H. E. ANNETT. 389 



the earthen pots. It would be preferable for the pails ,-tQ jhave loose- 

 ly fitting lids. Such pails could easily be cleaned. We 'had occasion 

 in some of our experiments to collect juice in an camelled: vessel; 

 The juice so obtained was always of much better quality than that 

 collected in earthenware pots and this can only be ascribed to the 

 more cleanly nature of the enamelled pot. 



VII. CARRIAGE OF GUR TO REFINERIES. 



All the gur is taken to the refineries in the native earthen pots. 

 It has been explained on page 359 that in order to get the gur out 

 of the pots the refiners have to break them. The result is that the 

 sugar always contains a certain amount of small pieces of earthen- 

 ware. Where European refineries purchase the gur this is a 

 distinct drawback as the pieces of earthenware cut the filter 

 bags which are used in the refinery and thus are a source of 

 great trouble. Again the earthen pots filled with gur when loaded 

 on to a cart are easily broken and it is a common occurrence for 

 a cart thus loaded to upset down a bund, with consequent large 

 loss of sugar. If barrels or metal drums could be introduced in 

 place of these earthen pots these disadvantages would be done 

 away with. 



VIII. We have finally to throw out a suggestion which seems 

 to us worthy of experiment. Careful enquiries in the district, con- 

 ducted chiefly by Mr. H. D. Chatterjee, seem to make it clear that the 

 tappers would sell their juice at 4 to 4| annas per maund, rather 

 than take the trouble to boil it into gur. It seems possible that an 

 enterprising man might find it worth his while to set up in any given 

 centre and buy juice from the surrounding tappers. He might fit 

 up say a Hadi process plant capable of dealing with 60 to 100 maunds 

 of juice per day and prepare gur. This gur should be of much better 

 quality than the ordinary gur of the district and should fetch a much 

 higher price. In addition a centrifugal might be fitted up for the 

 purpose of producing white sugar. 



