A History of Agriculture in India v1.c30.s2.2

v1.c30.s2.2

According to the Jatakas, the agriculturists sowed different kinds of grains, planted sugarcane, cotton, different kinds of vegetables, such as pumpkins, gourds and cucumbers. To scare away birds, they made use of scarecrows; and towards the harvest time, when crops stood thick in the fields, the peasant anxious to kill the creatures that devoured crops used to dig pitfalls, set traps, fix stakes and snares. At the sight of coming rains, they would hurry to the fields with spade and basket in hands to bank the dikes, and the women of the house make haste to carry indoors rice and crops that were spread in the sun to dry, lest the harvest should get wet. Jat. No. 140 mentions a female slave dozing in her watch over rice spread out in the sun to dry, and of a goat waiting for a chance to eat it.