f 293 ] 



known to yield very poor crops. In Jessore the crop is grown 

 both on low lands and on high lands and it is found that the crop 

 on high lands comes on earlier. It requires a light, well 

 ploughed sandy soil, with a fair amount of moisture, and OH 

 high land it does not succeed unless there are three or four 

 showers of rain or as many irrigations during the early 

 stage of the plant. It is therfore usually grown as a subsi- 

 diary crop along with others that require irrigation and 

 weeding. Rain is very injurious to the crop after the flowers 

 have formed as the dye is washed out by rain. The central 

 bud is usually nipped ,off to encourage side shoots and the 

 growth of a larger number of flower heads. The flowers or 

 rather florets are picked every 2nd or 3rd day, in January and 

 February. They must be picked when they begin to get 

 brightly coloured. Delay causes weakening of the dye. 

 The picking of the flowers in favourable seasons may go 

 on through March and even up to May. As fertilisation 

 usually takes place before the picking the removal of the 

 florets from the heads does not interfere with the subsequent 

 formation of seed which is gathered afterwards for oil. The 

 price of the dry florets varies from Rs. 20 to 30 per maund. 

 The average yield of dry flowers is about 80 Ibs. per acre and 

 of seed 400 Ibs., 16 Ibs. of seed being broad-casted per acre 

 when it is sown by itself. In the C. P. there is a thorny 

 variety grown for oil which is especially adapted for growing 

 round fields as a protection against cattle. The spineless 

 variety is preferred for flowers. 



406. Dye. The florets are dried in shade (as exposure to 

 sun weakens the dye) and sold afterwards ; or sometimes the 

 dry florets are powdered and sifted. The first and the last 

 pickings give inferior dye. The pickings in the middle of 

 the season give the best result. The dry florets contain two 

 yellow and a red dye, the latter being sought for in prefer* 

 ence to the former. The yellow dyes have to be first extracted. 

 One of them is highly soluble in water and if the florets are 



