Abstract

The Udayarpalayam taluk of the Trichinopoly district is noted for the cultivation of dry (purely rain-fed) paddy. This occupies about 30,000 acres of red sandy soils. The average rainfall of the tract for the preced- Ing five years is 13'9 inches in the South-West Monsoon (June to September) and 23'4 inches in the North-East Monsoon (October to December). The important dry paddy varieties are (1) Perunel, (2) Kaivirai samba, (3) Kalian samba, (4) Kattaikar and (5) Motta kuruval, and all these varieties are in- variably sown broadcast. Taking advantage of the summer showers, the lands are ploughed 4 or 5 times, cattle manure at the rate of about 12 cart- loads per acre applied and the fields kept ready for sowing on the receipt of the first rain.

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