Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s19.18

c18.s19.18

Mango trees in bagayat lands should not be separately taxed. Mango trees belonging to Patils and others should, when they begin to bear fruit, be inspected and taxed at the rate of Re. 1 per thousand fruits. Mango trees belonging to the government should be protected, and the proceeds of the fruit thereof be credited to the government.¹⁸ Finally the document wound up with the instruction that only about a tenth part of the village was under cultivation. The remaining portion should be brought under cultivation within five years. This document clearly shows how the Maratha financiers managed to secure for the government a due share of the unearned increment, without however diminishing the cultivator's zeal for further improvement of his farm land. We will quote only one more document to show the difference of rates for different crops. The villages in Taluka Neral held under the Mokasis were assessed at the following rates after the usual pahani in the year 1772-73. (Administration of the first Madhava Rao.)