A Thousand Miles in a Machilla 



Ground- Nuts. — Ground-nuts have not yet 

 been grown in any quantity by Europeans. Natives 

 grow them for food, selling the surplus to European 

 and Indian traders. One thousand three hundred 

 and nineteen pounds were exported in 1908. The 

 crop in 1909 was 7^ tons, since which three 

 hundred and seventy-one acres have been planted. 

 The estimated crop for 19 10 is 161^ tons. I 

 believe prices vary, but a few years ago they were 

 fetching ^20 a ton at Marseilles. In France they 

 are much used in confectionery, as well as for 

 vegetable butter and oil. 



Rice* — Rice is cultivated on the shores of Lake 

 Nyasa by natives only. The production is already 

 enormous, and is capable of great extension. Good 

 seed rice was originally imported from India by 

 Government. In 1906 European and Indian traders 

 bought 800 tons of rice from the native growers at 

 Kota-Kota, since which there has been further 

 cultivation. The industry is much handicapped by 

 the distance from the coast, but notwithstanding 

 this drawback 507,000 lb. were exported last year, 

 besides a great deal consumed locally. 



Maize* — Natives grow large quantities of maize 

 for their own use. Their surplus can be bought for 

 export at £1 to ;^i 5s. per ton in June, July, and 

 August. This grain is valued at home at ;^5 1 2s. to 

 £S 15s. per ton. 



Wheat. — Wheat is an important crop, as the 

 carriage on imported white flour makes it very 

 costly. The crop last year was 19! tons, since 

 which one hundred and thirty-nine acres have been 



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