368 



DATE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN BENGAL. 



1908-09. 



History of the Native Refining Process. 



. The pioneers of the process were certain members of the Mayra 

 or confectioner's caste who started operations about 1820. The 

 table 1 will give an idea of the rapidity of growth in numbers of these 

 native refineries. We have only been able to find figures for the 

 Jhenidah and Magurah sub-divisions of Jessore. 



1 Taken from Report on the Agric. Statistics of Jessore, Jhenidah and Magurah sub- 

 divisions, 1872-73. Babu Ramshunkar Sen. 



