the second watering or chimbavni. After these waterings comes the regular irrigation after five to eight days according to the soil and sufficiency of water. A week after planting the cuttings begin to sprout; after three weeks when the plants have come a few inches above the ground the field is weeded by hand. During the first four months the field is weeded every month by hand. In four months the cane grows about four feet high and the kulav is run between the rows of plants to earth up their roots. In the fifth month the field is again weeded by hand. After this month till the crop is ripe no weeding takes place but the field is watered at regular intervals. In the western parts where rainfall is heavier sugarcane does not want watering after the fifth of June; and in the eastern plains where rain is less heavy and falls at long intervals it requires occasional watering even in the monsoon months. In the western parts sugarcane is watered either by pats or by budkis that is wells built on the bank of a river or stream. In drawing water from budkis husbandmen club together. The water is raised from the budki to an intermediate receptacle and thence to another and so on to the level from which it can be distributed by gravitation. To draw up water from one place to another mots or leather-bags are used. There are generally three to four lifts, but sometimes as many as six. Considering the expense and labour thus required to raise the water, the land watered is taxed in proportion to the number of lifts. When more than four lifts are used the land is assessed at the rate of full dry-crop assessment. In the eastern parts, like other garden crops sugarcane is watered by well-water raised by mots or leather-bags. Sometimes during a few months in the year, when the well-water supply is low, the field is watered by channels drawn from streams dammed at higher levels. While the crop is young pot-herbs are grown along the furrows. If the crop is stunted the ground is loosened with the hoe or kudal; and to give it a fresh start two to three inches of the roots of the plants are cut. Sugarcane takes about eleven months to mature. When ripe it is heavy, its skin is smooth and brittle and its juice sweet and sticky. If not cut in the eleventh month, it is kept till the thirteenth, as the husbandman believes that it yields much less juice when cut in the twelfth month. As it is believed that the root part contains particularly rich juice, sugarcane is cut several inches below the ground. The dry and loose leaves are taken off and the canes are taken to the mill. Near large towns and market-places it often pays to take canes to markets to Bell by retail for eating. But most of the cane goes to the mill.

The mill is set up in a corner of the field and employs about seventeen hands and sixteen bullocks. Five men called phadkaris are employed in cutting, topping, and stripping the cane. Fresh cut canes give a larger percentage of juice and so the cane is cut as required by the mill. One man called molkya or the bundle-man carries the cut canes to the mill. The khandkya chops the canes into pieces about a yard long. The tops with one joint are kept for seed-cuttings, and the lower pieces are tied in bundles. Seven men work at the mill. The bharkavlya feeds the mill with the cut cane received from the kandyaghalnar. The lendkavlya sits on the side of the mill opposite the feeder and thrusts back between the rollers the pieces of cane as they come through. Each piece passes three times between the rollers. The crushed cane or chipad is burnt with other fuel for boiling the juice. Two men called patkyas drive the bullocks yoked to the mill. Two called ademodes take the juice that falls into the mandan, an earthen pot large enough to hold about sixty gallons, to the boiling pan; and they also remove the boiled; juice from the boiling pan or kail. The boiling pan, which is large enough to hold about 120 gallons, is placed on a stone and is heated by a long flue. When the scum rises in bubbles and breaks into white froth the juice is sufficiently boiled. This takes about three to four hours. The impurities in the juice rise with the scum and are taken out with a bamboo sieve or vavdi. To cause impurities to rise the juice is constantly stirred, and sometimes a handful of ashes of the myrobalan and milkbush or aghada Achyranthus aspera are added to it. An expert styled the gulrandhya, from time to time takes a little juice between his forefinger and thumb to see whether the, boiling has been carried on sufficiently. When he is satisfied, the juice is poured into a wooden trough to cool and from the trough into regular holes made in the ground and lined with cloths to keep out dirt. At this stage the juice is called kakvi or molasses, which in the holes crystallizes into raw-sugar or gul in about three to four hours. These lumps of raw-sugar are dark-brown in colour and weigh thirty-six to forty pounds. The kindling of the fire and feeding it are entrusted to two men called chuljalya or hearth-burners. These are generally village Mhars. The burning cinders to light the fire must be brought from a Mhar's house. The labourers who work at the mill are paid in kind' at the rate of three canes and 2½ pounds of raw-sugar. The village servants or balutedars are paid in proportion to the work they do. The carpenter or sutar has the, largest share of work. He repairs the water-lifts and keeps the mill in good order. He receives six pounds of raw-sugar and eight canes a day while the pressing is going on. The leather-worker or chambhar repairs the leather-bags and buckets and leather ropes and fastenings and receives half as much as the carpenter. The blacksmith who mends the field tools, the Mang who supplies ropes and whips, the potter who supplies earthen pots, the barber who shaves the husbandman, and the washerman who washes his clothes, are entitled to three-fourths of a pound of raw-sugar and three canes a day so long as the mill is at work. The taral sweeps the place where the mill works and gets three pounds of raw-sugar and five canes. The Brahman astrologer, the Jain Upadhya, and the Lingayat Jangam fix the day for working the mill and are granted two pounds of raw-sugar on the first day. The village Gurav prays to Ganpati to remove all difficulties that may come, and the Mullani or Muhammadan priest extends the protection of his patron saint by distributing ashes of frankincense burnt before the saint. These get one-fourth of a pound of raw-sugar, two canes, and a potful of juice once only during the course of the pressing. When the pressing and boiling is over and the gul is being removed to the village, the village balutedars receive half as much as they have already earned. Believing that retail sale of sugarcanes in the field will bring him ill-luck and freehanded gifts will be rewarded by a plentiful outturn, the husbandman freely gives canes, juice, and bits of new raw-sugar to any one who asks for them, and crowds of beggars throng the field. It is estimated that about twenty to twenty-five per cent of the produce thus goes in wages and charity. As the juice easily ferments under the heat of the day, pressing and boiling take place at night. For home consumption the husbandman keeps a little molasses. The outturn of molasses per acre is estimated at about 1170 gallons worth about £22 10s. (Rs. 225).

Sugar.

Except in some of the villages of the Alta, Kagal, Karvir, and Shirol sub-divisions, no sugar is made in the State. The craft of sugar-making in Kolhapur is of late growth and is wholly in the hands of Jains, Lingayats, and Musalmans. Because it was first made at Yelgund in Alta by a Gujarat Musalman sugar-maker about thirty years ago, Kolhapur sugar is called Yelgundi. Of late it has improved both in quality and quantity. Most of the sugarcane juice in Yelgund and in the surrounding villages is made into sugar, and sugar of the present day is far superior in colour and taste to what it was about twenty years ago. The sugar-refiner buys the juice off husbandmen at 14s. (Rs. 7) a can of 120 gallons. Except that more care is taken to skim off the impurities, the juice is boiled in the same way as in raw-sugar making. To aid the rising of impurities to the surface a handful of ashes of the bhendi Hibiscus esculentus is dropped into the boiling juice. The boiled juice is then poured into a wooden trough, and from it into earthen jars where it consolidates. After a week or ten days the lumps are put in a boiling pan rubbed inside with salt water and heated. The syrup is then poured into a bamboo basket six feet in circumference and two and a half to three feet in height and placed on a stool nine inches high. Under the stool is dug a hole in which the treacle drains from the basket. For a week the basket is kept thus. Then the surface of the sugar in the basket is stirred to the depth of nine inches, two to three pounds of milk are poured into it, and the surface is smoothed with a pitali or platter rubbed with clarified butter. The surface is then covered with a thick ayer of a moss called kaju in Hindustani, a piece of coarse cloth and a layer of sugarcane leaves one over the other. The drainage into the hole below the stool goes on. Every third day the covering of the basket is taken off, the layer of refined sugar which has been formed is removed, and a fresh layer of the moss is laid. In this way all the refined sugar is gradually removed. The treacle which is collected in the hole is sold for making liquor. The average acre outturn of sugarcane is 3960 gallons of juice worth about £25 (Rs. 250). The same quantity of juice when made into sugar, yields about 2250 pounds of sugar worth £28 (Rs. 280) at the average rate of 6s. (Rs. 3) the man of twenty-four pounds.

Cardamom.

Veldoda has of late been introduced into the State gardens at Panhala. The 1881 yield was 2⅓ pounds, worth about £1 3s. 6d. (Rs. 11¾). As it has thriven well it is likely that cardamom will be grown as a crop.,'

Bulb Vegetables.

Eight bulb vegetables are grown in Kolhapur. The details are:

Kolhapur Root Crops.

Potato.

Batata has of late been introduced in the State and is only grown to a limited extent. But as it has apparently succeeded well in Panhala and other western parts, potato is likely to spread over the State. The variety now grown is the Mahabaleshvar potato. As it has more nutritious qualities than many native root crops, potato will be a good substitute for harik, sava, and vari now so largely used by poor people. It is planted in August and harvested after three months.

Common Yam.

Chin is not so much, relished as sweet potatoes. It is grown; in vegetable gardens near houses in the western villages. It is planted in June and is ready after six months.

Carrot.

Gajar is grown in almost all gardens in the State. As a vegetable it is much relished by husbandmen. It is sown broadcast between September and November, and becomes ready for use within three months. During the first two months the crop is watered every ten days. In the third month the root begins to ripen and watering is stopped. A full sized carrot is four to five inches long and weighs about two ounces. Carrot is eaten either raw or boiled and is given to milch-buffaloes.

Onion.

Kanda is one of the most important crops in the State. As a second crop it follows rice, sava, rala, and nachni. Onions are sown in seedbeds, and when one month old the seedlings are planted out in December. It is fit for use in two months after planting and takes two months more to come to maturity. It requires watering once a fortnight. Chakvat, pokla, rajgira, and other pot-herbs are grown with onions. The average acre outturn of onion is 1500 pounds.

Garlic.

Lasun is grown under irrigation and requires water every week and constant weeding. The segments of the bulb are planted at the rate of 120 pounds per acre. The average acre outturn is 240 pounds. Garlic is an important condiment and husbandmen largely use it in their chatnis or relishes.

Radish.

Mula is largely grown in garden lands. It is raised twice in a year. To sow the seed small holes eighteen inches apart are dug by a pointed peg. The hole is first filled with manure, the seed is then put in and covered with earth. In two months and a half the root becomes fit for use and is eaten raw or boiled; the leaves are used as a pot-herb.

Sweet Potato.

Ratale is grown under irrigation and with manure. It is raised from layers put down at any time in the rains or cold weather, but chiefly in the middle of September, and comes to maturity within four months. The ground is levelled and richly manured, and cuttings from the old crop are planted nine inches apart. It requires water every week. If watering is neglected the crop is attacked by a minute grub. Except weeding and earthing up the crop requires no attention. When ready for use the rut is dug out, the haulms are separated from the root and given as fodder to cattle. The sweet potato is much esteemed as a vegetable. It is also eaten either raw or roasted chiefly on fast days.

Suran.

Suran is grown in plantain and betelnut gardens in the west. It takes three years to mature. The root grows to a large size, weighing about ten pounds, is much esteemed as a vegetable and chiefly eaten by richer classes.

Besides the above, the mainmul is grown by the sides of water channels in garden lands. The root makes a good pickle.

Fruit Vegetables.

Thirteen fruit vegetables are grown in Kolhapur. The details are:

Kolhapur Fruit Vegetables.

 

Pumpkin.

Bhopla is mostly grown near homesteads, along the headlands of sugarcane plantations, and on river banks in alluvial lands. As a vegetable it is eaten boiled, and when grown in abundance is chopped into pieces and given to buffaloes.

Dodka is largely grown on sides of sugar-cane plantations and in jvari and cotton fields. It is eaten boiled and is much esteemed as a vegetable.

Dudhyabhopla.

Dudhyabhopla like red pumpkin is grown near homesteads, along sugarcane plantations, and on river sides in alluvial soil. As a vegetable it is much esteemed, and when grown in abundance is chopped and given to buffaloes.

Ghosale.

Ghosale is grown near cottages on which it is allowed to climb. The fruit the only part eaten is smooth, of the same size as the dodka, and marked lengthwise with light lines. It is used in the same way as the dodka.

Cucumber.

Kakdi is grown in gardens, by sides of sugarcane plantations' and in house-yards. In the western parts it grows to a large size and is called tosa. Cucumber is generally eaten raw. The tosa is chiefly used in making a dry preserve called sandge.

Karle.

Karle is generally grown in sugarcane and turmeric fields and sometimes by itself on a separate patch of garden land. The fruit, the only part eaten, though bitter is much used as a vegetable.

Squash.

Kashibhopla, that is Benares pumpkin, is grown and used in the same way as the dudhya-bhopla.

Kohala.

Kohala is grown and used in the same way as the kashibhopla. The fruit is never eaten raw, but is much esteemed as a vegetable.

Snake Gourd.

Padval is largely grown near homesteads and is much esteemed as a vegetable.

Shetvaluk.

Shetvaluk is largely grown as a vegetable. It is of two kinds the shetvaluk proper and the phut or shendad. The seed of shetvaluk is either sown in February June or August and the plant begins to bear within two months. Phut or shendad is largely grown in black soil, chiefly cotton fields. The fruit is eaten only when ripe.

Tondle.

Tondle is grown near cottages and fences where cuttings are planted. The creeper is allowed to climb over the cottages and fences. The fruit is the only part eaten.

Brinjal.

Vangi is grown as a garden crop in alluvial lands near river sides. It is of two kinds, the bangali or large long brinjal and the dorli or small round brinjal. The bangali brinjal takes much from the soil and the next year's crop is almost always poor. In August seedlings are made in richly manured seedbeds, and in September, they are planted two feet apart on land manured with ordinary manure or sheep droppings. To protect the plants from canker, the ends of the. roots are cut and the roots dipped in a solution of cowdung and assafoetida. The field is hoed and weeded as often as it is needed, and; the plants are watered once a fortnight. In about two months the plants begin to bear and continue to bear about six months. Brinjal is much liked by natives and is largely sold in all markets. When in season brinjal is sold at four pounds a penny.

Tomato.

Velvangi is grown only in gardens in Kolhapur city. The seed' is either imported or kept from the last year's crop.

Six pod vegetables are grown in Kolhapur. The details are;

Kolhapur Pod Vegetables.

Bhendi.

Bhendi is of two varieties, large and small. The large variety is largely grown in sugarcane and turmeric fields. The small variety is generally grown in jvari and cotton fields. Bhendi is either eaten green or dried. Dried bhendi is stored for the hot season when fresh vegetables are scarce.

Ghevda.

Ghevda has many varieties, the chief being the ghevda proper, the French bean which is grown in Kolhapur alone, vilayati ghevda or double bean, and shravan ghevda, which is cheap and largely eaten during the rainy months. The pods are eaten boiled as a vegetable and the grain is used as a pulse.

Govari.

Govari is grown in gardens at any time and during the rains on the edges of early grain crops. It begins to bear within three months, and if watered occasionally goes on bearing for some months. The pod is eaten green and is much prized as a vegetable.

Hatga.

Hatga is grown in house compounds and betel-vine gardens. The pods are largely used.

Kharsarmbli,

Kharsarmbli, a creeping plant, is grown without water or manure near houses on the edges of garden lands. It begins to bear in three months and in good soil goes on bearing three or four years. The pod when young and tender is used as a vegetable.

Horse Radish.

Shevga is grown near houses and in betel-vine gardens. The tree is large and bears many long pods. The pods are largely used as a vegetable.

Leaf Vegetables.

Gram, peas, and many other pulses when green are used as vegetables. Radish pods are also largely used as a vegetable.

Eleven leaf vegetables are grown in Kolhapur. The details are:

Kolhapur Leaf Vegetables.

Alu.

Alu is largely grown in marshy places, in house compounds, and in refuse-pits in which bath and cook-room water is drained. The leaves and stems are eaten boiled and are much esteemed as a vegetable. In certain Hindu religious rites alu is prescribed.

The remaining nine plants are grown in garden lands at any time of the year. They are only raised for their leaves which are eaten boiled as vegetables.

Besides the above given leaf vegetables tender shoots of brow hemp and gram and young leaves of methi, dill-seed, mustard, radish, and safflower are largely eaten boiled as vegetables.

European vegetables are grown in gardens attached to the Palace and the Infantry Lines and have succeeded well, but the people have not taken to growing them freely.

Fruit Trees.

Twenty-three fruit trees are grown in Kolhapur. The details are.

Kolhapur Fruit Trees.

Mango.

Amba is common in gardens and fields. In some places mangoes are planted in groves. The largest groves in the State are near Chokak, Kagal, and Top. Although mango flourishes everywhere in the State, the fruit is considered inferior to Goa and Ratnagiri mangoes, and every year large quantities of mangoes are brought from those places. Of late within the last twenty years some attempts have been made to introduce Alphonso or aphus and Pariera or payri ango grafts into the State gardens. As it requires care and skill, the growing of grafted mango trees is not much taken by the people.

Pineapple.

Ananas is grown in Bavda and Anaskura, where it thrives well. It is also brought from below the Sahyadris.

Fig.

Anjir is grown sparingly. It thrives well at Panhala and a few other places.

Bel.

Bel is commonly found in flower gardens and near Slav temples. It is largely planted in Lingayat burying grounds. The triple leaves are offered to Shiv, and the young fruit is made into a preserve. As a medicine the pulped fruit is given to check diarrhoea.

Jujube.

Bor is grown in here and there gardens, but also as a substantive crop. The fruit is largely eaten by children.

Coffee.

Bund has been only partially introduced in Kolhapur. Experiments hitherto made show that the climate of Kolhapur is not moist enough for the healthy growth of the plant. At higher levels such as at Bhadargad, Malkapur, and Panhala, with irrigation the plant grows luxuriantly; and it is supposed that the plant would thrive well in the western Ghats. The berries are sown in seedbeds, and when they grow about a foot high the seedlings are planted out in holes five to six feet apart. Coffee requires to be manured every year. To encourage branching the top-shoot is nipped when the tree is five feet high and the side branches are pruned periodically. The tree begins to bear in four years. It flowers in June and the berry is ready for picking in November - December. In 1881 in different State gardens at Bavda, Panhala, and Vishalgad the coffee trees numbered 5000, and the whole outturn for the year was 960 pounds worth £32 (Rs. 320) at three pounds the rupee.

Tamarind.

Chinch grows in forests, by roadsides, and in waste ground near village sites. The fruit is largely used by all classes in cookery. It ripens in February-March. The thin hard and loose shell of the ripe fruit is removed, the black stony seed is taken out and the pulp is dried with or without salt and stored for use throughout the year. The young leaves and the stony seed are largely used by the poorer classes. The leaves which have a sour taste are eaten boiled as a vegetable, and the seed is used as a chatni or relish. The wood is tough and is much used for field tools. The Kolhapur market is supplied with tamarind from Pohale, Top, and other neighbouring-villages. It sells at two pounds the penny.

Pomegranate.

Dalimb is not much grown in the State. Most of the fruit used is imported from Miraj, Pandharpur, and Satara.

Grape.

Drakaha,' though once largely grown in Torgal, has of late declined chiefly owing to a kind of blight which attacks the vine. But from the experiments made at Kolhapur with indigenous and foreign varieties, it appears that the vine can be protected from the blight by care and scientific treatment. Kolhapur grapes are of three kinds bhokri, kali, and vilayati. The bhokri is green and round; the kali, so called from its colour, is oval black and larger and sweeter than the bhokri ; and the vilayati which was introduced by Colonel Anderson, is black, and though smaller is sweeter than the kali. The supply is not enough to meet the local demand and large quantities of bhokri grapes are imported from Satara.

Id,

Id, which has a bitter taste, is much used for pickles. It is little and the markets are supplied from Bijapur, Miraj, and Pandharpur.

Jambhul.

Jambhul is cultivated but it also grows wild in forests. The fruit is largely eaten by the children of husbandmen.

Wood Apple.

Kavath is grown in gardens and in house yards. The fruit is much esteemed for its sour flavour and is said to possess antibilious properties.

Plantain.

Kel is grown in gardens and near homesteads. It is also grown in betel-vine and coffee gardens to shade the young plants. It thrives well in Panhala and Raybag. There are six kinds, banguli, kanheri, lokhandi, rasbal or raikel, sonkel, and tambdi or red. Of these the rasbal and lokhandi are most common. The small and sweet sonkel and the kanheri which is smaller than the sonkel are light croppers and want much water. At Panhala they are grown for home consumption in the gardens of the rich. Thethick-skinned bangali and the tambdi or red have been of late introduced from Ratnagiri and other British districts. The red variety thrives best in Malkapur. As it is inferior in flavour, the bangali though the largest, is not much liked. Light black or red soil suits the plantain best. In the beginning of the south-west monsoon the ground is ploughed and levelled; and pits two feet square and two feet and a half deep are dug from six to seven feet apart. Each of the pits receives about twenty pounds of mixed manure, and the young plant is buried in the pit a foot below the surface. In the dry months plantain requires water twice a week. It bears after eight or nine months and lasts three months. A healthy tree is said to yield as many as 250 plantains, but the average varies from eighty to a hundred. When nearly ripe the bunches of fruit are cut and laid in a room in a heap on straw covered with plantain or other leaves. After three days it is ready for eating. When cut half ripe, the fruit is laid in a heap on straw and is covered with a thick layer of plantain leaves coated with cowdung or mud. To make the fruit soft and to turn the skin yellow a small opening is made, through which cowdung smoke is admitted. The smoke is kept in for three to four days. On fast days plantains are largely used by Hindus. They sell at eight to twelve the penny. The flower spike which is called kelphul or plantain flower is used as a vegetable, and the juice of the inner part of the stem which is felled as soon as the fruit is cut, is used in preparing wafer biscuits or papad. The green leaves are used as plates; and the leaves and ashes which are also used as a mordant in dyeing make an excellent manure.

Lime.

Limbu is grown only to a small extent. The markets are mostly supplied from Bijapur, Miraj, and Pandharpur.

Citron.

Mahalung is grown in Bavda and Panhala. It is used for pickles and preserves. In good soils it grows to a large size and weighs. as much as four pounds.

Cocoanut.

Naral, above the Sahyadris, is only grown in pleasure gardens and near homesteads. Below the Sahyadris there are a few rich cocoanut gardens in Bavda and on the State sheri estates in Malvan in Ratnagiri. The soil above the Sahyadris does not suit the: palm; but as water greatly helps its growth, it is likely that cocoanut cultivation may increase with the development of irrigation. The tree begins to bear after fifteen years.

Orange.

Naring is grown only in the State gardens at Kolhapur.

Papai

Popai is grown only in pleasure gardens. The fruit is eaten both ripe and unripe.

Pomello.

Papnas is grown in gardens at Kolhapur. As the fruit is inferior both in taste and size to imported fruit and as the plant does not bear regularly, the pomello is not much grown in Kolhapur.

Guava,

Peru is grown in gardens in the Alta and Shirol sub-divisions. The Kolhapur market is chiefly supplied from Miraj.

Phanas is grown near village sites and in private estates in the west. The fruit, which grows to a large size, is largely eaten as food by poor people. At Kolhapur, according to size, the ripe fruit sells at two-pence to a shilling. The wood is largely used in carpentry and the leaves when stitched together are used as plates.

Bullockheart.

Ramphal is grown in pleasure gardens. For the Kolhapur market it is grown at the village of Top. The fruit matures about December and is sold at a penny each.

Custard Apple.

Sitaphal is grown in gardens and house yards. The tree bears in June - July and matures in October. The fruit when ripe has an excellent flavour and is much eaten. It sells at half a farthing.

The chief Kolhapur berries are chiklya, karvand, and toran. They grow wild and are much eaten by children.

Besides the fruits and vegetables above described, many wild fruits and herbs are eaten by the poor as vegetables in ordinary years and form their chief support in famine years. The fruit of kusari which is as big as a coffee berry, is boiled and eaten with salt and pepper. The nerli fruit is red and is eaten by children. The shevri is boiled and eaten with salt and pepper. Tetu pods, which are as big as horse-radish pods, are eaten boiled and mixed with pepper and salt. The ripe umbar fruit is eaten by the poor. The pendhri is eaten cooked with salt and pepper. The nibar is a small berry and is eaten by children. The ratambi and niv are eaten cooked. The roots of the lohakir shendval and shade, the roots and beans of the phursi, the heart of the dinda, and the sprouts of the murnd and ranchiva are boiled and eaten with salt and pepper. The leaves of the takla, dhamela, nal, kurli, surpin, yaloot, and ken, and the flowers of the bharang are boiled and eaten with salt and pepper. The bulbs of the kadu-kdranda and ranalu are also eaten boiled as vegetables. The pods of the mugni and birbola are also eaten cooked.

FLOWERS.

A general taste for flowers prevails throughout the State. The neat little public garden at Kolhapur serves as a model and nursery for flower gardens in the State. Roses are fouud in every village and a flower pach, from which the essence called pacholi is extracted is abundant. Sonchapha grows wild on the Panhala hills. The tuberose is most common in native gardens and affords always a plentiful supply of flowers for idol-worship. Shevti grows to a large size in Kolhapur. The chief plants that are seen in native gardens are bakul, davna, davanshevti, gulchhabu, jai, jasvand, jui, madan-ban, moghri, motia,marva, nagchapha, nevali, pach, pandhrachapha, parijatak, gulab, sadhagulab, sonchapha, and shevti. The foreign plants introduced into the State gardens at Kolhapur have spread to all parts of the State.