Marsh Cultivation.—Large tracts of marsh land in the Sundarbans have been reclaimed and brought under cultivation by means of embankments, raised to keep out the salt and brackish water. The soil of the Sundarbans contains a large proportion of decayed vegetable matter, and is very favourable to the growth of rice. The river-banks are in some places clayey, and embankments of this soil last a long time, and do not easily admit salt water by leakage. For details of the embankments, see Calcutta Gazette, Part IV., June 18, 1873. Some of the large marshes in the north-east of the District are capable of being drained, and thereby rendered fit for cultivation. A portion of the Salt-Water Lake is at present in course of reclamation, by the sewage of Calcutta being deposited on it. Two varieties of reeds, called pátí and nal, grow indigenously in several of the swamps. The former are used in making fine mats (chatáí), and the latter for coarse mats (mádur). A superior kind of reed (kátí), extensively used in matmaking, is grown in some parts of the Police Circle of Debípur. Long-stemmed rice is not extensively grown in the 24 Parganás, but bánkui and some other descriptions of coarse áman rice are largely produced in the marshes, and grow in nine or ten feet of water. If the rains are moderate, and the water rises gradually, this description of rice thrives excellently, and a bumper crop is obtained. A sudden and heavy rush of water overtops the plants, and kills them.
Lines of Drainage.—Except in the low-lying bils, the surface water of the District finds its way to the sea by the rivers and watercourses which intersect it. The Ballí, Dántbhángá, and Bayrá marshes, in the centre of the District, also form a line of drainage from north to south, as also do the Nagarghátá, Kháliskhálí, and other swamps along the eastern boundary.
Forests and Jungle Products.—The extensive unappropriated forests traversing the Sundarban part of the District, along the sea face of the Bay of Bengal, were in 1866 leased by the Port Canning Company, and yielded to Government an annual revenue of about £8oo. The lease was cancelled in February 1869, and the forests are now open to the public. The Collector is of opinion that the revenue derived from this source might be largely increased. The Sundarban Forests will be treated of in the account of the Sundarbans, at the end of this volume.
The chief jungle products are as follow:—(1) Different kinds of
