SMALL HOLDINGS IN INDIA AND THEIR REMEDIES 471
the knowledge though they may take it in and thoroughly understand that superior tillage and proper manuring mean a greater out turn in crops. Their great want is capital. ” [22]
The farmer knows, says the same author, that his agricultural equipment is inefficient and antiquated but he cannot substitute better ones in its place for :
“A superior class of cattle and superior farm implements mean to him so much outlay of what he has not—Money.”
Similar facts for the Baroda State have been collected in another connection by Mr. M. B. Nanavali, Director of Commerce and Industry. But unfortunately he did not bring his knowledge of such facts to bear upon the conclusions of the Committee for the consolidation of holdings in the State of which he was also a member, apparently thinking that the size of a holding bore no relation to the instruments of production. He bemoans that:
“The farmers are not fully equipped with draught-cattle. They have today (1913) 8,34,901 bullocks, etc., for use on farms, that is one pair for
36 bighas of land. On an average a pair of good bullocks can cultivate 25 bighas of land. But the present breed has much deteriorated and one pair is supposed to cultivate 20 bighas at the most, while the present actual averages comes to about 36 bighas. Under the circumstances it is not likely that ploughing can be deep. It must be like scratching the surface. The small cultivators do not possess any draught-cattle or at the most a single one and cultivate land in co-operation with their friends similarly situated. As for farm implements there are 1,54,364 ploughs in the State, i.e., one for two Khatedars. It must be understood here that the number of cultivators and tenants is much more than three lakhs. Every one of them needs full equipment. Therefore actually the average must be much smaller than shown above.” [23]
In fact the equipment for agricultural production in the State has considerably deteriorated since 1898 as shown by the table below :
Year Plough Carts Plough Cattle Other Domestics
1898 .. 1,75,989 .... 4,15,089 5,70,517
1910 .. 1,51,664 68,946 3,34,801 5,09,416
Given, this state of affairs can we not say with more propriety that not only the existing equipment is inadequate for the enlarged holdings but
22 Indian Industries, p. 6.
- Report on Agricultural Indebtedness in the Baroda State, 1913, para. 35.