“ Throughout the plains the soil is generally fertile. The climate is generally good; the mean temperature is 78° F., and the annual rainfall averages 55 in. The population on the present area in 1901 was 1,096,858, showing a decrease of 2.5% in the decade. The principal crop is rice. There are manufactures of cotton goods and brass ware. The north-west corner of the district is crossed by the main line of the Bengal-Nagpur railway, and a narrow-gauge branch runs from Raipur town due south. The district suffered severely from famine in 1896–97, and again in 1899–1900. ”