30

from this channel unless the gauge is maintained at not
less than 12 inches. From October to the end of December
the gauge only shewed 12 inches on 12 separate days instead
of thirty. Hardly any oats would have been sown on the
Chhaoni Farm had it not been for a timely shower of rain
amounting to § inch on the 29th/30th November. The oats
was sown barani in the hope of getting sufficient canal water
later to mature it. This hope was doomed to disappoint-
ment; only enough water was received to keep alive the
first few acres of early sowings, and the barani oats had to
be cut as very poor oat hay, to save anything from it at all.

The Superintending Engineer, Western Jumna Canals,
went very thoroughly into the matter and has caused outlets
above the Farm which were drawing more water than the
proper share to be remodelled. This has improved the
supply in the Dabra Minor, and will probably end the long-
standing complaint about the inefficiency of this Minor so
far as the Farm is concerned.

5. Cultivation.—The sharp frost mentioned above
did serious damage to the early sown oat crop, much of
the seed being shrivelled to an extent that may be
found to have seriously affected the outturn when threshing
operations are over. The cold spell also checked the growth
of Berseem and Lucerne considerably and several times
there was a scarcity of green fodder owing to the setback
these crops received. Sunflower did not receive such a
severe check and filled in a serious gap in the supply of green
Lucerne and Berseem. The Assistant Superintendent
(Fodder) has been experimenting with Sunflower for the past
three years, with results satisfactory enough to contemplate
growing it on a larger scale next year.

The imported English Oats were received very late, but
grew into a fine-standing green crop, and would have made
splendid oat-hay, but as I wished to acclimatise the seed
for sowing next year it was allowed to mature.

The majority of the oat crop at Chhaoni had to be
hurriedly made into oat-hay to save it from total loss, owing
to the failure of the water in the Dabra Minor as mentioned
under head 'Irrigation'.

There was no serious disease in the cultivation during
the year. Smut in oats, which was stamped out by Messrs.
Branford and Read four years ago, did not re-appear in the
Farm oats, but appeared in an experimental plot of "Smut-