68 THE PLANTATION 



under which the natives obtain the loan of a tract 

 of land on which coconuts are already planted. 

 These they cultivate at their own expense in return 

 for the privilege of interplanting sugar cane, or 

 other suitable crops. Half the sugar or other 

 produce thus raised is retained by the natives, and 

 half is delivered to the owner of the plantation, 

 who, as a rule, pays them an additional penny per 

 tree per annum to encourage careful cultivation. 

 By this system the planter secures an estate bearing 

 mature coconut trees for a trifling outlay ; his 

 young plantation is tended and kept free from 

 weeds without cost to himself, and in addition he 

 secures a profit by the sale of his half share of the 

 sugar produced. This is by no means an incon- 

 siderable return, for, according to The Cult of the 

 Coconut, on one estate the natives were cultivating 

 10,000 newly-planted coconut trees, and delivering 

 annually to the owner 500 barrels of sugar, valued 

 at 30s. per barrel, or a total of 750. On another 

 estate they were tilling 12,000 trees, and delivering 

 to the owner 200 barrels of sugar, worth 300. As 

 the coconut trees attain maturity, the roots spread 

 so as to render this system of cultivation difficult ; 

 the estate is then taken over by the owner and the 

 natives commence similar work on another pro- 

 perty. In Ceylon the Goiya system, which is often 

 employed, is somewhat similar to this metayer 

 method and works fairly well. 



