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AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION
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FRUITS
The most common fruits grown in the district are banana and
guava. The other fruits like mangoes, sour lime, mandarine
orange, pomegranate, grape and custard apple are grown on irrigated garden lands.
Banana.
Banana (kele is extensively grown in the district. It occupied
608.647 hectares (1.504 acres) in 1961-62. It requires well drained, deep retentive clayey soil and rainfall varying between 1,016 and 2.540 mm. (40 inches and 100 inches). In the low rainfall area, the crop requires very liberal irrigation. Land is ploughed and two or three harrowings are also given well in advance. Suckers, kand are planted in June-July in pits of 0.028 m3. (one cubic foot), 2.438 or 3.048 m (eight or ten feet) apart in squares. Each pit is
supplied with farm yard manure mixed with ash. The crop has to be protected against high winds and frost. The operations like interculturing, repairs of irrigation beds, manuring and some times earthing up give maximum yield. The crop matures within a year and a half. Each bunch, ghad, contains about 125 bananas. The varieties grown in the district comprise rajeli, deshi, son and improved basarai, besides local ones. Banana is a nutritious fruit. Its flower, kelful, is used as vegetable, The juice of the inner part of the stem is used in preparing papads.
Guava.
Guava, peru, is the next important fruit crop in the district. It occupied 153.780 hectares (380 acres) in 1961-62. Guava trees grow on a wide range of soils. The clay soils, which encourage vegetable growth only, and the shallow soils are unsuitable for the crop. The seedlings from nurseries are transplanted in pits of 0.057 m3 (two cubic feet) each duly filled with soil and manure and about 6.096 m. (twenty feet) apart. Sometimes fruits of good quality are taken by grafting method. The tree gives fruit after about three years. The guava garden, bag, last;, from 15 to 20 years. The crop requires to be protected against bats, crows and parrots.
Mango.
Mango, amba, occupied 38.040 hectares (94 acres) in the district in 1961-62. Mango trees are grown on a variety of soils. Seedlings raised from mango stones or the grafted seedlings are planted in the pits of 0.85 m.3 (3 cubic feet) each and about 12.192 m. (40 feet) apart. The pits are filled with gcod soil. The tree bears fruit after about five years and continues up to 30 to 50 years. Raival, Payari, rajapuri and other local varieties are commonly grown in the district. Ambras, juice of ripe mango, louche, and gulamba are the popular eatables prepared from mangoes.
Other Fruits.
Other minor fruits grown in the district include sour lime, mandarine orange, pomegranate, custard apple and grape.
The acreage under grape is about 250. The selection variety of grape is grown on large scale. Other varieties grown are (1) bhokari, (2) Bangalore purple, (3) anabeshaki, (4) Thomson seedless, (5) kali sahebi and (6) pandhari sahebi.
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