g crop, and it is seldom cultivated by
the ryot more frequently than once in three or four years on the same
land. During the intermediate period, such plants are grown as are
found to improve the soil, of which, says Dr. Tennant, the Indian
farmer is a perfect judge. They find the leguminous tribe the best for
the purpose. Such long intervals of repose from the cane would not be
requisite if a better system of manuring were adopted.

Mr. J. Prinsep has recorded the following analysis of three soils
distinguished for producing sugar. They were all a soft, fine-grained
alluvium, without pebbles. No. 1 was from a village called Mothe, on
the Sarjee, about ten miles north of the Ganges, at Buxar, and the
others from the south bank of the Ganges, near the same place. There
is a substratum of _kunkar_ throughout the whole of that part of the
country, and to some mixture of this earth with the surface soil the
fertility of the latter is ascribed:--

1 2 3
Hygrometric moisture, on drying at 212 deg. 2.5 2.1 3.6
Carbonaceous and vegetable matter, on calcination 1.8 2.1 4.0
Carbonate of lime (No. 3 effervesced) 1.6 0.6 3.9
Alkaline salt, soluble 1.0 1.1 0.3
Silex and alumina 94.1 94.1 88.2
----- ----- -----
100.0 100.0 100.0

The earths unfortunately were not separated. Mr. Prinsep says the two
first were chiefly of sand, and the third somewhat argillaceous. The
former required irrigation, but the other was sufficiently retentive
of moisture to render it unnecessary.--(Journ. Asiatic Soc., ii. 435.)

_Manures_.--The sugar cane being one of the most valued crops of the
ryot, he always devotes to it a portion of the fertilising matters he
has at command, though in every instance this is too small.

In the Rajahmundry district, previously to planting, the soil is
slightly manured, either by having cattle folded upon it, or by a
light covering of the rotten straw of the green and black pessalloo,
which is here a favourite fertiliser. In some parts of Mysore the mud
from the bottom of tanks is employed, and this practice is more
generally adopted in other places. Thus the fields being divided by
deep ditches in Dinajpoor, the mud from which is enriched b