384 DATE SUC Aft INDUSTRY IN BENGAL. 



considers that trees may be safely put at distances of 1 1 feet apart 

 each way, that is, 360 trees per acre. 



Manuring. At present the date gardens receive no manure, 

 but it might be found that manuring would be beneficial. 



II. SEED SELECTION. 



It seems probable that much might be done by sowing seed taken 

 from the trees which yield large quantities of rich juice. Since the 

 thickest trees have been observed by us to be largest yielders, this 

 selection should be a simple matter. 



Near Jessore town at village Khartalar a number of gardens 

 have been sown from seed taken from the excellent garden referred 

 to on page 325. These gardens are full of high yielding trees. It 

 might also be found that the largest seeds would give the biggest 

 plants. It seems to us worth while experimenting in this matter of 

 seed selection. 



III. MANUFACTUKE OF GUR. 



In the manufacture of gur there is room for much improvement. 

 The whole process is an extremely dirty one. The earthen pans are 

 never cleaned from one end of the season to the other. The conse- 

 quence is that burnt sugar and much dirt and many ferments collect 

 in the pans. A good proportion of the dark colour of date gur must 

 be due to the burnt sugar collecting in the pans. Mr. B. C. Basu 

 carried out some experiments on the use of iron pans in Jessore in 

 1892-4 and states 1 that he prepared jaggery of exceedingly fine 

 quality which was capable of producing almost pure white sugar when 

 treated by the centrifugal. We here append analyses of a sample 

 of gur and of rab prepared in iron pans by Mr. Chatter jee in Central 

 India. These samples were much lighter in colour than the gur 

 prepared in Jessore in earthen pans and it will be seen they are of good 

 quality. 



1 Reports of Department of Land Records and Agric., Bengal, 1892-3, pp. 32-33 & 1893-4, 

 pp. 16-17. 



