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brought from Nagar in the Ahmednagar District.
It also can be had in the ganja-producing villages
of this district. The seed is of blue colour, and in
form resembles the Argad seed, but is little flat--
tened. At the time of sowing the seed, the soil,
which has already been tilled, is first made level,
and the next day the seed is sown into it in a row
by means of a bamboo pipe fixed to the plough.
The rows are about a cubit and a half (three feet)
apart from each other. The seed is sown in the
rainy season at the time when the Punarwasu
Nakshatra sets in. About one and a half to two
seers of the seed is required for the cultivation of
one acre of the soil. Fifteen days after the
sowing of the seed the field is weeded with the
implement called kolpe, and then after 8 days
the field is weeded with the hand. The same
process (weeding with the hand) is repeated every
fortnight. By these processes the spontaneous
growth of weeds is prevented between the rows of
the crop. The intervening space between the rows
of the crop is made soft and crumbly by repeated--
ly turning it over with a kolpe at intervals of
15 days at a time. This conduces to the growth
of crop and consequent budding. It is necessary
for the cultivator to engage a servant at a cost
of about Rs. 8 a month, a fortnight after the sow--
ing of the seed. The duty of the servant is
to go through the crop daily, and to remove all
male plants and plants affected with the following
vegetable diseases. The plants are generally
affected by them at the top
: —
( 1 ) A n d i a r ó g . — V e r y s m a l l o r g a n i c m o l e c u l e s
are formed on the top of the plants. This disease
generally affects the plants in the beginning of
their growth, and lasts for about a month.
( 2 ) H a l d i a r ó g a f f e c t s t h e p l a n t b y p r o d u c i n g
yellow colour on the tops, and lasts till the full
growth of the crop.
(3) Charka róg is at the top.—Makes the
flower yellow, and lasts to the end.
(4) Sheora róg.—White flowers grow on the
" boot " (flower top portion).
(5) Punda.—The seed is formed in the "boot"
and which afterwards produces flower.
(6) Aradnár.— From the stock to the top of
the plant small buds are formed, which give rise
to white flowers.
(7) Kapsha róg.— It whitens the plant.
The process of removing the affected plants is
continued for about three months. On the whole,
when the agglutinated flower tops are formed,
the ganja is produced, but when seed is formed,
the crop becomes useless. When the plants
become three months old, they give rise to "bónd"
or " kali," and after this they are subject to
another disease called móra, which causes the
breach of the bónd, wherein seed is formed.
When the bónd is formed, the plant is taken
out of the soil and ganja is prepared. The leaves
of the plant are broadened in proportion to the
growth. The plant rises to about 2½ to 4 cubits.
When the plants with bónds (flower tips) on them
are removed from the field, their bónds are nipped
and trodden down under foot for four days on
clean ground, and then they are collected and
packed up. When ganja is thus prepared, it is
fit for sale. One man can prepare a maund
weight of ganja within four days by the above
process. Six showers of rain are sufficient for a
good crop of ganja ; if there is want of rain, the
crop is to be watered artificially at intervals of
15 days. No rain is required at the time of
nipping the bónd. If there is rain at the time,
the bónd will not retain the resinous matter, and
the ganja becomes of inferior quality. The plants
themselves serve the purpose of fuel, they being
of no other use.
At the time of sowing ganja, the seed is thick--
ly sown, as 75 per cent. of the plants, being
male plants and affected with diseases, are requir--
ed to be removed, and only the remaining 25 per
cent. produce ganja.
At the beginning of Márgashirsha the ganja
crop is fit to be removed from the soil, which can
then be utilized for sowing wheat, gram, etc.
The same soil can be appropriated every year for
the crop of ganja if manure is used every year.
10. Hemp cultivators are of the class of agri--
cultural cultivators.
11. No.
12. I have no information.
13. The cultivation is not restricted to any
particular area. The growth of the ganja plant
requires black soil, hot climate, and moderate
rainfall.
14. Ganja alone is prepared in this district.
About 2,400 Bengal maunds of ganja are pre--
pared in the talukas of Khanapur, Khatav, and
Satara. Bhang is not specially prepared. It is
the powder that falls off in handling ganja, and is
used in preparations such as majum, ghótá,
doodhia.
15. Wild hemp is not known in this district,
and my reply refers to cultivated hemp.
Ganja is used for smoking alone. About half
a tola of ganja is well washed and well beaten on
the left palm with the right thumb, and quarter
of a tola of tobacco is mixed with the ganja, and
the mixture is smoked.
The powder that falls off from ganja is called
bhang, of which the following preparations are
made :—
(1) Ghótá or kusumba or doodhia or ludhia : these
are all names of the same drink. One tola. bhang
is crushed into powder with a stone, with water
added to the powder. It is made up into a ball and
put into a clean pot. The following articles are
added to it : 40 tolas of milk, 20 tolas of sugar, 1 tola
poppy-seed, ¼ tola of cardamom, 2 tolas of almond.
Little pepper is added to the mixture. This
quantity of mixture is usually drunk by one man.
(2) Majum, otherwise called yákuti, is prepared
of bhang for eating in the following manner : 40
tolas bhang is boiled in 80 tolas of ghee. It is
then strained and the refuse thrown away. The
strained ghee is then mixed up with 8 lb of
boiled sugar. It is then cooled in a broad and
shallow pot. It becomes solid, and is cut into
pieces.
16. Bhang is generally prepared by people in
their houses.
17. The preparations are made by the persons
who use them. The preparations are not sold,
except the preparation of bhang called majum or
yákuti. The preparation is sold by license-holders
alone.
18. Charas is not in use in this district. Bhang
and ganja deteriorate if kept longer than 18
months. They become quite useless after two
years, and after that period they are simply useful
as manure.
19. Ganja and charas are used for smoking
only.