pakistan geographical review 1954 - University of the Punjab

The variations in the amount of rainfall have a great bearing on the
amount of Kharaba. Kharaba is less in the years 1948-49, 50-51 and 1951-52,
when the rainfall received was adequate and well distributed for the
crops amounting to 0,21 and 38 acres giving a positive correlation with the
total rainfall of 23.971/, 20.421/and 18.341/being least in 1948-49 a year of most
abundant and well distributed rainfall.
Land going out of use for cultivation is connected with rainfall changes
from year to year but the correlation effect of the accumulation of salts is more
felt in some years than in others. The land is gradually being deteriorated
but cultivation goes on with diminishing returns till a point is reached when
it becomes untenable. This is borne out by figures under the head Digar-
Banjar or other uncultivable waste, which spread over 80 acres in 1948-49
with 75 acres of Banjar Qadim (old uncultivable waste) and 5 acres as Banjar-
Jadid (New uncultivabe waste). In the year 1949-50 it was reduced to 55
with 51 as Qadim and 4 as Jadid. This reduction is not understandable as
it appears that there is something wrong with the 1948-49 figures. It then
remains 55 acres, upto ]91>1-52. On the year 1952-53, there is a substantial
increase from 55 acres to 133 acres with 78 acres as Banjar J adid which is
more than the total previous acreage of culturable waste. Perchance this
is the year when the acreage of Kharaba also increased abnormally. The
explanation may be sought in deficit rainfall in that year which resulted
in the increase of the salt content in the soil rendering a part of the
culturable waste unfit for cultivation and at the same time effecting the
standing crop.
As usual, there are two main harvests in the year, Rabi and Kharif.
Being a bar-ani land Rabi is more important crop than Kharif. In the year
1952-53, the year of Survey, 285 acres of land were sown to Rabi crops and 225
to Kharif. Products of Rabi harvest are only three viz, wheat, barley and Tara
Mira. Barley and Tara-Mira cover very small acreages, wheat accounts for 282
acres and barley and Tara Mira for 1 and 2 acres respectively. Almost the whole
of chahi land is sown to wheat. Again 4 out of 6 acres of Hail is under wheat.
ThE'!greatest acreage of wheat is in Barani Awwal accounting for 53%
of the acreage, Maira for 38.5 chahi for 7 and hail for 1.5% Neither wheat
nor even barley is sown in Rakkar Land. Barley is mostly grown on Barani
Awwal. Tara Mira is grown on both Barani and Mair a. Map No.3, bears
out these relationships with an additional information that the wheat lands
of the village are mostly spread in one big continuous block and two or three
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