( 13 )
The area of the gánjá mahal appears to be slowly but steadily decreasing;
not only is the cultivation becoming more concentrated, but in spite of slight fluc-
tuations, it would seem as if the cultivation of hemp were steadily diminishing
within the gánjá area itself. The cultivation of sugarcane, another crop suited
for these high lands, which the people appear to find nearly as remunerative and
much less troublesome both in itself and from the absence of the fiscal restrictions
that necessarily accompany gánjá growing, seems to be steadily if slowly
displacing hemp culture.
CHAPTER VII.—T
HE MANUFACTURE OF GÁNJÁ.
So full and clear an account of the manufacture of both sorts of gánjá has
been given by Mr. Kerr,1 t h a t h e r e , a g a i n , o n l y a b r i e f o u t l i n e o f t h e p r o c e d u r e
in each case with a short sketch
o f t h e p r i n c i p l e s u n d e r l y i n g t h e p r a c t i c e , i s a l l t h a t r e q u i r e s t o b e g i v e n .
The crop does not become fully ripe all at once, so that during reaping
a process of selection goes on only the most advanced plants are selected, and
only as many as will keep the cultivator at work for the next couple of days are
taken at one time. The plants are cut with a sickle about six inches up the
stem and carried in bundles to the place of manufacture, which is called the
C h á t o r .
w h e n t h e p l a n t s o f o n e l o t h a v e b e e n c o n v e r t e d i n t og
á n j á
, a n o t h e r l o t i s c u t ; t h i s i s r e p e a t e d t i l l t h e f i e l d i s e m p t i e d . T h ek
h á
s i á
p l a n t s , a l r e a d y
described, are left in the field, or are only cut to be used as fuel.
As there are many little differences of detail in the manufacture of the
two sorts of gánjá, it is preferable to describe the methods separately.
The place of manufacture of flat gánjá is usually a grassy spot situated as
near the homestead as possible. Here the plants, which are cut about 9 o'clock
in the morning, are brought and spread out in the sun. In the afternoon the
plants are sorted one by one ; they are cut into lengths of two feet or rather
more, the useless twigs, without flowers, and therefore without gánjá, which are
a l l g e n e r a l l y n e a r t h e b o t t o m o f t h e p l a n t , a r e c u t o f f a n d t h r o w n a w a y a l o n g w i t h a s m u c h o f t h e w o o d y s t e m a s c a n b e e l i m i n a t e d ; a n y
k h á s i á
p l a n t s
accidentally reaped are also thrown aside. The sorted lengths are left lying
out under the open sky till the following afternoon, when they are collected into
small bundles of about equal size ; these are stacked in layers, the heads inwards
and overlapping each other, in a circle on a piece of matting. As the plants
are being laid on the mat, a number of men proceed to trample them flat under
foot ; each man fixes the plant being flattened with one foot while he treads
with the other. This rendering their footing somewhat unsteady, especially as
new layers of plants are laid on the stack, they lay hold of each other's shoulders
for support. When the stack is about 15 inches high, by which time it consists
of four or five layers, the building ceases after about half an hour's trampling
the men get down, cover the stack with a mat or two, and sit on it, partly to
rest, but also to prevent the plants in the stack recovering' from the flattening
they have undergone.
After half an hour or so this pressure is removed, and a couple of mats hav-
ing been laid beside the stack, a man takes up in pairs the bundles that compose
it, beating them against each other with some vigour over one of the mats to
shake off seeds and broken leaves before laying them down on the other mat
to be trampled and pressed as before. These seeds are collected, roughly
winnowed from the leaves, and laid aside for next season's crop.
In another half-hour or so the bundles are unstacked a second time and
spread out on mats in a single row, when the men proceed to dress the bundles
by holding the stick end of each with the left foot and with the right gradually
pressing towards the tops. The man having thus worked to the top, returns to
the stem end and repeats the process. After two or three dressings on one side
the bundles are taken up in pairs, beaten as before, and replaced on the mat
upside down, so that the other side may be subjected to the same treatment.
After again being beaten the bundles are laid out on the grass in an inclined
position, covered with mats to keep off the dew, and left for the night.
1 H. C. Kerr, Report, paragraphs 59—77, pp. 51—77.