ELABORATE AGRICULTURE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6625, 15 September 1908, Page 9

ELABORATE AGRICULTURE

According to "C.H.R.,” in the "Madras Moil/' agricultural practice in Southern India from start to finish requires religious rites. In-the Tamil districts tho agricultural year commences about April. On April 23rd the cultivators of a village consult a "Valluvan,” who fixes for them tho kind of wood that they should cut and take away. H© is supposed to settle the question as tho result of astrological observations made on the commencement of the Tamil hiew Year's Day, which falls about April 13th. Each cultivator then takes a little camphor, some incense, a few plantains, and a cocoanut, and, with others assembled for the purpose, he proceeds to the forest, where he worships the tree ho is about to out by burning the incline© and the camphor and offering tho plantains and the cocoanut. Then he lops off the first branch, taking good care that it falls on the right side. In each year the side is different; prosperity to himself and his cattle is firmly believed to depend very much ujion this. lie then cuts away tho required quantity of wood, and takes it home. Another day is then selected, soon after the early rains of the samo month, by the < Va]luvan,■’■ , and then the greatest event of tho agricultural year occurs. Each ryot takes the wood he has soIcctod for the plough, which is newly fitted up and taken to the field, whore the bullocks are tied to it. and behind it stand other ploughs with teams of oxen tied to them, while largo crowds assemble round the teams. The principal ploughman then daubs the pair of oxen tied to the new plough with aniline powder and turmeric paste; ho lights camphor and burns incense before it breaks a cocoanut, and with it he makes offering of a pot of jaggery water and parched gram and Bengal gram. Ihen he drives the plough across tho field, preceded by the other ploughmen, ana after a few rounds tho oxen are to 1 those p^sont! 116 distribut <= d