THE TROPICAL AGRICtTLTUElSl. [Amit 1, 1903. 
valuable aaiunots towards fertilizing lands, in which 
turmeric is to be grown. Tiiis crop is often planted 
on lands, where sugarcane grew the preceding 
year, and it is considered an ameliorating crop. One 
of the^ special features to be noted in nearly every 
homestead in a Bengal village is the sight of a few 
clumps of ginger and turmeric plants growing, where 
ashes and other sweepings are thrown out. The 
small amount of tubers produced is generally suffi- 
cient for the frugal ryots yearly consumption. 
Turmeric is often grown under the shads, in orchards 
mantro topes and such, but the crops produced cannot 
be compared to those grown on lands specially suited 
and prepared for it. The time for planting out 
turmeric varies a good deal but the best time tor 
doine so is from the middle of April to the end of the 
following month. Before beginning planting it is 
advisable to wait until one or two north-westers have 
nassed over, giving a certain amount of moisture to 
the carched soil. The tubers should be put down on 
rideea a foot or so high and 18 or 20 broad, with inter- 
venine trenches nine or ten inches broad. The cutting 
or sets, viz., small portions of the fresh roots are 
nlanted on top of the ridges and about 18 mches apart. 
Three hundred such sets will be required for a btgah. 
or nine hundred for an acre of laud. The after-culti- 
vation consists mainly in keeping off weeds and loosen- 
ine of the soil between the ridges, Irrigation is not 
cenerally resorted to for by the time the monsoon 
rains are over, the tubers are already formed and 
only require ripening. Turmeric crops usually take 
ten months to come to maturity so should be taken 
nn towards the latter part of January, and the plants 
be allowed to wither and dry up before doing so. 
When taking up the roots the Jiodali or spade should 
never be used, but only the digging fork. 
The output of turmeric, like most other root crops 
varies a good deal but 16 to 18 maunds of fresh roots 
to a Uqah or 3 800 to 4000 pounds to an acre of land 
should be considered a very fair average. The roo!a 
are generally sold fresh to the middlemen, but they 
may be prepared and dried. To do this the roots must 
first be sorted out into two sizes. the smaller 
and larger ones, as these latter require more boiling. 
After they have been sorted out, the roots are thrown 
into large earthen pots filled with water to which has 
been added an admixture of cowdung and tamarind 
leaves. The roots avo then boiled for two or three 
hours according to their size and then taken out and 
anread out to dry. The boiling and drying makes the 
tubers shrink to half their original size and the loss 
in weight varies from 30 to 40 per cent. As the outlay 
required for raising turmeric crops- is small, the 
returns obtained are generally very satisfactory. The 
nrioe. of turmeric,, like most other such staples, varies 
a eood deal according to the state of the crops and the 
ime of the fear ; but from R 4 to R 6 per maund may 
e taken as a fair average for the dry roots, and R 2 to 
R 4 for the fresh ones. The following table will, I 
think, show that turmeric and ginger are among some 
of the miscellaneous crops that the would-be domiciled 
Anglo-Indian or Eurasian, may safely and profitably 
take up. 
Expsnditure and returns from one bhiga turmeric 
EXPENDITUBE. 
Rent for 1 year with cesses 
8 ploughs for ploughing and preparing 
land at 5 annas each 
Manuring, including price of manure .. 
16 coolies for preparing land at 5 for the 
rupee • • , ',• 
8 coolies for planting at 5 for the rupee. . 
After cultivation, weeding, etc. 
Taking up and sorting roots 10 coolies . . 
Profit from one bigah turmeric 
R. 
A. 
P. 
2 
3 
0 
2 
8 
0 
6 
0 
0 
3 
3 
3 
1 
9 
9 
5 
0 
0 
2 
0 
0 
'^2 8 0 
25 
8 
0 
48 
0 
0 
RETURNS. 
R. A. P. 
16 maunds fresh turmeric at R3 per mannd 48 0 0 
48 0 0 
Considering the small outlay, the returns obtained 
should be considered very satisfactory, and a great 
advantage that both turmeric and ginger have over 
other crops, is that they have practically no enemies 
to contend with, for nothing will touch their pungent 
and aromatic roots. 
Like turmeric, ginger Zingiber officinal, may be grown 
very profitably in Bengal. Soil of an alluvial or loamy 
nature and heavily manured is the best suited to these 
roots, ©Id and well decayed cowdung or stable litter 
with an admixture of ashes and leaf mould, if available 
should be well worked into the soil, oil cake is also 
one of the best manures, I know of for ginger ; but 
should he on no account applied too freshly. Ginger, 
besides potash, require phosphoric acid, so all manures 
containiug the most of such properties, should always 
be made use of. The land after it has been extra 
carefully ploughed and manured should be laid out in 
ridges to facilitate irrigation, in the same manner as 
preparation is made for planting sugarcane. The best 
time for putting out ginger is from the middle o 
February to April. Pieces of the fresh end of the 
rhizome, about an inch or so long, should be planted 
one foot apart. When just planted the tubers should 
be protected from the sun until they have sprouted, 
the best way to do this is to cover them with pieces of 
plantain leaves, cut into suitable lengths and the 
ground should ba freely irrigated for the first ten days 
or so, or until the plants have come up. Subsequent 
culture consists mainly iu irrigating, weeding and 
keeping the soil open an applying manure once in 
four months. Like all Scitaminaceus, ginger require a 
very rich soil with plenty of moisture, and should be 
planted near enough so as to protect each other but 
not so thickly as to prevent access of light. Like 
turmeric, ginger takes a year to come to maturity j and 
though the tubers left unflerground will rot, they 
will sprout up again before doing so. With a little 
care a ginger plantation may be kept going for three 
years, the bulk of the roots being taken up, and a few 
left for the succeeding crops, the second year's outturn 
is said to be as a rule the heaviest. After the tubers 
have been taken up the plants should be manured, 
earthed up and freely irrigated. The average yield 
per bigah is about 10 maunds, and the market value 
may be taken B 6 as a fair average. Ginger is generally 
sold in its natural fresh state but it is also sometimes 
boiled and dried, in which state it is known as soont, 
and as such is greatly valued for its pharmaceutical 
properties. 
Ginger and turmeric are some of the products the 
smaller capitalist should take up with every chance of 
making a success of it. The following table of ex- 
penditure and returns speaks for itself .• — 
EXPENDITURE. 
R. A. P 
Rent for one year per bigah with cesses 2 3 0 
10 ploughs at 5 annas each .. ..320 
Manuring, including value of manure ,.8 0 0 
20 coolies for prepairing land at 5 for the 
rupee .. ... .,400 
10 coolies for planting at 5 for the rupee 2 0 0 
After-culture, weeding c^cr .. .. 8 Q 0 
Taking up and sortiug tubers, 18 coolies @ 
5 for the rupee . . ..300 
Irrigating .. ... ..600 
Profit fiom one bigah ginger 
36 5 
23 11 
60 1 0 
