4 THE GAMBIA 



Joloffs. No fees are paid or presents given to chiefs 

 when a transfer is made. Europeans can rent land 

 from Government in cases where it is not held or claimed 

 by a native. Grants are apparently issued for various 

 periods, but freehold rights are not given. 



The rules regarding the itinerant, so-called " strange 

 farmers," who annually visit the country to plant 

 groundnuts, vary to some extent in different parts of 

 the Protectorate. Where hereditary ruling chiefs exist, 

 a tax of 4=s. per head is paid to them. In other places, 

 half of this tax goes to Government, one-quarter to the 

 chief, and one-quarter to the farmer's landlord. The 

 landowner generally gives the groundnut seed and food 

 as well as a piece of land to be cultivated. In payment 

 for the seed and food, it is a rule to give one-tenth of 

 the crop. During the time the strange farmer is in 

 occupation he is expected to give one or two days' work 

 each week on the landowner's own farm. 



Labour. There is no fixed rate paid by the Govern- 

 ment for labour. All the work on a farm is done by the 

 owner and his own boys, but occasionally others come 

 in to assist from the neighbouring farms, but no pay- 

 ment is made only a present of kolas being usually 

 given. 



Agricultural Schools. An agricultural school, previ- 

 ously referred to, was started at Abuko, near Lammin, 

 under the Roman Catholic Fathers there, and a subsidy 

 was granted by the Government especially for the pur- 

 pose of educating the sons of large cultivators and chiefs 

 in the use of ploughs and other labour-saving implements. 

 A stipulation was made that the work should be in- 

 spected by a Government officer from time to time. 



In spite of this a fear was expressed at the outset that 

 the attendance at these schools would be disappointing, 

 in view of the fact that Mohammedan chiefs would be 

 restrained by their mallams from sending their children 

 where there might be a risk of their religious conversion. 

 Although it had been specially laid down that no religious 

 teaching would be insisted upon, the fear proved justified 

 and the school never became a success, the attendance 

 being only of a few aliens. Since the closing of this school 

 no renewal of agricultural instruction seems to have 

 been made. . 



