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cal and about the size of mug seed. It is brought
from Ahmadnagar traders.
Method of sowing.—The seed is sown with the
usual three-drilled implement, only one drill of
which, however, is used
Time of sowing.— Sowing is performed in the
months of July and August. In light soil, the
sowing is performed somewhat earlier than in
rich black soil.
Watering the crops.— When the rainfall has been
timely and sufficient, only two waterings of the
crop are required. In other cases the crop is
watered three times at intervals of ten or twelve
days, so arranged that the last watering takes
place about fourteen days before harvesting.
10. In this district they are not a special class
who grow hemp plant. They are mere ordinary
cultivators or peasants.
11. Yes; formerly it used to be from the seeds
of wild hemp plant; but of late the cultivators
bring the seed from Ahmadnagar.
13. No; it is not restricted to any special
locality or province. Anybody can cultivate, but
all that he has to do is to obtain permission from
the local authorities. No special condition of
climate, soil, etc., is necessary for the cultivation
of hemp plant.
14. Yes; the product of ganja is prepared and
merely chur or round ganja is sometimes sold
under the name of bhang. But real bhang known
as putti is not grown or prepared in this district.
Ganja is prepared where it is cultivated. The
average yield per acre is given as about 18 or 20
country maunds or 520 lb.
15. The first process of preparing ganja is to
cut off the tops of the plants with a bill book and
to throw them into receptacles placed ready, and
to remove the leaves and small buds immediately
below the top. The whole crop thus collected is
carried to a place prepared for the purpose, and
arranged in heaps and exposed to sun to dry. It
is then trodden under foot by men. When crush-
ed, it is turned over, and the underside is exposed
to the sun and then again trodden ; the process
being repeated about five times a day for four
. days. The next process is that of winnowing,
which removes loose leaves and dust which are
laid aside for use as manure. The ganja is thus
finally prepared for smoking.
16. Yes, it is generally prepared by the people
in their houses. It can be prepared from the
hemp plant sown with care. Simply charas is
prepared from the wild hemp plant wherever
grown.
17. By ordinary cultivators.
18. Yes; they do deteriorate by keeping.
Ganja and bhang get stale and the rats spoil
them. They do lose their effect in time. It
keeps good for six months only with ordinary
care. The causes of deterioration are that the
tops get stale and rotten. They lose their active
principle as well as the rats spoil them. Nothing
but due care must be taken to prevent deterior-
ation.
19. Yes; charas is used only for smoking, and
ganja is used for smoking as well as for medicine.
Charas is not much used here, not being easily
available.
20. Some high caste Hindu Brahmins, kunbis,
Muhammadans and bairagis generally smoke
ganja. Nearly 5 per cent. is the proportion of
the people who smoke ganja.
vol. vii.
21. Flat ganja is preferred for smoking, but the
poorer class use chur ganja for smoking.
22. No charas is used in this district.
23. Not to my knowledge the bhang is ever
used for smoking.
24. Almost all classes of people drink bhang.
The greater proportion of the people is at Benares
Ayodya, Mathura, and in many other places in
Northern India.
25. The vice of smoking ganja is on the in-
crease as shown by the imports into my village.
Want of control, idleness, and the inducement
are the chief causes of the increase.
26. (a) Ten per cent. of the population.
(b) Five per cent. of the population.
27. Generally beggars who have given up the
worldly cares and anxieties take to this vice and
there are other people also from the middle class.
28. (a) One tola of ganja and bhang respec-
tively is necessary per diem.
(b) Four tolas of ganja and bhang respectively
are necessary per diem to habitual excessive
consumers.
29. Ordinary tobacco is mixed with ganja for
smoking by the people. Dhatura is mixed when
a man intends to make another insensible for
robbing of him. The object of mixing tobacco is
to make ganja more palatable and less strong.
Bhang is generally mixed with aniseed and black
pepper. The ingredients of bhang massala are—
aniseed, black pepper, rose petals, poppy seeds,
almonds, coriander, sugar, cardamom, milk, etc.
30. Respectable persons make at home and
drink bhang; so they smoke ganja also. But
there are shops where anybody can get ready-
made massala bhang to drink. The poor generally
reduce the number of ingredients in the massala
to reduce the cost and drink it merely with water,
black pepper and aniseed. There are shops, or
say houses, where ganja is smoked and in company
of other men of the same vice. These places are
strictly private.
These are generally used by males in adult life
and not in old age—I mean bhang with massala.
But ganja is smoked till death by people who are
once given to it. It is not used by children except
medically admixtured by hakims.
31. No; the habit of consuming is not easily
formed. Drinking bhang is not difficult to break
off, but smoking ganja can never be broken off.
There is some tendency to go to excess from
moderate, but not like alcohol, where one soon
runs to excess.
32. Social customs,—If some friends meet ano-
ther friends who are religious they make bhang
with massala and drink.
Religious customs.— Bhang is generally pre-
pared on one particular day called Maha Shivaratri,
by Shaivas, and it is drunk because the god Shiva
used to drink; and on the same day the so-pre-
pared bhang is religiously sprinkled upon the idol
of god Shiva. In the custom it is considered
essential on this particular day only. It is gen-
erally temperate. It is not likely to lead to habit.
This all is about bhang, but ganja has neither
religious nor social custom. It is merely vice
that it is considered.
33. The consumption of bhang with massala is
not regarded in any way as vice. There is no
social or religious public opinion about drinking
bhang, but on the contrary the religious opinion
2 E