29
proper is rarely imported into this part of India, as
its place is supplied by the dried leaves of the female
plant. The hemp plant as cultivated yields at one
and the same time both ganja and the so-called
bhang.
In this district hemp is cultivated in a few
villages of the Sirur, Indapur, and Bhimthari
talukas, in all nine villages. The area under
cultivation is about ten acres only. From
1873-74 to 1882-83 statistics are not available; in
1883-84 the area under cultivation was 24 acres,
10 and 19 acres in two succeeding years, 35 and
30 acres in 1886-87 and 1887-. 8 8 , a n d 1 6 t o 1 7
acres for the three succeeding years respectively.
The area under cultivation was highest in 1886-87
and lowest in 1889-90. On the whole, the culti-
vation would appear to be on the decline.
8. In the Poona district the area under culti
-
vation has been decreasing from 1887-88. The
reason assigned being that cultivators do not
find it more profitable than ordinary agriculture.
The area under cultivation is so small that the
variations do not call for comment. The cultiva-
tion of hemp appears not to be popular with the
agriculturists in this district. The demands of
the district being easily met by importations
from the neighbouring district of Ahmednagar
may also account for the decrease of local produc
-
tion.
9. The method followed in cultivating the
hemp plant may be described briefly as under.
There is no difficulty felt in the selection of
land. Any soil is suited, except "muram" and
hard soil. Black soil is however the best; al
-
though in many cases the whitish-grey as well as
red soil is used. All bagait lands are well suited
for the cultivation of the hemp plant. The sites
selected are generally moist, not shaded. The
land is ploughed well three or four times. The
first, ploughing takes place in the months of April
and May, when ordinarily agricultural lands are
prepared. The soil is thus well prepared by two
to three courses of ploughing. The rains are await
-
ed. In June when the land is once or twice
flooded, it is again ploughed and harrowed. It is
then manured with cow-dung and rubbish, also
with ashes in some cases. After another fall of
rain, the land is once more harrowed and the soil
is then quite ready to receive the seed. About
the close of June the seed is sown, which appears
well within a week. The plants are then thinned
if they come up too closely and are kept carefully
weeded. If the rains are seasonable, no watering
is required, otherwise one or two waterings are
given. When the plant grows a little over a foot
high, the lower twigs are cut off so as to favour
a more healthy growth of the tops and flowers.
Experts called "parkhi" are then employed to
distinguish between the male and female plants
in order to eradicate the former, as their presence
in the field fecundates the female plants and causes
them to run into seed, producing little or no
ganja. This process over, weeding if necessary
is repeated. The female plants mature towards
the close of November when harvesting com
-
mences, the process of which is described under
question 15.
10. My enquiries do not show that persons
who cultivate hemp for its narcotic properties form
a special class. They are ordinary agricultural
cultivators.
11. No. Ganja plants are not raised from the
seed of the wild hemp. Wild hemp is not known
in this district. Seed for ganja cultivation is
obtained from Ahmednagar, where seed is pur
-
chased.
12. The ganja plant is raised from seeds ob
-
tained as above stated. The plant so raised in
no way partakes of the nature of wild hemp. The
seed plant is not grown for the purpose of ganja,
but for seed only. In this district the seed plant
is not grown, but in Ahmednagar it is, and I
understand in this case the male plant is not ex
-
tirpated, as otherwise it would not be possible to
impregnate the female plant for the purpose of
seed.
13. The cultivation of the hemp plant for ganja
is not restricted in this district, although only
in three of eight talukas the cultivation occurs.
The Mawal taluka and the western parts of the
Haveli, Junner and Khed talukas are unsuited
for the cultivation of the plant owing to the
heavy rainfall and the hard muram soil in those
areas; lands situated in or adjoining the ghats
where the rainfall is heavy do not appear to be
suitable for hemp cultivation; the plant is said
to thrive in a whitish brown soil in Newasa,
Ahmednagar Collectorate, as stated by the mam
-
latdar. I am unable to say if the cultivation of
the plant is impossible in any part of the district,
but it would appear that heavy rainfall, a damp
climate, and hilly tracts are not favourable to the
growth of the plant.
14. My reply to question 7 shows that in this
district the cultivation of the hemp plant is
limited to about 17 acres. The products of the
plant are comparatively small. The yield is
about 153 maunds of ganja and as much of bhang.
No reliable statistics are available on this head, and
I have not been able as yet to obtain trustworthy
information regarding the average annual out
-
turn of each of the two products of bhang and
ganja during past years; but from enquiries made
locally I learn an acre gives an average yield of 9
maunds of each of the two products. The out
-
t u r n o f g a n j a a n d o f b h a n g m a y i n t h i s d i s t r i c t
therefore be taken at 9 maunds per acre. The
drugs are locally manufactured in the villages of
Indapur, Bhimthari, Sirur and in Haveli taluka,
in this district. Charas is not found to be
manufactured in this district.
15. The wild plant is not found in this
district, nor is it obtained for the purpose of
manufacturing drugs therefrom. The cultivated
plant only is available. As stated in replies to
previous questions, ganja and bhang in this
province are produced from one and the same
plant. The flowering tops supply ganja, and the
leaves and residue of the flowers, bhang.
When the seed is sown in June, it matures in
the month of November, about the Dewali holi-
days, The state of maturity is indicated by a
brownish appearance of the crop and falling
down of all the larger leaves. The cultivator
then makes his arrangements for reaping the
crop and preparing the drug, a piece of ground is
prepared and cleared of stubble and grass and
made quite even. The ordinary threshing ground
(Khale) serves the purpose. The ground being
prepared, the crop is taken up generally in the
morning. The flower tops are cut with a scythe,
the leaves are pulled off by hand. The crop
collected is stacked in the threshing ground and is
trodden over in the afternoon; as evening sets in
the operation of treading is suspended, leaving
the stalks and flowers, etc., on the ground for
exposure to the dew. On the following day the
process of treading is resumed until the quantity