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each other over the mat. The seeds and the
crumbled leaves fall off. The bundles are then
placed in a layer on one mat, and they are pressed
and trampled as before and a new stack is formed
from the first. It is, as before, covered now with
mats and weights placed thereon.
After some time some mats are spread on the
chatar yard, and bundles taken out from the stack
are laid out on them in a line, and the men com-
mence, with their one foot, pressing the bundles
from the bottom to the top of the twigs, holding
the same with another. The process is repeated
several times. The twigs are turned upside down,
and pressed and trampled as before. When the
trampling is finished, the twigs are kept in rows
in a slanting posture over a bamboo placed hori-
zontally on the yard (chatar) and covered over
with mats for the night.
3rd day.—On the next morning the cultivator
or his men pick up the twigs one after another
and pile them up in a stack and put pressure as
before.
At about noon the cultivator takes out twigs
from the stack, exposes them to the sun for about
quarter of an hour, and presses gently with hands
and feet to remove the useless leaves.
When the cultivator finds that the leaves have
been sufficiently removed, the twigs are tied into
bundles of ten mota antees or into bundles for sale
and export.
At the time of removing the superfluous leaves
and tying the bundles, a few blades of ganja drop
down. These are collected as flat ganja chur.
The flat small twig ganja has no separate pro-
cess of manufacture. In tying bundles for export,
the large twigs are used in forming large twig
bundles, and the small ones into small twig
bundles.
Manufacture of round ganja.—Round ganja
is prepared from the superior kind of the crop.
The plants for the manufacture of round ganja
are generally cut in the afternoon. They are
brought to the chatar and exposed to the declining
ray of the sun and the dew of the succeeding
night.
2nd day.—In the morning they are cut to the
lengths of 1 to 1½ feet, and dried in the sun till
they have assumed a withered-up appearance.
At noon a line of mats is placed below a hori-
zontal bamboo, supported by two posts of about 4
feet high. On both sides of the bamboo some
ten to fifteen men stand over the mats in two rows
facing each other and holding the bar. Some
ten to fifteen twigs are placed under the feet of each
man. They commence to press and roll the twigs
with their feet. The process is continued for
about ten to fifteen minutes. The men then take up
the twigs in their hands, and shake off the leaves
and seeds. The twigs are again put under the feet
and rolled on again till the twigs have assumed
a roundish shape. The twigs are then put to the
sun for about quarter of an hour or till they have
dried a little. The men then sit on the mats, and,
taking in their hands the twigs, press them hard
with their hands for about five minutes. The
twigs are repeatedly exposed to the sun and taken
up and pressed with the hands till sunset, when
they tie the twigs into loose bundles and keep
them under cover of mats for the night.
3rd day.—On the noon of the following day
the men unloose the bundles and cast to the sun
the twigs piece by piece. When they find that
they have well dried, they are taken one by one
and pressed with the hands.
The work of tying up bundles then commences.
The tying can be done by experts only. The
twigs are arranged one after another accord-
ing to their lengths. The smallest ones are
generally placed inside the bundle. The bundle
is pressed hard with the hand and tied with a thin
string at the stem, a portion of which is now cut
off. In the portions cut off there remain blades
of ganja. These are collected as chur. Chur is
also collected from the bits of ganja that drop
down during manipulation. It is also deliberately
made from inferior ganja rejected at the time of
tying up bundles. The chur of round ganja is
called rora.
Ganja is not prepared for eating or drinking.
16. I have no knowledge of the method of pre-
paring bhang. It can be prepared from the ganja
plants, but the drink will be a little too strong.
I do not know whether ganja or charas can be
prepared from the wild plant wherever grown.
17. The preparations of the hemp drug (ganja)
is made by the low class Hindus, such as Kaibar-
tas, Malakars, Napits, Charal, Koch, Jugi, etc.,
and by the Muhammadans. The proportion of
Hindus is 15 per cent., Muhammadans 85 per
cent.
18. Ganja deteriorates by keeping. It com-
monly loses its effects after two or three years.
It keeps good with ordinary care for about two or
three years. It deteriorates on account of evapo-
ration of its narcotic properties or strength. To
prevent deterioration, it might be kept in tin
boxes hermetically sealed.
The answers given under this chapter refer only
to the ganja manufactured at Naogaon.
19. Ganja is used only for smoking. I do not
know of its any other use.
20. The lowest classes of Hindus and Muham-
madans, such as fishermen, Kaoras, Methers,
Domes, Muchis, Chamars, Mallas, palki-bearers,
etc., smoke ganja. It is also smoked by udasins,
sanaysis, bairagis, songsters, and by some high
and middle class men.
About 75 per cent. people of the above classes
smoke ganja.
It is consumed in all the districts of Bengal
and Behar.
21. Ganja smokers prefer smoking that kind
of ganja which they are habituated to smoke.
The flat ganja consumers like the flat ganja, and
the round ganja smokers the round. The round
ganja consumed in Calcutta, 24-Parganas, Hughli,
Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia (Sudder), Cuttack,
and Puri. The flat ganja is smoked in all other
districts of Bengal and in Behar. Also it is
consumed in Benares, Allahabad, Assam, Cooch
Behar, and Nepal. It appears that the flat sort
of ganja is preferred or liked for smoking by the
majority of smokers.
The chur of round ganja is consumed by the
smokers of the round ganja localities, and that of
flat by the flat ganja smoking places.
22. I am not aware of the use of charas, native
or foreign, here.
23. I do not know whether bhang is ever used
for smoking.
24. I believe bhang is drunk by Beharis of all
classes. I cannot say the proportion.
25. It appears from the exports that the use of
ganja is neither increasing nor decreasing. It
has been rather steady since the last fifteen years.