January 2, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
44 1 
for sowing 1 bouw. The sovviug is done with a broad 
throw, and rather on a clear day. A thiu layer of 
earth is strewn over the sown seed. If the time 
allowed is sufficient, the plant profits better by sow- 
ing the jute seed first on a nursery ground, and re- 
planting it afterwards (as padi). The time for sow- 
ing is not everywhere the same. It is preferable 
doing it when a first shower of rain aR forerunner 
of the rain mousoou has moistened the soil. Germin- 
ation of the seed takes plaoe in moist regions in 3 
days, and in a dry climate after 7 days. Once or 
twice thinning and weeding is to be recommended. 
The little plants ought not to be nearer one from 
another thau 8 or 10 centimeter. 
The ripening of the plant takes place 4 months 
after sowing, and after one mouth more, the crop 
is gathered. With manuring and sufficient irrigation, 
one harvest of padi and one of jute can be reaped 
in a year. 
The cutting of the plant takes plaoe just above 
the root. 
When reaped too soon the fibre is weak, and when 
the plant is already running to seed, the fibre is 
duly strong, but not glossy and too stubborn for proper 
•pinning. 
After the harvest, the plants are bound in gerbs, 
or they are let lying in little heaps on the field to 
expose them to dew and sun till the leaves have fallen 
off. Tben the plants are bound together iu bundles, 
so as to form the freight of one man, aud are laid 
in water for softening. Both stauding and streaming 
water have their advantages on this view, which 
oanuot now be further explained. 
By the process of softeuing or maceration! care 
must be taken that the whole bundle remains sub- 
merged. Tho time during which the buudles must 
remain submerged, depends much on the nature of 
the water, and may be from 3 to 30 days. But 
when the softening lasts too long, the fibre loses 
force and colour. Precepts in this matter are diffi- 
cult to give; however, care must be taken, that no 
black spots are showu on the fibre, for these dimin- 
ish its value. When the maceration has proceeded 
so far that the fibre loosens itself, theu the bundles 
•re unbound, the stalks are takeu in the hand 
and struck or shaken somo time in the water, 
that the slimy parts may be sevored. By this 
process, the fibre loosens itself naturally, first at 
tho tenderest- part, but by continued striking the 
rest follows easily. The cooly, performing this labour, 
st:incls to the waist iu tho water ; be takes so 
many stalks in hand as ho can hold and strikes 
these with the butt-end on the water, holding the 
thin ends in his hand. To hasten the loosening of 
the fibre, an incision can be made at some distance 
of the root and at the top. Another method is to 
bruise the top of the stalk a little with a wooden 
hammer, after which the fibre can be stripped off 
from the stalk with the hand. By this last mi thod 
it is not needed to let the stalk soften during 
so long a period, aud the fibre will be strouger. One 
man can prepare by peeling a hundred or more of 
plants in a day and deliver at least J pieul of 
fibre. After stripping and peeling, the fibres must 
be well washed and wrung out afterwards. The 
more washing is done and the purer the trashing 
water is, the whiter the product. The value of the 
product declines considerably when the jute is not 
totally dry before being bound in skeins or bundles 
for exportation, and it is by carelessness in this 
reap ct, or because moist urn has been expressly let in 
to make the produce heavier, that so much inferior 
species nro brought to the market. 
The preceding shows, tint lor the native wi'h 
own labour, the costs of producing jute are small ; 
if, however, »s by the culture of rice oue should 
wish to achieve every factor arising in tho cultivation 
by hind labour, nnd this labour should be pai l, 
then the cultivation of juto can bo not, or little 
remunerating. 
Fur fear of exhausting the soil, it is well not to 
sow jut* mora than twice In sui cession on the saniu 
field. It is best to grow padi md jute alternately 
on the same grounds, if, namely, sufficient water can 
bo obtained. 
Moreover jute has the peculiar quality of destroying 
the germs of meeds which grow betweeu padi. Besides 
the fibre, the plant yields still other advantages ; the 
leaves and the tops of the plant are a savoury 
vegetable, the stalks serve as firewood ; the roots 
are sought as material for paper-mills, and the seeds 
can be used for the fabrication of oilcakes for animal 
food. 
In Bengal where much jute is grown, it is said 
that rice aud jute are the principal elements of tho 
native agriculture in those districts where both grow 
well. A bouw (acre) may produce from 15 to 45 p culs 
of jute, and on good sawah-grounds with living water 
and careful management, still more. 
.Some years ago, at Oa'cutta R2J were still paid per 
basket ( = 3/0 picul ) of rough jute. Perhaps the product 
has become cheaper now, but the great demand at 
that place for good rough jate also reuders the priae 
of the product stationary. 
+. 
VARIETIES OF BREAD-FRUIT. 
From the proceedings of the Madras Agri-Horticul- 
tural Society, we quote as follows : — 
Read the following letter from B. Lovery, Esq., 
dated Palm a idi, K lpuik, 17th September, 1887:— 
" When I was in Bangalore list year, my attention 
was drawn to the Seed Bread-fruit tree growing in 
the Lai Baugh, and which the people there regarded 
as the only variety of the Jrtocarpus iiwisa. The 
gardener showed me a quantity of seeds resembling 
those of the Jack, or Artocarpus intearifolia, collect- 
ed from the trees in the garden, and told me that 
they are not edible, but that the tree was cultivated 
on account of its handsome foliage. Evidently the 
seed variety was mistaken for the seedless. To correct 
this erroneous notion, I addressed the accompany- 
ing letter to one ot the local papr-rs and put myself 
in communication with Mr. Ricketts, the Conservator 
of Forests, Mysore, to whom I sent a few of the 
seedless fruits from my garden in Madras. He tasted 
oue after having cooked it iu the mode I bad ex- 
plained in my letter, and sent one to H. H. the 
Maharajah and ono to tho Dowan, all of whom, Mr. 
Ricketts afterwards told me, pronounced it a very 
palatable fruit. I also sent him a sucker from my 
tree, but it died in a few weeks. I mean to present 
the Lai Baugh with another sucker, the only one I 
have at preseut, as snou as the cold weather sets in, 
for I wish to see this valuable food-producin? tree 
propagated as widely as possible in this part of India. 
" In continuation of the observations contained in 
the paper I am forwarding for the Society's information, 
for I know you aro interested in the cultivation of 
this edible fruit, I have to state that the modes I 
have tried for obtaining plants from the parent tree, 
viz., inarching on seedings of the common kind, put- 
ting down root cuttings in pots of sand, digging a 
trench around the tree and laying bare the roots here 
and there, have all failed. But I am inclined to 
think that the failure of the two last modes was 
owing to mismanagement on the part of my gardeuer, 
for Sir Madava Row put down so:ro of tho root cut- 
tings in his garden at the Luz, and has succeeded iu 
obtaining 2 or 3 shoots, which are now in a thriving 
Condition. I mean to repeat tho experiment this cold 
season ; and shall be happy to forward somo roots 
to the Socioyt's garden for a similar trial by the 
Superintendent. The plants which I pave to sora» of 
my friends iu Madras in I'\ bruary, 188i>, nre growing 
up vigorously and promise to become fine trees in 
cour«e of time. 
"The young treo in my garden, now abiiit 7 years 
old, to which I refer in my paper, anil which is a 
sucker from tho old tree, is now bearing for the 
third time, though not as plentifully as the parent 
tree; but the fruit is lighter, larger, ami has a b< ■ t'-r 
flavor. 1 send you a couple by the bearer. 
" I learnt from some works mi B >tany, kindly lent 
to me by Mr. Kiekotts, that besides the uso of the 
fruit, the economical purposes to «Thioh ihs othei' 
