(11)
Though much more powerful than siddhi—the proportional effects when
gánjá is administered internally being from six to ten times those of siddhi-
gánjá is much less powerful than charas. A series of careful estimations with
large quantities shows that a maund of gánjá yields only 30 per cent. of
the powder that is used by the consumer. Of this powder roughly 25 per
cent. is 'resinous' and. the rest inert vegetable matter. Of pure charas, on the
other hand, it has been seen that over 75 per cent. is 'resin' and the rest inert.
Gánjá thus stands as to potency midway between the two other natural
hemp-products. Like charas, gánjá is smoked, never, or very rarely, taken
internally.
CHAPTER VI.—THE CULTIVATION OF GÁNJÁ.
While siddhi is obtained indifferently from hemp, whether cultivated or wild,
and, it is said, whether female or male, charas, we have seen is, as a rule, obtained
chiefly, though not entirely, from cultivated plaints, and only from female ones ;
nothing, however, is done, even when they are cultivated, to prevent the charas
plants from running their natural course. Gánjá is obtained from cultivated
plants only and of the female sex exclusively, the males being not only not used,
but not permitted to grow in the vicinity of the crop, in order that the formation.
of seeds may be as far as possible prevented.
A full account of the hemp cultivation in North Bengal, to which area gá njá
cultivation is practically confined, has been already given by Mr. Kerr ; 1 h e r e ,
therefore, only the briefest outline is sketched of the mode of culture.
The plant is grown on the same high-land as that which is required in the
same province for mulberry cultivation. Seeds, preserved from the previous
crop, are sown towards the end of August in a carefully prepared plot of light,
d r y ,
s a n d y
l o a m , w h i c h h a s b e e n p l o u g h e d a b o u t o n c e a w e e k f r o m t h e m i d d l e o fM
a y . T h e f i e l d s
i n
w h i c h t h e c r o p i t s e l f i s t o b e g r o w n a r e t a k e n i n h a n d a b o u t
the beginning of March, and are ploughed half a dozen times or oftener to
clear out all weeds and all remains of the preceding crop. About a month later
the field is dressed with soil taken from the adjacent ditches or the neighbour-
ing low fields ; the thickness of the dressing varies with the quality of the field
to be tilled ; for the top-dressing only surface soil is used. The weeds and turf
are next removed from the banks and edges of the field and thrown into the
centre, while the soil thus removed is replaced by new soil taken from the
ditches. Manuring with cowdung usually follows, and a week later the plough-
ing in of the top-dressing and manure commences, and is continued once or
twice a week till the monsoon bursts. After the commencement of the rains
the field is alternately ploughed and harrowed once a month or oftener, till the
beginning of September, when the field is amply and carefully manured again.
In the middle of September advantage is taken of any break in the rains that
may happen to plough the manure well in; six or eight ploughings with half as
many harrowings are given. The field is then ridged and is ready to receive
the seedlings which are by this time about five weeks old and from six to ten
inches high; in order to obtain all the benefits of the breaking up of tine soil,
without at the same time the earth becoming too dry, the transplanting must
be done on the same day as the final ploughing, harrowing, and ridging the
seedlings must also be planted in the field the day they are removed from the
nursery.
A month or so after transplantation, about the middle of October, the fields
are carefully weeded ; a fortnight later, beginning of November, the ridges are
hoed clown as far as is possible without injuring the roots of the hemp, which
are then well manured with oil-cake or a mixture of cake and cowdung, and the
ridges rebuilt over the manure. About the middle of November the plants are
trimmed by the removal of the lower branches ; this helps to give the plant the
pyramidal shape that ensures the flowering-tops being as close together as possi-
ble, obviates the formation of gánjá close to the ground where it would certainly
get covered with sand and mud, and finally admits of another course of
1
H
C . K e r r ,
R e p o r t
, p a r a s .
3 8 — 5 4 ,
p p .
1 4 - 2 0 .