of plants; whereas, the thinning is most severe where the plants
show prospects of growing thick and tall.

In a normal season the plants will reach maturity in about 3 1/2 to
4 months from the time of sowing. Although different opinions are
held as to the best time for harvesting, that when the fruits are
setting appears to be most in favour; plants harvested at this stage
usually yield a large quantity of good fibre which can be perfectly
cleaned, and which is of good spinning quality.

The plants are cut down by hand and with home-made knives; in general,
these knives are of crude manufacture, but they appear to be quite
suitable for the purpose. A field of jute plants ready for cutting
will certainly form a delightful picture, but the prospect of the
operation of cutting indicates a formidable piece of work since it
requires about 10 to 14 tons of the green crop to produce about 10 to
15 cwt. of clean dry fibre.




CHAPTER III. RETTING

The method of separating the bast layer (in which the fibres are
embedded) from the stem of the plant requires a large supply of water,
since the plants must be completely submerged in the water for a
period varying from 8 to 30 days; such time is dependent upon the
period of the year and upon the district in which the operation is
performed.