AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

On account of the growing demand for fruits and vegetables coupled with increased irrigational and financial facilities more and more acreage is being brought especially under fruit cultivation with every passing year. In 1965-66 the total area under fruit cultivation was 5,104 acres, oranges alone accounting for 3,267 acres. Other fruits grown in the district are bananas, mangoes, papayas, guavas, mosambis, lime and sour lime, grapes, custard-apple, bullock's heart and the like.

Orange.

Orange is the premier fruit of the entire Vidarbha region and Wardha orange is no exception to it. During the season thousands of baskets are sent to places like Bombay, Delhi and all other parts of India. Oranges of this region have an established, reputation. The outer peel is easily removed and the inner skin is very thin while for juiciness they cannot be easily matched. Orange gardens were formerly the luxury of only a few well-to-do farmers but to-day the financial help and facilities extended by the government through co-operatives and the development blocks have brought orange gardens within the reach of a good number of cultivators.

Good black soil, well drained with considerable depth is generally selected for orange plantation. Loamy soil with a sprinkling of lime nodules is also suitable. Some planters have even succeeded in reaping good crops in third rate soil. The land is ploughed deep in summer and subsequently repeated bakharings are given to pulverise the soil. Pits of 3' x 3' X 3' dimensions are dug by keeping a distance of 20' in between and exposed to the sun for about three to four weeks. By early June they are filled up with soil mixed with compost and other chemical fertilisers. It should be noted that the crop requires liberal manuring at regular intervals. The orange grafts or seedlings which are raised in specially prepared nurseries are planted in the centre of the pits from July to September. The plants require irrigation at intervals often to twelve days during the cold season and six days during the season when the trees start bearing fruits. The frequency of irrigation is an important factor in orange plantation. A great drawback of the crop is the time which must elapse before the full benefit of the outlay is reaped. For the first four or five years after the young cuttings are set in the ground no crop can be gathered and there is considerable expenditure on manure and irrigation which can only be partly recouped by sowing vegetables between the rows of the young plants. After that period it is no longer possible to grow vegetables in the orange gardens, but a small fruit crop is obtained. The trees, however, do not reach maturity till the expiry of six to seven years and it is only in the seventh year that the orange cultivation becomes lucrative.

A well cared for orange tree continues to bear fruit for over 25 to 30 years. Two crops are obtained annually, one between October and December and the other between February and April, and are known as Ambia bahar and Mrig bahar, respectively. The fruits of the Mrig-bahar are better in quality and taste and hence are preferred and priced more. It has already been noted that orange plantation becomes lucrative from seventh year onwards, but here again it is not a certain profit. Some years the crop is a failure and both seasons are seldom equally successful. Another feature of orange plantation is that even expert agriculturists are never sure whether a particular plot will suit orange cultivation or not and occasionally promising sites result in disappointment. Orange trees are liable to be attacked by a light brown caterpillar and if not removed promptly kills the tree gradually. Orange gardens have to be kept clean by removing the weedy growth.

Bananas.

In respect of acreage, bananas rank second in the district and covered 839 acres in 1965-66 of which 741 acres lay in Wardha tahsil mostly concentrated in the area round about the Wardha town. It does well in medium light soil with good drainage and though requires quantities of water does not tolerate water stagnation.

Before the suckers are planted, the field is brought to fine tilth by repeated ploughings and harrowings, about 20 to 30 cart-loads of farmyard manure being applied per acre. After the first showers of monsoon i.e., in June or even later selected suckers are taken and planted in rows at a distance of four to five inches from each other. The shoots springing from the parent plant are generally used for this purpose. Abundance of water is necessary for banana plantation and the crop is irrigated every six or seven days during the dry season. In addition to the manures applied prior to planting, top dressing with a mixture of ammonium sulphate and super phosphate is given during the growing period. Each plant is allowed to raise two suckers, the rest being cut off as otherwise they hinder the growth of not only the parent plant but also the other suckers.

Within ten months of planting, the trees start bearing fruits and become ready for harvest in another two months. The trees are then cut down and the suckers obtained from them are planted in an adjoining plot. An acre of plantation, if well cared for, yields fruits, ranging from one and half to two lakhs. Basrai variety is generally grown in the district, Sonkel variety is also grown but the area under it has considerably decreased as it was found that its yield is much less than the Basrai variety. The bananas of Arvi are esteemed locally.

Mango.

Mango constitutes another important fruit of the district and covered an area of 285 acres in 1965-66. Very few planters grow mango trees in groves. Usually the seedlings raised from mango stones are planted along the border-line bunds of the fields. For quality fruit, however, grafts have to be grown. The following account taken from Mr. Craddock's Settlement Report on Nagpur is quite interesting: "It is a meritorious act to plant a mango tree on account of the fruit and shelter which it yields. The young plants well require watering for the first two hot weathers of their existence and fencing as a protection from cattle for a longer period. The ownership of a mango tree is hotly contested on grounds both of sentiment and profit and in a good mango season fruit-sellers will offer some of their over ripe stock at two annas a hundred. It is a common saying that mangoes will produce a crop only every other year. This is not strictly correct. A good crop is generally followed by a meagre one and occasionally the yield fails entirely. It would be more correct to say that a period of three years sees a good crop, a moderate crop and a poor crop. It is impossible to estimate closely what a mange tree should yield except by experience of what it does yield. Some trees seem to resemble the barren fig tree of the parable, while others produce fruit worth Rs. 25. The mango flowers profusely in February and the fruit is ripe in April and May. High winds or hail storms during the flowering period are the chief danger to the crop." [ Reproduced from Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Wardha District, Vol. A, 1906, pp. 112-13.] A mango tree starts bearing fruit within seven years of plantation.

Guava.

Guava, which occupied only 43 acres in 1965-66 unlike mango, can be grown only in gardens and necessarily requires black fertile soil. Though guava seedlings can be raised by propagation it is only grafts of selected trees that yield quality fruits and hence are preferred. Planting is done in pits filled up with soil mixed with farmyard manure. A distance of about 20' is kept in between each plant to allow it to spread the boughs. It requires water and care when young and is the better for it afterwards, but when once established, it will produce fruit without irrigation. Guavas start bearing fruits about three years after planting. Two crops are obtained in a year, one in August-September and the other in November-December.

Papaya.

Papaya occupied only 62 acres in 1965-66 and can be grown in a variety of soils provided they are well drained. The crop is sometimes grown mixed with bananas. Papayas are propagated by seedlings raised in specially prepared nurseries and then transplanted in September-October to the main plot which is brought to fine tilth by harrowing and ploughing. Each acre of such a plot has to be manured at the rate of 20 cart-loads of farm yard manure. The seedlings are planted at a distance of 7' to 8' from each other and start bearing fruit within seven to eight months of planting. It is customary to plant two seedlings in one pit as 50 per cent of the seedlings turn out to be males which help only as suppliers of pollen and hence most of them are uprooted by keeping only a few. Ripe papayas are highly prized and the green ones are used as vegetable.

Table No. 18 gives tahsil-wise area under fruits in Wardha district.

TABLE No. 18

TAHSIL-WISE AREA [Area in acres.] UNDER FRUITS IN WARDHA DISTRICT,
1957-58 TO 1965-66

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The principal vegetables grown in the district are onion, brinjal, sweet-potato, tomato, cabbage and bhendi. Carrot, potato, radish, fenugreek, etc., are also grown but the area occupied by them is very negligible. The table given at the end of this section indicates the area under different vegetables.

Onion.

Onion or kanda requires deep black and well drained soil and is grown in all the three tahsils of the district. In 1965-66 it occupied 844 acres. Though the crop can be grown at all times of the year the yield is maximum during the rabi season and if good irrigation facilities are available a second crop can be taken after the rabi harvest.

Two varieties, viz., the red and the white are taken but the latter is generally preferred. Onion seedlings are first raised in carefully nursed beds and then transplanted to the main field, well manured and brought to fine tilth by ploughing and pulverising the soil. Onion requires heavy manuring and an acre of land has to be given a dose of 25 to 30 cart-loads of farmyard manure. In recent times the cultivators have started applying chemical fertilisers also. The one month old seedlings are transplanted in October-November, the land being well watered beforehand. Irrigation should be properly attended to and the first two irrigations have to be given within four days of each other and later at an interval of six to seven days. Within four to five months of transplantation the crop is ready for harvest. About 10,000 to 15,000 lbs. of yield can be obtained per acre if the plantation is tended properly. Onions are eaten raw and used in the preparation of various dishes, while its long tender green leaves are used as a vegetable.

Brinjal.

Brinjal or vange occupied 479 acres in 1965-66 more than 50 per cent, of which lay in Wardha tahsil alone. It can be grown in a variety of soils but thrives well in fertile well drained soils, especially on river banks. It is a rabi crop but is also grown in other seasons and requires besides irrigation, a good amount of manure. Seedlings are raised in nursery beds and when about 6" to 8" high are transplanted in the field previously manured and brought to fine tilth. Irrigation and frequent weedings are necessary. Within two months of transplantation, i. e., in October the plants start bearing and continue to do so for over two months. Summer brinjal is planted in January, the harvesting beginning by March end.

Sweet Potato.

Sweet potato or rafale, though essentially a rabi crop can also be taken at other times of the year. In 1965-66 there were 201 acres under this crop. It can be grown on a variety of soils excepting those which are very shallow and badly drained. Land is prepared by ploughing and bakharing, farmyard manure being applied at the rate of 25 to 30 cartloads per acre. Then furrows are cut at a distance of two to two and a half feet from each other and select cuttings of vines of the previous year's crop are planted on the ridges, leaves being trimmed beforehand. Kharif crop naturally does not require irrigation but rabi and summer ones do. Within four to five months of plantation the crop is ready for harvesting when the vines are cut at ground level by a sickle and the tubers dug out. The green leaves are used as a fodder for cattle, and the tubers eaten raw, boiled or roasted, especially so on fasting days. Of the two varieties of sweet potatoes, white and red, the former are preferred.

Tomato.

Tomato is grown as a field crop both in the kharif and the rabi seasons, the yield from the kharif crop being more than the rabi one. It thrives well in medium black and well drained soil but does not tolerate heavy or excessive rainfall. Land is prepared by ploughing, applying farmyard manure at the rate of 15 to 20 cart-loads per acre and bakharing subsequently. Seedlings are raised in specially prepared nurseries and when about four to six weeks old are transplanted in the prepared field which is cut into ridges and furrows. Whereas Kharif transplantation is done in June-July, rabi transplantation is done in October. After two months of transplantation the fruit formation takes place. In raw or green stage tomatoes are used as a vegetable and as a fruit when ripe. Excellent sauce is prepared out of ripe tomatoes. About 10 to 12 pluckings are obtained per season. Tomatoes covered 205 acres in 1965-66, Wardha tahsil accounting for 116 acres of the total.

Bhendi.

Bhendi or lady's finger is grown all over the district as a garden crop and covered 122 acres in 1965-66. It grows well in heavy and medium types of soil and if manured gives good returns. It is taken both in Kharif and rabi seasons, kharif crop being more popular. The seed is either drilled or dibbled at a distance of 12 to 15 inches in rows, three to four seeds being sown in one place. The crop has to be given frequent interculturings and weedings. Within two and a half to three months the harvest starts and eight to ten pickings are obtained per season. Kharif crop is sown in July and the rabi in February. Rabi crop requires irrigation at an interval of eight to ten days. The fruit is used as a vegetable and the leaves as a cattle-feed.

Cabbage.

Cabbage or Kobi thrives well in cold climate and requires medium well drained soil. It occupied 141 acres in 1965-66 in the district. The seedlings which are raised in nurseries are transplanted in the main field when they are about five to six weeks old. Transplantation is done in August or early September after which weedings and irrigation should be attended to regularly. The crop becomes ready for harvest within two months of transplantation. While the outer leaves are fed to cattle the cabbage heads make a delicious vegetable.

TABLE No. 19

TAHSIL-WISE AREA [Area in acres.] UNDER VEGETABLES
IN WARDHA DISTRICT, 1957-58 TO 1965-66.

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