RAINFALL AND SEASONS.
Weavers were relieved by making them advances of material and taking over the fabrics woven therefrom at rates which left the workers sufficient for their maintenance during the time spent in weaving them.
From the Indian Famine Charitable Relief Fund, Rs. 1,42,000 were received for expenditure in the district, and nearly the whole of this was laid out in setting up afresh with cattle, seed etc. those who had suffered most severely by the distress. The Mahárája of Bobbili and Mahárája Gajapati Rao were conspicuous by their charity during the famine, and their example was followed by the Vizianagram estate and several prominent people in the district. The amounts advanced by Government comprised Rs. 6,030 under the Land Improvement Loans Act and Rs. 1,42,616 under the Agriculturists Loans Act. Of the latter sum, the greater part was spent on the purchase of cattle and seed-grain when the distress was over.
The loss to the State from remissions of land revenue was Rs. 1,53,000 and from other causes Rs. 15,900. The direct expenditure on the famine amounted to Rs. 4,48,695 (of which Rs. 2,15,900 were laid out on works and Rs. 1,26,900 on gratuitous relief) and the indirect expenditure to Rs. 10,823. The total cost to the State was thus some 6¼ lakhs.
The power of the district to withstand the attacks of famine is above the normal. Labour is available in the fields for nearly ten months out of the twelve. As a late Collector put it: —
'In the Deccan, I believe, there is little besides the one big harvest of the staple dry crop. Here there is cultivation and harvesting of some kind going on almost all the year. With the first good showers in May ploughing of dry lands and sowing of ragi and cambu in seed-beds commences, and in June transplantation of these crops is in full swing. Even earlier than this, if showers have been received, gingelly has been sown. As soon as transplantation of dry crops is over, should the south-west monsoon set in, wet lands are ploughed and paddy seed sown. At the end of July paddy transplantation begins and continues through August. Hardly is that over when the ragi and cambu harvest commences and is carried on through September. Gingelly is meanwhile being reaped in August and September and korra, vuda, and sámai in August. When the ragi and cambu is off the ground, dry lands are immediately prepared again and sown with grams and pulses— or a second crop of ragi or with cholam. Then follows the norch-east monsoon in October, and very soon after that is over early paddy commences to be harvested Ragi, sown at various periods, is being cut all this time. The big paddy harvest commences in November and extends into December. Then follows the cold
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