latter part of this
month so promote the growth of weeds, that the young plants are
choked and generally destroyed. The exceptions only occur in high
lands, in unusually propitious seasons, and ought never to be relied
upon except when the earlier sowings have failed. To protract the
manufacturing season, some planters begin sowing upon low lying
lands in the hot season, for the chance of a crop at the
commencement of the rains; and they sow at the close of the rains
with the hope of, as it were, stealing another in the next year. In
the western provinces sowing necessarily occurs in the dry weather,
usually in March and April, though occasionally either a little
earlier or later.

In Tirhoot the sowings commence about the latter end of February or
the beginning of March, if by that time there is sufficient warmth
in the atmosphere to ensure a healthy vegetation. Light soils are
sown on one close ploughing; heavy soils on two, with from four to
eight seers of seed, in proportion to the size of the biggah. After
strewing the seed, the field should be harrowed down by two turns of
the harrow, and then again by two turns more after the third day. In
case of rain before the plant appears (which it ought to do on the
sixth or seventh day), if a slight shower, the harrow should be used
again; if very heavy, it were best to turn up the ground and re-sow.
If rain fall after the appearance of the plant, and before it has
got past four leaves, and attained sufficient strength to resist the
hard crust before alluded to, immediate recourse must be had to
drilling. In fact, the closest attention is required to watch the
state of the young crop for a month at least after the sowings; if
it yield the least, or assume a sickly appearance, drills are the
only resource. These, if applied in time, in all March, for
instance, or before the middle of April at latest, are generally
successful, not only in restoring plants, but recovering such as may
have become sickly from want or excess of moisture, or any other
cause. In dry seasons they have been known to give a crop when
broadcast sowings have failed. Each drill, with a good pair of
bullocks, should do five biggahs a day. They are regulated to throw
from three to four seers per biggah, but the quantity can be
increased or diminished at pleasure.