Soils

118. According to the technicalities of the Berar settlement system all land is brought under the main classes of black, red, and white soil, and is then put into a subdivision according to the presence or absence of certain specified advantages or defects. The classification is permanent and has the one net effect of making any particular field always liable to pay a definite proportion of any maximum rate of revenue which may be fixed for the village in which it lies. Records of all the details are kept but e'ven at the making of a fresh settlement are not reconsidered. The classification, therefore, in spite- of its constant importance, does not come into any prominence. Ordinary classifications naturally follow different lines. Thus, the two main questions about soil in Berar are whether it is black and whether it is hilly; in the latter case it will almost certainly be also light, probably with a muram subsoil, and largely mixed with small pieces of limestone Black soil is kali; hilly bardi; light halki; muramy murami or murmad; very light khari; rocky and very light khadkal; mixed with large pieces of limestone bharki or kharpan; with small chunkhadi; stony gotali; red lal or tambadi; white or yellowish pandhari, bhutadi, or burki; sandy retadi; flooded mali; very wet panthal; cut up by streams wahuri; and lowlying lawan; waste land is padit; an irrigated field used for ordinary crops mala; one for fruit and vegetables bigait. For revenue purposes land irrigated by a bucket from a well is called motasthal and that by a channel from a tank or river patasthal. Most of the District consists of flat black soil, generally free from stones. One great tract of this takes in the north of Balapur, Akola, and Murtizapur taluks and the greater part of Akot; that is, it extends from the railway northwards to within a few miles of the Melghat hills. The centre of Basim and the north-west of Mangrul have also good black soil, while smaller areas of it are scattered all over the District. On the other hand the south of Balapur and Akola, most of the border of Basim, the south of Mangrul, and the east and north-east of Murtizapur are hilly, light, and stony, though valleys provide good soil in places. Ranges of hills are very distinct along the junction of Basim with Balapur and Akola, and again in the middle and south-east of Mangrul; they form in places ghats which are almost precipitous. Such land is not only very light but is largely given up to forest, bandi, jangal.