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ranged in heaps of about 2 maunds each, which are covered 

 with leaves and weeds and earth and left in this state for 3 

 or 4 days. The bundles are then well shaken of leaves, the 

 branching tops being lopped off, and then removed to water 

 where they are kept submerged under a weight of logs or wood, 

 earth and weeds being also used for weighting the bundles. In 

 the hot weather, i.e. from July to September, the retting is 

 finished in 10 days to a fortnight. If cold weather sets in it 

 takes longer, sometimes as long as 2 months, in which case 

 some of the fibre gets too much retted, or rotten, and others 

 not rotted enough and the colour of the fibre is grey and 

 the outer bark is not entirely removed from the lower part of 

 the fibre. The submerged bundles should be examined from 

 time to time after a week to see that the stems are not over- 

 retted. Over-retting not only makes the fibres darker in 

 colour but it also weakens them. When the retting is complete 

 bundle after bundle is taken by a man going down into water 

 and the lower end of the bundle is battered with a flat stick or 

 mallet usually made out of palm-leaf midrib. The pith-sticks 

 of the lower end are separated from the fibre by shaking 

 them out in water. The man then takes hold of the bundle 

 of fibres and by alternate pushing and pulling with a jerky 

 motion the whole of the fibre out of the bundle is drawn 

 out. Each bundle of fibres is rinsed and washed, the excess 

 water wrung out from it and it is then opened out in long 

 strands and hung up in the sun to get dry- Another plan 

 is to break off the bundle against the knee in the middle 

 (a smaller bundle which can be conveniently broken being 

 taken) to shake off the portions of the pith stalks at the 

 thicker end, to wrap the fibres from these portions round the 

 palm of the right hand and then pull and push the rest of 

 the stalks as before, in water, until all the fibres are removed. 

 Instead of merely rinsing and wringing the fibres clean, it 

 is better to wash them cleaner by taking larger handfuls at 

 a time and swinging them round the head and dashing them 



