84 



CROTALARIA JUNCEA. 



with the stalks at their thick ends, held in the operator's hand. The stalks are in this 

 way completely peeled of bark, and come out of the process perfectly white. They are 

 fit for nothing but fuel. The fibre is then cleaned or "drawn" by the skilful fingers 

 of women and children, and is made up into hanks for sale or use. The process may 

 be taken as a fair sample of the ingenuity which the Indian peasant has derived from 

 centuries of practical, although unreasoning, experience. 



" Washing " is a severe labour, and cannot be carried on by one man for more than 

 three hours at a time. An expert and energetic washer can turn out from 7 to 8 seers 

 of clean fibre in three hours, and about 15 seers in a day, which represents the outturn of 

 between 5 and 6 maunds of plant. A woman will clean and " draw " 8 to 10 seers 

 of fibre daily. 



The fibre of the sanai is commonly known as arjha san, and that of patsan as 

 lattia san. Lattia san is much the whiter and silkier of the two, but is also much the 

 weaker, and commands about 18 per cent, lower price. Arjha san is principally used for 

 well ropes, string, and fishing-nets, lattia san being preferred it is said for fabrics such 

 as idt or gunny. 



Cost of cultivation. The cost of Cultivation is given below : — 







ES. A. 



p. 



Ploughing (twice), 





... 1 8 







Clod crusliing (once), ... 





... 2 







Seed (1 mauud), ... ... 





... 12 







Sowing, 





... 13 







Cutting, 





... 1 9 







Washing (a crop of 8 maunds fibre), 





... 2 10 







Drawing, 





... 3 









Total, 



... 10 6 







Rent, 





... 5 









Grand Total, 



... 15 6 







Average outturu. The average outturn is about 8 maunds (or 640 lbs.) of clean fibre to an acre, worth 



about Es. 20. The value of arjha san has suffered great fluctuation in late years. The 

 Settlement officer of Allahabad writes, that in 1877 its price Avas as high as 6 seers per 

 rupee, whilst a few years back it stood at 20 seers. 



The area under sanai as a sole crop in 28 of the 30 temporarily settled N.-W. 

 Provinces Districts in the year 18S0-81 is shown by divisions below : — 



Irrigated, 

 Unirrigated, 



Total, 



Meerut 

 Division. 



Rohilkhand 

 Division. 



Agra 

 Division, 

 excluding 

 Etawah. 



Allahabad 

 Division, 

 excluding 

 Banda and 

 Jaunpur. 



Benares 

 Division, 

 Azamgarh, 

 Basti and 

 Gorakhpur 

 Districts 

 only. 



Jhansi 

 Division. 



Kumaan 

 Division, 



Tarai 

 District 



only. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



acres. 



720 



87 



1,711 



902 



19 



2 



8 



2,261 



10,048 



6,083 



9,035 



2,717 



2,359 



228 



2,981 



10,135 



7,794 



9,937 



2,736 



2,361 



236 



