H. E. ANNETT. 363 



Sugar ill 1899-1900 sold at the high price of Rs. 5-9-7 J per katcha 

 maund. In 1900-01 the price of gur was very high indeed as a con- 

 sequence, viz., Rs. 2-9. The same effect was noticed in 1904-05 to 

 1905-06. 



In 1901-02 sugar sold badly at Rs. 4-3-2 and the price of gur 

 in 1902-03 fell in consequence to Re. 1-12-6. 



A study of the above table shews what the ratio of the purchase 

 price of gur to the selling price of the sugar must be in order to give 

 a profit. 



The cultivators do not sell gur direct to the refiners; a 

 class of middlemen (Vern. paikars) exist, who go round and buy 

 gur from the cultivators and then take it in carts to the 

 refiners. 



It appears that any rise of price in gur generally goes into the 

 pocket of the middlemen, as the cultivators always get about 

 Re. 1-14-0 from the paikars. This year (1911-12) the cultivators 

 were getting from the middlemen Re. 1-14-0 to Rs. 2-0-0 per katcha 

 maund for their gur, whereas the middlemen were getting Rs. 2-7-0 

 from the khandsaris. 



The middlemen who have gur to sell bring it to the refiners 

 stored in ghurras packed in carts. The purchaser tests its quality 

 by pushing an iron auger into the gur. He can tell the amount 

 of sugar crystals present by the amount of grittiness he feels and he 

 pays for it accordingly. Last year (February 1911), Rs. 2-4-0 per 

 katcha maund was being paid for the best quality. About 90 

 per cent, of all the gur is of this quality. For the next best quality 

 Re. 1-14-0 was being paid and it represents about 3 4 per cent, of 

 the gur. Of the worst quality there is only 2 5 per cent, and it 

 fetches Re. 1-4-0 to Re. 1-6-0. 



gurs 



The accompanying table gives the analyses of a number of 



