184 SPICES 



CHAP. 



Our heaviest day was November 24, when we picked 874 pishi 

 with 135 men, an average of 6*4 pishi per head. At Dunga 

 our average was much less, by reason of there being fewer cloves ; 

 besides, having to visit more trees the people never became so 

 expert. Our best picker brought 6 and 7 pishi, while our average 

 was between 3 and 4 pishi per diem. 



Approximate Yield per Tree. The number of clove trees at 

 Marseilles was stated to be 5,000, but on recounting we found 

 there were 7,500 bearing trees at Marseilles and 1,000 at 

 Kitumba together 8,500. On December 31 we had gathered, 

 approximately, 1,300 fraslas, and might, I think, safely count 

 upon another 300, making a total of 1,600 fraslas. This gives 

 an average yield of over 6J Ibs. per tree. A good proportion, 

 about J, was left upon the trees ungathered through lack of 

 labour. With sufficient labour we should, I think, easily have 

 reached 2,000 fraslas ; the approximate yield per tree is, there- 

 fore, brought up to over 8 Ibs. The trees at Dunga were just as 

 heavily laden with buds, but they never ripened properly ; at 

 least half the crop failed. We reached about 350 fraslas, which 

 from 3,000 trees gives an average of 4 Ibs. per tree. 



Returns. Our actual sales at the end of December amounted 

 to 873 fraslas, which realised 5,535 rupees, while we had on 

 hand at the custom-house unsold and in the plantation godown 

 an estimated quantity of 424 fraslas which, valued at the 

 current rate at 5-J rupees a frasla, was worth 2,332 rupees. 

 Our gross returns up to December 31 may therefore be taken 

 as K.7,867. Our expenditure to that date was 1,725 rupees, or 

 about 22 per cent of the gross returns, and our net profit is 

 shown as K.6,142. 



Account Statement to December 31 



873 fraslas sold R5,535 



424 (approx.) on hand . . . 2,332 



1,297 fraslas Total . . R.7,867 



Expenditure to December 31 . . . 1,725 

 Net Returns 6,142 



Total . . R.7,867 

 Net returns . . R.6,142 



This is equal to a net profit of 4 rupees 11 annas per frasla. 



The amount, 1,725 rupees, as the actual cost of gathering 

 1,297 fraslas, works out to 1 rupee 22 pice per frasla, and differs 

 slightly from my first estimate of 1 rupee 13 pice. This dis- 



