Abstract

There is an impression among many that paddy cultivation which has been in vogue from time immemorial in Tanjore District has reached a high level of perfection. But the truth is that no proper attention is paid to cultivation. in this district. The average outturn realised is 25 kalams per acre which is about one-third of the yield per acre in the Aduturai Farm and one-fourth of the yield per acre in Spain and Japan. The reason for this low outturn is the deficiency of the bulk of the soil of the delta in the two vital elements, nitrogen and phosphoric acid, which are essential for the successful raising of paddy. The existing manurial supplies are totally insufficient to replace the elements taken off the lands by the crops raised and there has been a gradual deterioration of the soil which has gone on for centuries. It is necessary that more attention should be paid to the proper manuring of the lands if the average outturn of the district is to be anything like what it ought to be. Can the ryot repair the damage done in the course of centuries and secure a better outturn in the immediate future without much extra expense? He can, if he follows the advice of the Tanjore District Agricultural Association. He can increase the av rage yield of the district by over a hundred percent even in the course of two years.

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