iis 



THE TROPICAt AOHICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1883, 



WBIGHTS ASB MEAStJRES. 

 English Amsterdam Kilogi'iunmes. Piculs. 

 lb. lb. 



22-tO equal 2056--12 equal 1016-4 equal 1G-45U 



112 „ 102-80 „ .50-84 „ •82-28 



28 „ 25-70 „ 12-71 „ -2057 



1 „ -918 „ -4536 „ -007348 



XoTB.— 1 A. lb.=l-09th Englisb, but shows li E. lb. 

 per ton extra. ' 136-2 E. lb.=l jiicul, but shows A E. lb. 

 per tou extra. 



The reader wiU, after studying the above figures, be iu a 

 positiou to comprehend -ivithout difficultj' the cost of can-y- 

 ing on a collee plantation, and of manufacturing (if 1 may 

 use such a term) the marketable commodity. 



Each " bahoe" rcquu-es one man and his family for its 

 cultivation. They have one thousand trees to attend to ; 

 but of course dui'ing the plucking season as great a num- 

 ber of hands as possible is put on in order to get tins im- 

 portant work over in two months. On an estate comiiris- 

 ing oOO bahoes (875 acres) about 800 pluckers will be em- 

 ployed. A single girl will pluck about 1501b. of Eed Berry 

 per day. 



The "cost of plucking varies, but may be set dovm at 2 

 rupees (Is. Sd.) per picul of 136 lb. of clean coflfee. Six 

 piculs of Bed Berry equal I picul of clean coffee. 



The wages for cultivation are very trifling. There is a 

 teeming population of workers in Java, and, as a conse- 

 quence, wages are almost nominal. The style of payment 

 in vo[;ue in Java is to grive a man a bit of rice ground, on 

 which he grows his own food, together with about 30 to 50 

 cents (6d. to lOd.) per day. The plantation hands live con- 

 tentedly on this, what would appear to us iu Queensland, 

 miserable pittance. But when I state that~tor less than 

 oue peimy-halfpenuy I succeeded in satisfying an average 

 EugUsli boy with cakes at B.-itavia it will be seen that the 

 simple wants of a non-carnivorous race such as those in- 

 habiting Java can easily be suppUed. 



THE YIELD OF COFFEE, 



like that of every other product which is dependent upou 

 atmospheric phenomena for its success, varies in difierent 

 seasons. The very best yield ever known in Java was 13 

 piculs of clean coffee per bahoe, or 1768 lb. EugUsh, equal 

 to about J67 3-7 lb. per acre. An average j-ield is from 3 

 to 9 piculs of clean coffee per bahoe. 



The cultivation of the land in Java is carried on under jjec. 

 uUar 



GOVERIOIENT AKEANSEMENIS. 



No European can buy land in Java ; but he obtains a 

 lease of his land for seventy -five years. For the first seven 

 years the planter pays no rent, but after lliis term he pays 

 from two to five suilders per bahoe per annum. The 

 planting districts are allotted by the Govei-nmeut, and land 

 is given to natives who will undertake to plant it. These 

 native planters are under the supervision of disti-ict head- 

 men, who are themselves supervised by comptrollers. 

 The comptroller is subject to au Assistaut-E&sideut, who 

 iu bis turn is overseored by a Resident, aud so ou. The 

 natives are obhged to grow, clean, and ileliver coffee to the 

 Government stores, at the rate of 14 guilders per picul for 

 first quality, and 7 guihlers for second quality. In due time 

 sales are held by Government agents, and the crop goes 

 to the highest bidders. First quality coffee brings (now) 

 about 38 guilders, and 2nd quality 15 guilders 25 cents per 

 picul. At one time 9 guilders, 11 guilders, and 14 guilders 

 were the ruling rates. One native priuce (" pengirau " — 

 prince), Maukoe Nogoroe, called by the natives Kandjeng 

 Goesti ( I'iod Almighty), gets 25 rupees per picul. His land 

 yields 70.000 piculs annually. This wealthy prince keeps 

 up his own army of caval-y aud artillery. He lives in Solo 

 (native name for Soerakarta), in Mid Java. 



THE NUMBEH OF HANDS EEQUIBED 



at an estate mill is as follows i—Tul per, two men ; huller, 

 two men ; stoker, one man. Pickers or sorters are also re- 

 quired. Each s.5rter cau sort (;-lOths picul per diem. 



I am in a position to be ab'e to give the actual results of 

 cperations at a mill iu Sourabaya (Java) : — 



975 takkas pulp=623 tikkas parchment; loss, 15-4 per 

 cent. 



252 takkas pulp=208 takkas patcbment; 'os.s, '3-5 per 

 cent, 



170 takkas pulp^l47 takkas parchment; loss, 11-2 per 

 cent, 



754 takkas Eed Berry=3G4 takkas Glondoug ; loss, 51-7 

 per cent. 



Thus from pulp to parchment there is a loss of 15 per cent 

 to the highest figure, discarding the fractions. 

 1 takka parchment = 6-5 Amsterdam Ih. 

 1 „ „ produces 5 lb. clean cott'ee 



1 „ „ „ -25 lb. second quality, or 'a 



total of 5-25 lb. 

 1 takka Glondoug = 6-35 Amsterdam lb. 

 1 „ Red Berry = 10-85 „ 



1 „ Clean Coffee = 10-6 „ 



1 „ Pulped Coffee = 14-43 „ 



5 „ lied Berry produce d of Pulp Coft'ee 31-75 Amster- 

 dam lb, 

 5 takkas Red Berry produced iu cubic inches 1157-81 = 



2-25 takkas. 

 Therefore 5 takkas Red Berry lose 55 per cent iu bulk 

 nearly, and 41-4 per cent iu weight. 



1 picul Red Berry = 11-5 takkas. 



1 „ „ = 5175 Pulp Coiiee, 



which, reduced 15 per cent iu drying, = 4". 98 takkas of dry 

 parchment, or a reduction of 61-8 per ceut from Bed Berry. 

 Therefore 4-398 takkas parchment yields 21-99 of clean 

 coft'ee ; or 1 jicul in weight of Red Berry = 2,199 Amster- 

 dam lb. of clean coft'ee ; or 11-5 takkas = 2,199 Ani.ster- 

 dam lb. Thus 5'6S times these quantities = 1 picul of 

 clean coffee, or 65-32 takkas of Red Berry, or 6-68 of Red 

 Berry = 1 picul clean. 



Five takkas of Red Berry weigh 5425 Amsterdam lb,, and 

 when pulped equals 2-25 takkas^=31 75 lb,, wbicli dried to 

 parchment lo.see 15 per cent in bulk, and therefore yields 

 1-91-25 takkas of parchment, which in turn yield 9-5625 Am- 

 ^terdam lb, of clean coft'ee for the 5 takkas of Red 

 ]5erry : or 1 takka Red Berry, weighing 10-85 Amsterdam 

 lb., produces 1-9125 of clean coft'ee: thus again showing 

 that Eed Berry reduced to pulp loses 65 per ceut of 

 bulk and 41 per cent of weight, and from the Eed Berry to 

 clean coffee loses in bulk 61-75 per cent, and in weight 81-8 

 per cent. 



One takka pulp weighs 14-43 Amsterdam lb. (Pulp refers 

 to coffee just from the pulper.) This reduces in drying -85 

 of a takka, and produces 5 25 lb. clean coffee. The capacity 

 of the hand pulper per day of ten hours is 1110-5 takkas of 

 Red Berry=500 takkas pulp coffee=425 takkas parchment= 

 17 piculs clean coffee. 



THE DETING-HOUSE. 



On the Toempang Estate, Sourabaya, this building, which 

 is 40 ft. long by 30 ft. wide, contains : — 



1 table 13 ft. 6 in. x 24 ft. x 3 in. deep. 



1 „ 8 ft. 6 in. X 20 ft. x 3 in. „ 



2 „ 26 ft. X 36 ft. X 3 in. „ 



equal to containing 19S0 takkas, which, with parchment, 

 represents 70 piculs of clean coffee, or 102-96 takkas parch- 

 ment aud 100-5 takkas CTlondong=54-34 clean coft'ee. 



One hundred takkas Red Berry produces 48-3 takkas 

 Glondoug. Therefore the cost of working Eed Berry by the 

 'West Indian process up to parchment is as follows : — 



Guilders, cts. 

 Contents of drying-house 79 piculs parch- 

 ment costs to bring in as Eed Ben-y 

 (5160 takkas, at 15 cents) ... 774 04 



Five days pulping and washing ... 12 GO 



Thu'ty-si.^ hours drying costs in wood ... 2 70 

 Four stokers ... ... ... 1 60 



Six men working coffee in house ... 2 40 



792 74 



Total cost for 79 piculs, 10 guilder 03 cents per picul. 

 TO WOEK OLONDONG. 



Drying-house capacity, 1980 takkas. 



Guilders, cts. 



Gloudong costs to buy, 20 cents per takka... 396 00 



Four days, or 96 hours, drying costs for wood 7 TO 



Stokers" ... ■■■ ••■ 4 80 



AVorkiug coffee ... ... ... 6 40 



Total for 54 34 picul* 



414 40 



