AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

FIBRES

Fibres occupied 408 acres in 1958-59 of which Murud, Alibag and Karjat sub-divisions shared nearly sixty per cent. The following table shows taluka-wise distribution of the area under fibres, in the district, in 1958-59:—

TABLE No. 60

AREA UNDER FIBRES (TALUKA-WISE) (1958-59).

Deccan hemp.

Deccan hemp (ambadi) occupied 200 acres in 1958-59. Roha and Pen talukas shared more than half thereof. The following table gives the taluka-wise area under deccan-hemp (ambadi), in the district in 1958-59:-

TABLE No. 61

AREA UNDER DECCAN-HEMP (TALUKA-WISE) (1958-59).

It is a kharif crop grown in a wide variety of climate and soil. As the crop is grown as a mixed crop, it does not require any special operations. The crop is harvested, when the stalks are dry. The plants ripen in October-November, when they are uprooted, dried in the sun for a few days and tied into small bundles. The leaves and capsules are easily separated by beating the bundles on a log of wood or on a thick wooden plank. The seed is removed from the capsule by beating with a stick and cleaned by winnowing. The small bundles of ambadi are then tied into larger bundles, steeped in water and weighed down with stones for a period of from ten to fifteen days. The bark and fibre become loose and can be easily peeled off in long strips from the stem. The clean fibre can be obtained by beating and washing the long strips in water. It is dried in the sun, tied in bundles and prepared for the market. When ambadi is sown on good soil and as an entire crop, it may yield about twelve maunds of fibre per acre. The fibre of a good quality can be used as a substitute for jute. It is used in the manufacture of ropes, mats and coarse sacking. The sour young leaves of ambadi are used as a vegetable. The seed is used as an oil-seed and, before the oil is extracted, mixed with niger-seed or linseed. It is sometimes given to cattle and, in times of scarcity, mixed with bread flour.

Ghayal.

Ghayal (sisal) is propagated by suckers and bulbils. The suckers obtained from the mother plant are planted directly in the field, whereas bulbils are first planted in the nursery and, after they grow about one year old, used for transplanting. The spacing between the plants is about six feet and that between the rows is about ten feet. The fibre is obtained from the leaves after the latter become sufficiently mature. Generally, the sisal leaves are ready for harvesting, when the plants are about four years old. The fibre is extracted by the process of retting. The fibre obtained amounts to three or four per cent of the total weight of leaves. It is mostly used in the manufacture of ropes, marine cordage, twines, mats, rugs, etc.

Tag.

Tag (sann-hemp) occupied 120 acres, in 1958-59, of which Murud peta alone shared over seventy-five per cent. The following table shows the distribution of area under sann-hemp in the district in 1958-59:-

TABLE No. 62

AREA UNDER SANN-HEMP (TALUKA-WISE) (1958-59).

The crop is generally grown in kharif season. Seed is sown at a rate of about sixty to a hundred pounds per acre. The crop is ready for ploughing, when it is in flower or about three months old. It gets ready for harvest after about five months. The stalks are either cut close to the ground with sickles or uprooted. They are exposed for a few days on the bunds of the fields, when the leaves are stripped off. The stalks are tied in bundles and placed up-right in water for two or three days. The bundles are then horizontally submerged in water with the help of some weight. Retting takes about seven to ten days to complete, depending on the condition of water and weather. The plants are taken out, the bark of the fibre is peeled off in long strips from the root end upwards. The stripped material is beaten on stone or wood and then washed in water. The pieces of the stem and other tissues and material are removed and clean fibre is thus obtained.

Jute

Jute occupied 88 acres in the district in 1958-59, of which Alibag taluka accounted for 73 acres and Mhasla peta for the remaining 15 acres. Jute fibres are obtained from two species of plants botanically known as Corchorus olitorius Linn. and C. Capsularis L.

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