ABSTRACT
The soil and configuration of land are also important physical factors which determine the extent of double-cropping. In Western Bengal double-cropping is common on sali lands and suna lands, the elevation of which is neither too high nor too low. This chapter discusses the distribution of the double-cropped area in the Ganges Delta particularly with reference to the physical factors which determine the extent of double-cropping. It explores the nature and extent of double-cropping in the different tracts of the moribund and the active delta with particular reference to the variations in the density of population. The chapter shows that in the Upper Ganges Valley either the kharif or the rabi is the main harvest and double-cropping consists in growing cheap rabi crops to supplement the kharif harvest. In the Middle Ganges Valley, where the annual rainfall is higher, the bhadoi, the aghani, and the rabi are the three harvests.
