IV 



CLOVES 183 



and we were able to gather a much larger proportion of cloves. 

 The men and women of the shamba were rated as follows : 



1 Nkoa or headman . .27 pice for every 400 pishi brought in. 



2 Wakadammuor headmen, 



23 pice each . . 46 



1 Storekeeper and caretaker 20 



2 Women cleaning sweepings 15 



Total . .108 pice per 400 green pishi. 



Pickers 3 pice per pishi, and 3 pice per day (that is, one 

 pishi gratis) for spreading out and taking in the cloves in the 

 morning and evening, and in showery weather. 



Wa-geni pickers, or outsiders, 3 pice per pishi. 



The number of wa-geni pickers varied from 60 to 100 a day 

 early in the season, dropping to 40 as gathering became general. 

 The cloves were conveyed to the custom-house for sale on 

 donkeys at the rate of 24 pice per bag of 20 dry pishi, equal to 

 40 green pishi. 



The total cost of gathering, not including the overseer's 

 wages, may therefore be calculated as follows : 



Per 400 green pishi : 



Nkoa, etc 108 



Picking at 3 pice per pishi 1,200 



25 spreaders daily at 3 pice each ; reckoning an 



average of 400 pishi picked per diem . . 75 



Transport (10 bags) . .... 240 



Total pice . . 1,623 



1623 pice at 68 pice per rupee, the local rate of exchange, 

 are equal to Eupees 23 pice 59. 



Beckoning now that 20 green pishi will when dry weigh one 

 f rasla, we have : 



Total cost of gathering and conveying to market : 



Rupees 23 pice 59 per 20 f rasla (400 green pishi), or Rupee 

 1, pice 13, per f rasla. 



Quantity picked per Day. "Picking" includes the actual 

 gathering and subsequent stalking. Pickers stop gathering at 

 a quarter to three o'clock, and bring their loads in stalk, after 

 which the cloves are measured, stalks not being counted. 

 Stalking and measuring will sometimes go on up to half-past 

 six. The average quantity picked (and stalked) at Machui in a 

 day was about 6 pishi per head. Our best picker was a woman, 

 who gathered 9 and 10 pishi regularly, though she lost from 

 an hour and a half each day in taking the cloves in and out. 



