The Jute Industry: From Seed to Finished Cloth

arge supply of water, since the plants must be completely submerged in the water for a period varying from 8 to 30

" and a good type of retting or steeping place is an off-set of a run, branch, or stream where

bells ceases, the men examine the plants daily to see that the operation does not go too far, otherwise the fibrous layer would be injured, and the resulting fibre weak. The stems are tested in these examinations to see if the fibrous layer, or bast layer, will strip off clean from the

ile in other cases the stems are handed out of the water to women who strip off the fibrous layer and preserve intact the central core or straw to be used ultimately for thatching. The strips of fib

s to some other place provided with a better supply of water for the final washing and drying; imperfect retting and cleaning a

dy matter; the outer covering or cuticle is marked C; while the actual fibrous layer appears between the parts B and C, and some of the fibres are indicated by D. The arrows show the corresponding parts in the three distinct views. The middle

APHS OF CROSS SECTI

eaking off a small portion, say one foot, at the top end of the stem; the operative then grasps the tops by the hand and shakes the plants to and fro in the water, thus loosen