JUTE, Corchorus capsularis ; C. olitorius.
Ghi nalita pat, . BENG. Pat, Koshta, . . HIND. Hei-ma, . . CHIN. Bhungi, Isband, . „ Jews' mallow, . . ENG. Patta, . . . This fibre has long been known in India, as in use in the manufacture both of cordage and cloths, but only since 1855 largely used in Eng land. It is the product of two distinct plants, Corchorus capsularia and Corehorus olitorius, both of them common all over India, Ceylon, and China, both cultivated for their leaves and under shoots as pot-herbs, and for their fibres ; but the fibres of C. fascicularis and C. tridens are also used for making ropes. C. olitorius, the Jews' mallow, is supposed to be the plant alluded to in Job xxx. 4. From Guntur, in the Kistna district, to Ganjam, including •oca nada, Calingapatam, Chittavalsah or Bimlipatain and Gopalpore, the plant is cultivated to some extent, and manufactured by native weavers into ropes and gunny cloth for local use. The chief sites of its cultivation in the Bengal Presidency are Malda, Purniah, Natore, Rangpur, Dacca, Pabna, Dinajpur, Hoog]y, Bogra, Julpigori, Seraj gunj, Mymensing, and the Twenty-four Parganas.
Formerly indigo was largely grown in many of the Dacca districts, which still abound with ruins of deserted factories, but its place has been taken by jute, the cultivation of which has increased enormously, and now engages a large share of European capital. The great jute mart is Serajgunj, the trade of which place might well excite the envy of most Mediterranean ports. During the busiest season, the river, then swollen by the rains to a breadth of 7 miles, is simply covered with the vast lumbering country boats that are bringing the fibre from the local marts to the great commercial centre, and the sight of many steamers, and the ceaseless whir of machinery from the factories,, might almost make a stranger think himself in some commercial city of the north. Besides jute, safflower and mustard are largely grown for exportation.
The first 100 tons of jute, and a small quantity carefully prepared by Dr. Roxburgh and sent home, appear to have drawn the attention of the mercantile community of London to this important fibre ; but it was not until 1804 that any recog nised trade sprang up, although it is certain that for some years previously it had been exported under the name of hemp and flax. From that
date the shipments slowly increased. In 1829 a separate head was assigned to it in the Custom House records, when 496 maunds were exported, which increased to 2442 maunds in the following year. Since that time it has gone on increasing steadily year by year.
Cwt. Rs. Cwt. Rs.
1850-51, 58,240 19,69,360 1876-77, 4,533,255 2,63,66,466 1855-56, 882,700 32,90,760 1878-79, 6,021,352 3,80,04,263 1860-61, 1,074,320 40,93,710 1882-83, 10,34S,909 5,84,69,259 1874-75, 5,493,957 3,24,68,823 And in the last-named year the value of exported gunny bags,*gunny cloths, gunny rope and twine, was Rs..1,48,78,304.
Eight jute spinning companies in Bengal were quoted in May 1884, of which the shares of two were above par.
The weaving of jute into gunny cloth is an indigenous handloom industry in Northern Bengal, chiefly in the districts of Furnish and Dinajpur. The gunny is made by the semi-aboriginal tribe of Koch, Bajbansi, or I'ali, both for clothing and for bags ; and, as with other industries practised by non-Hindu races, the weavers are the women of the family, and not a distinct caste.
Jute is used for coarse bags, and such purposes where the strength and colour of the fibre is not important. It can be produced at a very cheap cost ; the cultivation of an acre of jute is estimated at Hs. 10 for the labour, and about half a ton of fibre is the usual crop ; while by the retting process one man can prepare for market about two cwt. of fibre in the day. For the more valuable fibres this retting process is not available ; a man can prepare only 5 to 12 lbs. of rhea or Manilla hemp fibre in a day by hand-scraping, while the waste is enormous. For the valuable fibres strength and brightness of colour are essential, and the ordinary process of retting or fermenta tion in stagnant water cannot be followed.