THE BLENDING OF CROPS

official source: Ideal Farming Part 2

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed Ideal Farming Part 2, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

	Our system of integrated farming is designed to utilise every inch of land. Not only should the surface land be fully utilised, but the space under the surface, and even the space above the surface, should be used to the maximum. The surface, the sub- surface and the space above the surface is to be used 100%.

	There are three main systems of cropping which will ensure the maximum utilisation of land -- mixed cropping, supplementary cropping and crop rotation. 

	In mixed cropping two or more crops are grown in a field at the same time. For example, potato, spices, brinjal, pumpkin and cauliflower are suitable for mixed cropping. Mixed cropping reduces soil erosion and the wastage of agricultural land, and makes better use of water. It also helps retain the fertility of the soil. For instance, legumes add nitrogen to the soil whereas maize consumes nitrogen, so these crops should be planted together. Well selected plant combinations maintain the fertility and structure of the soil.

	In supplementary cropping there is one main crop and a minor crop to support it. This system is different from mixed cropping where all crops are major.

	In  crop rotation the soil is under cultivation for most of the year. In the Purulia district of West Bengal, many farmers grow only one crop of paddy a year. Through crop rotation four crops can be harvested in a year. In the rainy season no mixed crop can be grown with paddy, only small fish. Autumn paddy can be combined with big onions, summer paddy with radish, and spring paddy with small onions grown from seeds.

	Cultivation should be done on the co-operative basis.  Only co-operatives can support the expanding economic requirements of agriculture, like creating ponds, purchasing machinery, uniting local people to pressurise the government for irrigation facilities, etc. Through the co-operative system four crops of rice in a year can easily be grown from any plot of land. 

            MIXED CROPPING AND SUPPLEMENTARY CROPPING

	Some examples of mixed cropping and supplementary cropping include the following: 

Sandalwood                     

	Turmeric, ginger, pa'n and cauliflower can be grown among the sandalwood trees until they are seven years old.  Cauliflower can be grown throughout the year.

Sesame

	Sesame can be grown as a mixed crop with peanut.  Peanut grows its fruits under the ground, while sesame grows its fruits above the ground.

Linseed 

	Linseed can be grown as a mixed crop with soybean. Soybean may be grown along with peanut, sesame or jute.

Cotton

	Cotton can be grown with sweet juice potato and sweet potato. Cotton can also be grown with brinjal and chili.

Black Gram 

	Black gram can be grown with turmeric, sugar cane, green leafy vegetables, brinjal, green chili and radish.

Mango

	Mango can be grown as a roadside tree. Between two mangoes one palm should be planted -- one mango, one palm, one mango, etc. Agave (sisal) can then be grown as a fill up plant between them.

Oranges

	Orange trees must be planted 15-20 feet apart.  Between two orange trees there should be one coffee tree.  Then between the orange and coffee trees there should be two tea plants approximately three feet apart from each other.  Between these there should be ginger as a fill up. Each ginger plant should be two feet apart from each other.  All the rows should be parallel in a grid formation.

	There are no soil or rainfall considerations for oranges, but calcium must be present in the soil in sufficient quantity because it makes the fruit sweet.  There are no soil considerations for tea either, but there should be a lot of rainfall which does not accumulate around the plant. Coffee can grow with less rainfall than tea, and it can grow in poor soil.

	  Suggested orange varieties include:

	  1) Nagpuri orange (small size)

	  2) Kalimpong  variety  (big fruit with space between the skin and the fruit, watery taste)

	  3) Assam variety (small size, sweet)

	  4) Silal variety (small size, very sweet)

	  5) South Indian variety (a little bigger than Nagpuri)

	  6) Other varieties, including Valencia, Italian, Maltese, etc. 

	  

	  Suggested varieties of coffee trees include:

	  1) Arabian

	  2) Egyptian

	  3) South American

Wheat

	Wheat, poppy (ordinary poppy or opium poppy) and mustard can be grown as blended crops.  Peas, lentils, khesa'ri, etc. may be planted with wheat as well as poppy.  If any of these plants occupy 10% of a wheat field, the yield of the wheat will be increased so that the production of wheat will be the same as when wheat occupied the whole field. Also, if wheat, peas and khesa'ri are planted together, the production of wheat will be as much as when wheat was grown alone. Yellow mustard, red mustard and the ra'i variety of mustard may all be sown as mixed crops with wheat.  The larger variety of lentil may be cultivated along with wheat as a winter crop after the land has been tilled.

Radish

	When growing rainy season radish, misht'i danta sha'k (a sweet green leafy vegetable) should be planted in between the radish plants. The seedlings of the radish should be planted with a'us paddy.  For this the soil should be wet, but not waterlogged.

            CROP ROTATION

	The two main principles of crop rotation are: 1) maximum  crops should be planted in the minimum period of time, and 2) maximum crops should be planted in the minimum space. These two principles are to be implemented without affecting the fertility of the soil.

	  An example of the first principle is reaping four crops of rice in a year where there was only one, two or three before. For instance:

	  1) In Vaesha'kha transplanted a'us or summer paddy can be planted and in Shra'van'a it can be harvested.

	  2) In Shra'van'a transplanted  a'man or  rainy season paddy can be planted and in Ka'rttika it can be harvested.

	  3) In Ka'rttika early boro or  autumn paddy can be planted and in Ma'gha it can be harvested.

	  4) In Ma'gha late boro or  spring  paddy can be planted and in Vaesha'kha it can be harvested.

	In central Ra'r'h there are only four months of rain. For the rest of the year there is little or no rain, yet it is still possible to get four crops a year. For example, with a'us paddy, radish should be planted between the rows of rice. With a'man paddy, small fish but no crops should be cultivated. The fish maintain the water level in the field and can be caught by carnivorous humans or animals, or left in the field to fertilize the soil after the water has dried up. With early boro paddy, big onion and safflower as a boundary plant should be cultivated. With late boro paddy, onion seeds which produce onion bulbs should be planted as a subsidiary crop.

	A special system is used to grow rice in two and a half or three months instead of four. Early in the year transplanted a'us seedlings should be grown.  A'us takes four months before it is ready for harvesting, so for the first four weeks the a'us seedlings should be kept in a nursery, and for the remaining two and a half to three months they should be grown in the field. The period for a'us is Vaesha'kha, Jyes'tha' As'a'dha and Shra'vana.

	In between the a'us seedlings radish can be grown. A good variety of oil which is a substitute for mustard oil can be produced  from the seeds of radish.  The radish should be of the summer variety. The leaves of radish are very good for the liver. 

	After a'us, a'man variety of paddy can be grown according to the same system used for a'us -- that is, one month in the nursery and two and a half to three months in the field.  The a'man paddy should be in the nursery while the a'us crop is in the fields. The period for a'man is Shra'van'a', Bha'dra, A'shvina and Ka'rttika. There cannot be any blended crop with a'man, but instead pisciculture can be practised. During a'man cultivation some fertilizer may be necessary, but whatever fertilizer is used should be non-poisonous, otherwise it will kill the fish. 

	In Ra'r'h the soil is of a sticky nature so it does not allow water to seep underground.  This type of soil is very good for a'man cultivation. Ra'r'h has the best soil for a'man cultivation in the entire world.

	After a'man we have to cultivate the early variety of boro according to the same system.  With boro, onion and garlic can be grown as blended crops between the seedlings.  Around the boundary of the field, one line of safflower seeds can be grown.  Oil which has medicinal value can be produced from the seeds of onion.

	After early boro, late boro paddy should be cultivated following the same system.  As a blended crop in between the seedings, transplanted onion can be grown.  Onion is static so A'nanda Ma'rgiis should not take it. However, onion leaves are mutative in the daytime, not at night, so householders can eat them. 

	So according to this crop rotation system, fields will be occupied for two and a half to three months each by four crops a year, totaling ten or eleven months. For the remaining period, the fields should be prepared for the next rotation. This is an example of how to get maximum crops in minimum period of time.

	This type of paddy rotation system is best for sticky or clay soil.  If the soil is half sandy half sticky alluvial soil, barely two paddy crops -- a'us and amam -- can be grown. Wheat and mustard can be cultivated the rest of the year.  Planting 20% mustard with wheat  will increase the production of wheat by 150%. Peas or lentils can also be grown  with the wheat.

	Two potato crops -- one of 60 days or early potato and the second of 90 days or late potato -- can be grown in a season.  60 day potato is produced for immediate consumption. It cannot be stored because it is not fully matured, but the 90 day crop can be stored. Both varieties can be dried, powdered and then stored.  60 day potato grows in the months of A'shvina and Ka'rttika, while  90 day potato or mature potato grows in the months of Agraha'yan'a, Paus'a and Ma'gha. With 90 day potato different types of spices can be grown, such as corriander, cumin and chandani.  Cauliflower and pumpkin can also be grown.  If potato is grown in the mounds of a ploughed field, brinjal can be grown in the furrows from cuttings, as it needs more water. The winter variety of chili can also be grown.  

	The second principle of crop rotation is growing maximum crops in the minimum space. An example of this is as follows. Grow potato in mounds in rows with a cauliflower between each potato as a surface crop. The potatoes are root crops, so no competing root crop, such as peanut, should be grown at the same time. On the slopes of the mounds small spices like cumin can be planted. After one month when the potatoes have partly grown, canals for irrigation should be dug between the rows of potatoes. In the canals brinjal, cucumber and chili can be planted. Cauliflower matures before potato. When it matures it can be cut, but the roots should be left in the soil so as not to disturb the potato crop.

	Another example is wheat. 20% mustard can be planted with 80% wheat. Mustard grows leaves which can be used as a vegetable and seeds which can be pressed to produce oil. If mustard oil cake is put in water until it starts giving off a bad smell, and is then mixed with more water and spread on the fields, it makes a good fertilizer. Bees can also utilise the flowers to make excellent honey. In addition, on the border of the field two rows of garlic should be grown so that their spacing is in the configuration of equilateral triangles. In the middle of each triangle, one  safflower seed should be sown to make another row of safflower flowers.  So, four crops can be grown: wheat, mustard, garlic and safflower. Other crops also can be grown as blended crops.

	For very infertile soil, barley rotation can be grown with a supplementary crop. For example, 20%  of the area reserved for the barley crop can be planted with red mustard. 

	If one is going to cultivate sugar cane, banana or radish, the seeds, cuttings or roots should be brought from at least twelve miles away.  However, they may come from the opposite bank of a river which is less than twelve miles away.

	The brinjal plant should have thorns, as the thorny brinjal produces tasty brinjal. White brinjal should not be cultivated because it is static and makes the soil infertile.

	When cultivating lentils, high quality manure should be used, and the best manure for this purpose is the oil cake of castor. Lentils crops should not be discontinued simply because they need good fertilizer, because they can be used to produce refined vegetable oil and lubricants.  Linseed can also be used to manufacture refined vegetable oil and lubricants, as well as scented hair oil, linen cloth, etc. Linseed can be cultivated after lentils.

	When there is a scant supply of water, a pigeon crop of the ra'i variety of mustard can be grown.  The mustard seeds should be spread out over the whole field while it is still wet after the rainy season, then the crop will grow through the dry season.

	It is not economical to cultivate sugar cane in Bengal because it occupies the land for a whole year. Sugar beet should be grown instead, because three crops can be grown in a year. However, sugar beet cannot supply molasses, which is a very famous food in rural Bengal.  Also, seeds cannot be produced from sugar beet due to the hot climate, so they have to be imported from outside the region. Research should be done to develop varieties of sugar beet which produce seeds in warm climates.

	Some examples of crop rotation include the following:

Oil Seeds

	  Oil seeds can be planted according to the following system.

	  1) As'a'dha,  Shra'van'a  and  Bha'dra -- peanut and rainy season sesame in the whole field.

	  2) A'shvina -- half  the  field  should be planted with red mustard and linseed, and the other half with yellow mustard and winter sesame. The soil should be properly tilled before the crops are sown. These crops take four months to mature.

	    3) Ma'gha, Pha'lguna, Caetra -- peanut and late sarguja' (an oil seed).

	  4) Vaesha'kha, Jye'stha -- maize and green gram.

	Another oil seed rotation is as follows:

	  1) Caetra,  Vaesha'kha,  Jye'stha --  peanut  with sesame and soybean.

	  2) As'a'dha,  Shra'van'a,  Bha'dra --  peanut and  rainy season sesame or rainy season soybean.

	  3)  A'shvina,  Ka'rttika,  Agraha'yan'a, Paus'a -- half the area should be planted in winter sesame with red mustard, and the other half with linseed and yellow mustard.

	  4) Ma'gha, Pha'lguna --  sunflower should be planted for 65-80 days, the growing period of the crop, along with green gram.

	

Potato and Radish

	  Potato and radish crop rotation should be done according to the following system:

	    1) A'shvina to Agraha'yan'a -- Early potato or 60 day potato.

	The best system for preparing the field for potato is to plough the field sixteen times -- twelve times by tractor and four times  by power tiller.  Fertilizers like NPK (nitrogen, potassium and phosphate) may be used, either 20:20:20 or 28:28:0 (and then add potash) about 500 kg. per acre. Early potatoes are planted in rows twenty inches apart. 

	Between the potatoes there should be any variety of early radish. Radish does not have such wide roots.  The main root comes down in such a way that it does not affect the potatoes.  Along with these some small spices such as kalo zira, mongrela, fenugreek, five spices, cumin, small ajwain, celery, etc. may be planted. Ajwain is "jamani" in Sam'skrta, "jamain" in Urdu and "Trachyosparmum amni" in Latin.  

	In the irrigation canal between rows of potatoes, winter pumpkin, winter brinjal (Varanasi varieties), anise, corriander, cumin, and/or capsicum should be grown.  The canal is not dug until the potatoes are one foot tall.  First put water on the soil, then manure and then dig the canal.

	Another crop rotation of early turnip and sugar beet can be planted with early potatoes.  Varieties of cauliflower may also be planted, but they must spend the first month in a nursery, then two months in the field.  They should be planted on the mound or hill along with the potatoes. The plants must be watered at least every 8-10 days in the initial stage of their growth. When they get bigger they do not need so much water.  One month later, when the potato plants are one foot tall, an irrigation canal should be dug between the rows.  The dirt from the canal should be placed on the mound around the plants growing there.  This will preserve the soil and help the plants as well. In the irrigation canal, plant winter brinjal, early lettuce, tomato, palang sha'k (a green leafy vegetable), big onions, small onions and varieties of cabbage.  There are only two varieties of lettuce, early and late.  The lettuce should be harvested along with the potato.

	The cauliflower is harvested after two months in the field.  During this time the potato should be left one month more to spread its roots.  Lettuce requires three months and should be harvested with potato.  After cauliflower, the early cabbage should be ready in one month.

	Then again the soil is tilled eight times -- six by tractor and two by tiller, and the same ratio of NPK should be used, but in a lesser amount.

	  2) Agraha'yan'a to late  Pha'lguna --  Late potato or 90 day potato.The soil must be prepared  by ploughing the field eight times  -- six by tractor and two by power tiller.

	Plant radish, late brinjal and panar nava sha'k (or pusne, punanas, gajmije, gadmide or giima -- all small green leafy vegetables.  Giima is medicinal.) along with late potato which will be harvested in late Pha'lguna. In Pha'lguna ginger should also be planted with either sesame or soybeans.

	Late potato may also be planted with late cauliflower and cabbage in between. In the irrigation canal plant late cabbage, late lettuce, winter brinjal, tomato, palang sha'k, garlic and capsicum. After these crops have grown, the soil should be ploughed eight times and NPK of 20:20:15 ratio should be used.  

	  3) Caetra -- Radish.Summer radish should be planted with summer sha'k (green leafy summer vegetables) in the middle. Lal sa'g may also be planted between the radish plants and is in the same family as summer sha'k. One or the other may be planted.

	If one does not plan to plant again in Caetra, one may plant the following in the irrigation canal:  winter pumpkin, winter brinjal, anise, corriander and jiira.

	During early Caetra, ginger may be planted with sesame or soybean from Caetra to As'a'dha. Following the summer radish planted in Caetra, rainy season radish can be planted from As'a'dha to Bha'dra. From late As'a'dha to Bha'dra, plant peanut and soybean or rainy season sesame.

	  4) Shra'van'a.-- Shra'van'a, peanut and early cauliflower should be planted together in rows. In the canal between the rows plant rainy season brinjal, rainy season green chili and rainy season sha'k. Or in place of the peanut and cauliflower, plant sweet potato or sweet juice potato with radish, tomato and winter lady's finger.

Summer Vegetables

	Plough the soil eight times -- six times with a tractor and two times with a power tiller.  Cow dung and organic fertilizers can be used, but not NPK (nitrogen, potassium and phosphate) until the plants are about one foot tall and healthy. 

	If summer brinjal seedlings are transplanted in the month of Pha'lguna, they will give fruit from Vaesha'kha to Bha'dra.  Between every two brinjal plants grow summer radish, summer notei sha'k and summer lal sha'k; summer varieties of creepers like cucumber, gourd, pumpkin and green chilies; and spinach and barbati beans.

	The yield of the daisy variety of green chili and the suryamukhi variety of chili yield is the same, but the yield of the dhani lanka variety of chili is much greater. However, the cultivation of dhani lanka is not commercially viable because although it is very hot, it is very small. Also, the plant grows very large, and this affects the growth of the intermittent plants.

	Just as there may be one chili between  two brinjal plants, the reverse can also apply. That is, between two green chili plants there may be one brinjal. But this type of intermittent brinjal plant should be snake-shaped and not round-shaped.  The snake-shaped brinjal should be planted as an autumn crop and not as a summer crop.  Between two brinjals or two green chilies there may be one lady's finger plant.  In the summer two crops of lady's finger can be produced from Pha'lguna to Ka'rttika. Brinjal plants must be replaced every two years because  at the end of this period their productivity declines.

	The following system should be used for the crop rotation of summer vegetables:

	  1) Shra'van'a, Bha'dra, A'shvina, Ka'rttika. Plough the field eight times -- six times by tractor and two times by power tiller. Plant transplanted autumn brinjal.  Chili may be grown between two autumn brinjals. The daisy variety of brinjal is better than the mukta keshi variety of brinjal. If any creeping vegetables are planted between two brinjals, they must be grown on a platform, otherwise the vegetable plants will be attacked by pests and insects.

	  2) Agraha'yan'a. In the month of Agraha'yan'a, the field may be used for cultivating boro paddy if there is enough water.  Alternately, wheat may be sown. The prescribed time for sowing wheat is the end of Ka'rttika, Agraha'yan'a and up to the 7th of Paus'a, that is, the 21st of December. Or potato, pulses or winter mustard may be sown. Again, the land can be used for summer vegetables from the month of Pha'lguna.

	If melons are to be grown instead, then the sowing period for both watermelon and musk melon is December, January, February and March. In such a case no winter crop can be cultivated. Melons need sandy soil.

	Similar is the case with wax gourd or squat gourd. No other winter crop like wheat, or any other summer vegetable, should be cultivated in the same field as wax gourd.  But it must be remembered that wax gourd requires alluvial soil or soil that is a bit sandy, just like melons and winter vegetables such as winter cucumber, winter gourd, etc. 

	There may be one pumpkin (chal kumr'a' variety) between two brinjals in Pha'lguna or Shra'van'a.  A sweet made from the chal kumra variety of pumpkin is found mostly in Agra, and is called "petha," or "murabha" in Bengali.

All-Season Vegetables

	  One quarter of the agricultural land is to be allotted for the following seeds:

	  1) Wax gourd or squat gourd of different varieties

	  2) Bottle gourd

	  3) Lal kumr'a' or diingla (varieties of pumpkins)

	  4) Miscellaneous vegetables:

	  	1. Chal kumr'a' and sachi kumr'a' (pumpkins)

	  	2. Small bitter gourd and bitter gourd

	  	3. Thorny gourd

	  	4. Cucumber

	  	5. Water gourd

	These are all-season vegetables, except thorny gourd which is a rainy season crop.

	In a field of creeping vegetables, one may grow rainy season sesame along with the above vegetables in the rainy season.  One may also grow winter sesame or mustard -- either ra'i, red mustard or yellow mustard -- and in the summer season one may grow summer sesame. This will not affect the productivity of creeping vegetables.

	All-season vegetables should be grown as follows:

	  1) As'a'dha, Shra'van'a, Bha'dra, A'shvina:

	1. Wax gourd -- The  cuttings of wax gourd are to be planted between As'a'dha and Ma'gha.  Fruits are produced throughout the year.  Between every two wax gourds there may be one lady's finger of either the all-season or rainy season varieties, one all-season green chili, and one radish of either the all-season or rainy season varieties.  Even in the rainy season wax gourd can do without a platform.

	2. Gourd -- Gourd  of different  varieties like round bottle gourd, club bottle gourd, long bottle gourd and ghoti la'u are to be planted.  Between every two gourd plants there should be an intermittent plant as in 1. above.  Gourds of the rainy-season variety must be grown with a platform.

	3. Pumpkin -- Pumpkin  may be either of the rainy season or all- season varieties.  Between two pumpkin plants there may be the intermittent crops mentioned in 1. above.  Pumpkins of the rainy season variety require a platform.

	4. Miscellaneous varieties -- Intermittent  plants  should be according to 1. above.  Miscellaneous creepers of the rainy season variety require a platform.

	Small portions of the land allotted for all-season varieties of crops should be reserved for the bona lanka variety of chili or sown with other varieties of chili. The seeds are to be acquired from Shantipur and Kalna.

	  2) Ka'rttika, Agraha'yan'a, Paus'a, Ma'gha:

	1.Wax gourd --  The  wax gourd  should  remain undisturbed.  Intermittent plants should be the same as those for the rainy season, but no rainy season varieties should be planted.  Varieties should be either all-season varieties or winter wax gourd.  Vegetable creepers growing in the winter season do not require a platform.

	2.Gourd  --  Gourd should be either of the all-season or winter varieties.  Winter gourd sown in winter does not require a platform.

	3.Pumpkin --  Pumpkin  should  be of the all-season or winter varieties.  The intermittent plants should also be of the all- season or winter varieties.  Winter gourd does not require a platform.

	4.Miscellaneous creepers  --  They should also be of the all- season or winter varieties.  They may or may not grow on a platform.

	Intermittent plants should be of the all-season or winter varieties.

	  3) Pha'guna, Caetra, Vaesha'kha, Jye'stha. (Summer varieties):

	1.The  wax  gourd  should not be disturbed.  Intermittent crops such as lady's finger, radish, and green chili should be of the all-season or summer varieties.

	2.Summer  varieties of  gourd  do not require a platform.  Intermittent crops should be of the all-season or summer varieties.

	3. Summer pumpkin does not require a platform. Intermittent crops should be of the all-season or summer varieties.  

	Vegetable creepers of the summer variety may or may not need a platform. However, creepers of the rainy season variety do require a platform, except in the case of wax gourd, which does not need one in any season.  Even during the rainy season, wax gourd does not require a platform.

Coarse Cereals

	  1)Vaesha'kha, Jye'stha  --  grow  summer maize with green gram and peanut under the ground.

	  2)As'a'dha, Shra'van'a,  Bha'dra  --  grow  high yielding sorghum and millet with soybean.

	  3) A'shvina, Ka'rttika, Agraha'yan'a -- grow corn with soybean.

	  4)Paus'a, Ma'gha, Pha'lguna, Caetra  --  grow barley, oats, rye or seasonal cotton for which November is the last sowing period.  If the land becomes free during the second half of November, winter cotton may also be cultivated.  It grows in three and a half months and has to be watered twice.  If cotton is cultivated, sweet potato or sweet juice potato may be grown along with it.

Wheat

	The crop rotation of wheat should be as follows:

	1)Early  wheat  should  be planted in Ka'rttika and grown from Ka'rttika to Ma'gha.

	  1.Ka'rttika, Agraha'yan'a, Paus'a, Ma'gha  --  plant wheat with  either big lentils, big peas, yellow mustard or red mustard in a ratio of 9:1 wheat to other crops.

	  2.Pha'lguna, Caetra,  Vaesha'kha -- grow  peanut with sesame or soybean.

	  3.Jye'stha,  As'a'dha, Shra'van'a -- grow a'us paddy with rainy season radish.

	  4.Bha'dra, A'shvina --  grow maize with green gram for two months.  

	2) Late  wheat should be planted in Agraha'yan'a and grown from Agraha'yan'a to Pha'lguna.

	  1. Agraha'yan'a,  Paus'a,  Ma'gha,  Pha'lguna -- plant wheat with big lentils, big peas or red mustard. Yellow mustard will not grow well in this season because insects will attack it.      

	  2.Caetra, Vaesha'kha,  Jye'stha -- grow  ginger or peanut with sesame or soybean.

	  3.As'a'dha,  Shra'van'a, Bha'dra  --  grow late a'us paddy with with rainy season radish.

	  4. A'shvina and Ka'rttika -- grow  maize and green gram.

Rice (Paddy)

	The ra'i and yellow but not the red varieties of mustard, khesa'ri, the small black variety of peas, Bengal gram and lentils (the small variety) can all be sown as pigeon crops with paddy.  The rice is planted in Shra'van'a, and then in the last week of A'shvina the pigeon crop is tossed into the field without tilling the soil or applying fertilizers. Just as pigeons do not work to collect their food, farmers perform very little labour while planting such crops, hence the name.  After the rice has been harvested, the pigeon crop remains in the field until maturity. 

	When pigeon crops are grown, only three instead of four paddy crops can be harvested in a year, but mixed crops can be cultivated. For example, cow pea may be planted with a'us in the month of As'a'dha.  After the a'us paddy has been harvested, the cow pea stands alone in the field because it has a maturing period of nine months. During this period a second associate crop should be sown, preferably a fiber crop.  In such cases the field will not yield four crops of paddy in a year. Other crops such as green gram, radish, onion and in certain seasons pisciculture do not interfere with four paddy harvests in a year.

	The system for reaping four crops of rice per year is as follows.  All varieties of paddy should stay one month, or one and a half months in unusual circumstances, in the nursery, and two and a half or three months in the field after being transplanted as seedlings. 

	The following system should be used for planting paddy:

	  1) Half of Vaesha'kha, Jye'stha, As'a'dha and half of   Shra'van'a -- a'us paddy.

	Plough the field six times in water by tractor.  Plough four times in the first two days -- two times the first day, two times the second day.  Leave the field submerged in water for eight more days.  Add organic fertilizers and compost.  Plough again two more times.  On the last ploughing use NPK (nitrogen, potassium and phosphate) fertilizers if appropriate.

	While growing a'us paddy, the soil should be wet but not waterlogged.  Between every two a'us plants, one rainy season radish should be sown.  Radish may be sown in the a'us field for the entire period.  In a transplanted a'us field, a pigeon crop of green gram may be sown.  There should be no accumulation of water in the a'us field -- water should be able to move freely in and out of the field.  Green gram is grown for the second two months.  Of all the seasonal varieties of rice, a'us paddy gives the lowest yield.

	In the first week of Shra'van'a the a'us is harvested. Plough and fertilize the field again as above to prepare for the next crop.

	  2) Half of  Shra'van'a, Bha'dra, A'shvina and half of Ka'rttika  -- a'man paddy.

	No mixed crops can be grown with a'man paddy but pisciculture may be cultivated.  These fish can be a good animal food for carnivores.  Fish such as charamach, koira, guri and rai mach may be produced -- that is, small fish, crabs and prawns.  For the production of rui or larger fish, a big pond is needed.  

	During the production of a'man paddy there should always be a lot of water in the field.

	Of all the seasonal varieties of rice, a'man paddy gives the highest yield.  Its straw is also long and very useful in making mats and other products.

	One month before the harvest in A'shvina, the seedlings of early boro paddy should be started.  After the harvest, the field should again be prepared as above.

	  3) Half of Ka'rttika, Agraha'yan'a, Paus'a and half of Ma'gha -- early boro paddy.

	There should always be water in the field until the time of harvesting. If there is less rain, big onions or garlic can be planted between two early boro paddy plants.  These big onions are the sprouted small onion (chachi piaz or sachi piaz) of the previous period. If there is more rain, pisciculture may be cultivated in the early boro field.  In the first week of Ma'gha, the early boro paddy should be harvested.

	Special care must be taken to acquire a big onion type which is a winter crop as they need less water.  Green gram requires less water than onions.  No pigeon crop can be grown with a'man paddy because there is too much water in the field.  Also, at this time the big onion seeds are not ready and the small onions cannot be planted under so much water.  Care must be taken to ensure that the variety of onion used in the early boro field is the type that always remains above water.  Onions need water, being 67% water themselves, but they cannot be inundated.

	If irrigation water is not available  after a'man paddy, then the boro paddy should not be sown, but pigeon crops may be sown.

	Except for a'man paddy, there can be pigeon crops in every season.  After the harvest, the field should again be prepared and fertilizers applied as above.

	Boro paddy gives a medium yield compared to the other seasonal varieties of rice. The straw is fairly long, but animals do not like it.  Green gram can be grown as a pigeon crop in the second two months of the early boro or late boro rotations.

	  4)Half of Ma'gha, Pha'lguna,  Caetra and half of Vaesha'kha -- late boro paddy.

	Late boro is transplanted by the 15th of Ma'gha. Between every two boro plants, one small onion (chachi piaz) should be planted.  Small onion is obtained from the seeds of big onion (boro piaz).  Small onion takes four to five months to grow and should be developed in the nursery for the first one or two months before being transplanted.  Seeds from the big onions are used to produce small onions, and the onion tubers (kalik) from small onions are used to produce big onions.  Big onions are used both as a vegetable and for seed production.  If the big onions are to be harvested for marketing, then the stalk should be twisted down while it is green and about to flower. If this is done the onion grows to its maximum size.  

	Kusum flower can be planted as a boundary plant around the late boro field and can also be harvested. If there is enough water, pisciculture may be practiced with late boro and hot small onions.

	All paddy requires clay soil.  Where there is water in the field, care must be taken to ensure that the heads of the paddy stalks are not submerged.

Banana

	The land between banana plants must not remain vacant. The following crops can be planted:

	  1) As'a'dha to Ka'rttika -- turmeric and black gram.

	  2) Agraha'yan'a to  Ma'gha -- sweet potato or sweet juice potato and winter chili or winter brinjal.  The seedlings should be quite big.  

	  3)Pha'lguna to Jye'stha --  peanut or ginger under the ground and sesame or soybean above the ground.

Spices

	The crop rotation for spices should be as follows:

	  1) Second half  of Pha'lguna, Caetra, Vaesha'kha and Jye'stha -- ginger  with soybean.

	  2) As'a'dha,  Shra'van'a, Bha'dra, A'shvina and half of   Ka'rttika -- turmeric and black gram.

	  3) Late Ka'rttika,  Agraha'yan'a,  Paus'a, Ma'gha -- late potato with candani and fenugreek on the mound (with the potatoes) and corriander, anise, and jiira in the canal.  Dry and big winter chili should also be grown in the canal.  Big seedlings should be grown so that the plants flower within fifteen days after planting.  For one week after planting, the seedlings should be covered with shade to avoid direct sunlight, but in the night they should not be covered. 

Sugar Crops

	Sugar crops include the following:

	1)Sugar cane  --  Sugar cane is of  Indian  origin and comes within the grass group.  It is a medium-sized grass.  The percentage of sugar produced differs from one variety to another.  Traditionally, sugar cane is planted just before winter, but this system is a bit defective.  The best season for planting is the early spring in the month of Pha'lguna.  The cuttings must be brought from at least twenty kilometers away, otherwise they will be prone to pests and disease.

	If sugar cane is grown, it should be planted along with late boro paddy. In the month of Jye'st'ha, after harvesting boro paddy, the plants should be bundled up with the leaves of the sugar cane.  The place between two sugar cane plants may be utilised either for green gram, which grows in sixty days, peanuts, or maize of the taller variety.  In the month of As'a'dha, after removing the grass, the vacancy between two sugar cane plants may be utilised for growing turmeric.  Turmeric requires half sunlight and half shade.  It will grow well in sugar cane fields.  In the month of Ka'rttika, after harvesting the turmeric, if a place remains between two sugar canes, it may be utilised for producing sweet potato or sweet juice potato.

	2) Sugar beet -- Sugar beet  is an all-season crop, but in India it is grown only in the winter season between A'shvina and Pha'lguna.  It may be grown along with potato between two potato plants on the upper portion of the valley, that is, on the mound.  The lower portion of the mound may be utilised for growing winter spices.  Sugar beet  may be produced both with early potato (A'shvina to Agraha'yan'a) or late potato (Paus'a to Pha'lguna).

	3) Sweet potatoes -- The space between sweet potatoes can be used to cultivate soybeans, cabbage and winter brinjal. The early variety of sweet potato can be grown from A'shvina to Agraha'yan'a, and the late variety from Paus'a to Pha'lguna. Green chili may also be grown, but green chili is three year crop. In the first year there is a good crop, in the second year there is a medium crop, and in the third year there is a very low crop. For example, if in the first year the production is taken as 100%, in the second year it will be reduced to 40% and in the third year to only 10% to 15%. So it is best that after the second year the old plants are replaced.  Cauliflower should not be planted along with the creeping crops.  It requires direct sunlight and the creepers will cover it.  Cabbage, because it needs less direct sunlight, can be grown along with the creeping tuber vegetables.

	After harvesting late sweet potato, select varieties of arum, along with summer creepers like pumpkin, gourd, bitter gourd, water gourd, cucumber, musk melon, watermelon, spinach, etc. should be planted.  From As'a'dha to Bha'dra, the land may be utilised for a'us paddy, maize, jute, rainy season brinjal or spinach, rainy season chili, rainy season beans and rainy season creeping vegetables like pumpkin, gourd, etc. A platform must be used in case of such vegetables.  In the winter or summer, a platform may or may not be used.

	The crop rotation for sugar crops should be as follows:

	  1) A'shvina to  Agraha'yan'a -- The early variety of sweet potato or sweet juice potato.

	  2) Paus'a to Phalgan -- The late variety of sweet potato or sweet juice potato.    

	  3) Caetra to Jye'stha -- Arum associated with summer creeper.

	  4) As'a'dha to Bha'dra --  A'us paddy, maize, jute rainy season brinjal and rainy season creeping vegetables.

Jute

	The crop rotation for jute should be as follows:

	  1) Vaesha'kha -- The jute seeds are sown in a seed bed.

	  2)As'a'dha --  The seedlings of jute and the seedlings of a'us paddy are transplanted.  They will both be harvested in Shra'van'a.

	3)After this  autumn  maize can be planted (a two-month crop) along with soybean or radish.  Maize and soybean are both harvested in the end of A'shvina.  Radish would be left in the field a little longer before harvesting.

	4) Winter crops are  planted  later,  and  include wheat, winter vegetables and linseed. Linseed is harvested at the end of winter, in Pha'lguna.  After growing linseed, dhainca must be sown for two months and then plowed into the soil as green manure because linseed takes so much out of the soil. In Vaesha'kha, jute and a'us paddy can start again.

            BOUNDARY PLANTS

	To ensure the maximum utilisation of every inch of land, there is also a system of planting in the boundary areas of all schools, farms, orchards, homes, etc., as well as beside all roads.  For example, trees with spreading branches, like most fruit trees and even some timber trees, should be planted all around the perimeter of such places at fixed distances. Palm trees, which grow straight up, should be planted in between the fruit trees, as they do not block the sun light from the fruit trees. Between the fruit trees and the palm trees, filler plants should  be planted. Three examples of small filler plants are edible anthurium, a root crop; permanent cotton, a shrub; and arrowroot, a root crop. If the soil is deep and good, plant anthurium. If the soil is stony and poor, plant permanent cotton. If the soil is of medium quality, then plant arrowroot. In between all these there is still space for associate plants to the filler plants. With anthurium plant chinese mini grape; with permanent cotton plant ghee kavla, a vegetable; and with arrowroot plant wild mini bitter gourd. The boundary wall should also be topped with wire, then it is also quite possible to plant wire plants, in series, as in the lakeside plantations. Where trees are planted around the boundary of agricultural land, care should be taken so that they do not shade the crops from the sun.

	  Some examples of boundary plants grown in A'nanda Nagar include:

	    1) Red oak with a fill-gap of cotton (ga'ch ka'pa's).     2) Night jasmine and Paraguay coconut with a fill-gap of large cardamon (ba'r'a ella'chi). 

	    3) Silver oak with a fill-gap of cotton.

	    4) Shiriish. 

	    5) Green oak, cotton.

	    6) Bakphul (Sesbania grandiflora) and African oil palm.

	    7) Redwood,  shveta  karabi,  na'gdona',  and  intermittently, red sandalwood (rakta chandan) with a fill-gap of Agave americana.

	    8) American ash with  a fill-gap of Agave americana.

	    9) Kael pine with a fill gap of Agave americana.

	  10) Arjuna. 

	  11) Sita  asoke  (Sarika indica)  planted with intermittent sa'bu da'na'.

	  12) Two mulberry  plants with one oil palm in between, the oil palm should not be an African variety.

	  13) African palm with a fill-gap of pineapple.

	  14) Beda'na'.

	  15) Phalsa.

	  17) Paraguay coconut.

	  18) Indian  rosewood with intermittent ta'l, alternating with Indian rosewood and Indian olive, and pineapple as a fill-gap.  19) Occidental olive (jalpa'i, Olea europaea, L.) and chalpa,         the fill-gap will be Agave americana.

	  20) Green oak with a fill-gap of cotton.

	  21) Sisoo  (Dalbergia sisoo)  and  teak (segun), planted between banyan and night jasmine.

	  22) Cloves and Indian cassia bark (tejpata) with scholar's leaves between them.

	  23) Red sandal and kababcini with sotti between. 

	  24) Japanese cherry tree.

	  25) Kaincan. 

	  26) Sondal tree (Indian laburnum, Cassia fistula).

	  27) Indian  rosewood, pineapple, palmyra, pineapple, Indian rosewood etc. (I+P+Pa+P+I...)

	  28) Himalayan  devdaru, pineapple, date palm, pineapple, Himalayan devdaru, etc. 

	  29) Ta'l and  Nimnapatra  devdaru  with a fill-gap of Chinese chaste tree.

	  30) Nutmeg, ta'l  ka't'a'l, kauphal', ta'l ka't'a'l, with a fill- gap of asparagus.

	  31) Banyan alternately with palmyra, the gaps filled with asparagus and aloe.

	  32) Indian rosewood, piya' sha'l (Pterocarpus marsupium), garjan (Dipterocarpus alatus), shishu (Dalbergia sisoo) and mangostein, with a fill-gap of date palm, asparagus and aloe.

	  33) Sesame (til) and ginger (adarak) alternately on the boundary of late boro paddy.

	  34) Boundary plants for oil seeds include night jasmine and Paraguay coconut alternating, with bar'a ellachi as a fill-up plant.

	There is no fixed rule for fill-up plants on boundaries in compounds. Sisal makes a good boundary, roadside and riverside plant, and it is the usual fill-gap on roadsides and many boundaries. It also helps to prevent erosion.

	So a well integrated system of the blending of crops has many benefits. There is the maximum utilisation of land because the space below the surface, on the surface and above the surface is fully used. Properly selected crop combinations also increase productivity, and regions which produce only one or two paddy crops in a year can harvest four paddy crops as well as other associated crops in a year. Through scientific crop rotation which does not adversely affect the productivity of the soil, maximum crops can be planted in the minimum period of time, and maximum crops can be planted in the minimum space.  The space around buildings and fields can be used to grow boundary plants, and any convenient space can also be used to grow fill-up and fill-gap plants. Poor farmers will be benefited if they adopt such a system, and so will society. 

	Amongst all the types of culture of the physical stratum, agriculture is the best.  We must encourage and develop agriculture.

	February 1988, Calcutta