PIPER 



BETLE 

 Bengal 



Is a Special 

 Craft. 



Bengal. 



Varieties and 



Races. 



Wide Diversity. 



Methods of 

 Cultivation. 



Districts of 

 Production. 



Jute-stalks. 



Cuttings. 



Seasons. 



Training the 

 Vines. 



Top-dressing. 



THE PAN-LEAF 



flat grass roofs so designed as to admit of a diffused light. The plants are 

 grown in parallel rows that allow spaces for the owner to pass between, 

 but nothing more. In other cases, the vines are cultivated under the 

 shade of trees, very often the areca-nut palm or other trees specially grown 

 for the purpose, and planted in the form of a compact garden surrounded 

 by a protecting hedge. Pan-leaf is hardly ever grown by the consumer, 

 but is regarded as a special cultivation that requires expert knowledge. 

 The methods pursued vary considerably in different localities, and may be 

 best considered under the names of the provinces in which the leaf is 

 chiefly produced ; but unfortunately statistics are not available for all 

 provinces, and only for certain years of those that are returned. 



Bengal. As far as can be estimated, the area under the betel- vine in 

 1904-5 exceeded 43,000 acres. The greatest possible confusion has 

 existed regarding the varieties and races met with in this province. 

 The commercial value of one form of paw-leaf is so infinitely greater 

 than another that the comparison between them (in point of price) 

 is as great as that between the produce of the very poorest and the 

 very finest vineyards. A uniform rate of rental for land yielding so 

 entirely different products would obviously be unjust. 



The following information regarding the methods of cultivation is 

 abstracted mainly from Mukerji and Roy. There are three main varieties 

 deshi, extensively cultivated in Central and Southern Bengal ; gach, 

 cultivated in North Bengal ; and sanchi, cultivated to a smaller extent all 

 over the country. According to the former writer, the finest pan is 

 grown at Bantul, half-way between Ulubaria and Midnapur, on a light 

 loam slightly reddish in colour. Ordinarily a black, friable clay loam, 

 containing a large proportion of organic matter, and situated above inun- 

 dation-level, is chosen for the crop. After selecting the site, shrubs 

 and trees growing on it are uprooted or burned down and a trench is dug 

 round, the earth obtained being spread over the surface of the garden. 

 Before planting the betel-vines, a roofing is manufactured for the purpose 

 of securing shade, evenness of temperature and security from high winds. 

 Rows of bamboo or other stakes are planted, 4f cubits remaining above 

 ground. Over these are placed dhaincha or jute-stalks and sometimes a 

 thatch of ulu-gr&ss. The garden is fenced round with the same materials. 

 Each row of cuttings is planted between two lines of stakes, with intervals 

 of 6 inches between the cuttings. Cuttings are taken from plants two years 

 old or more. These are made of lengths 12 to 18 inches, each with five or six 

 joints, two of which are buried in the earth, while the portions left above 

 ground are made to recline on the surface. They are then covered with 

 date-leaves and watered morning and evening till they strike root and put 

 forth buds. Planting time is May to November. Occasionally cuttings 

 are first planted in nurseries, and, when rooted and have sent forth new 

 leaves and buds, are transplanted. As the plants go on increasing in 

 length, one or two jute-stalks are stuck in the ground close to each, the 

 upper ends reaching the roof, and the betel plants are tied to them by ulu- 

 straw. When the plants reach the roof they are bent downwards, a 

 portion is made to rest on the ground and is covered with a little earth, 

 while the bud end is again bent upwards and tied to another support. 

 This process is repeated aboutfjthree times a year, and every time a few 

 leaves are plucked away at thes.points where bending takes place. Pond- 

 mud and other kinds of well dried and pulverised earth are placed between 



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