IV 



CLOVES 189 



Our experiments have, however, shown that cloves must be 

 exposed to the direct heat and light of the sun ; if dried in the 

 shade they turn black. 



The glass-house has been the means of saving labour, as the 

 cloves, once spread out in it, could be left to dry. Much 

 time is lost, at a time when every available man is required 

 for picking, under the present system of taking the mats in 

 and out morning and evening, and in showery weather. At 

 Marseilles this became most serious, as we had between 400 

 and 500 mats to handle each time. 



The Clove Crop Generally. The magnitude of the clove crop 

 may be judged by the returns of November and December. 

 In those months Pemba sent in more cloves than in any 

 previous month of the years tabulated, while the total for the 

 two islands for December, namely 121,858 fraslas, exceeds all 

 previous returns. The Zanzibar crop was late, hence the total 

 of 60,365 fraslas for the year is the lowest since 1890, though 

 the report for December, namely 32,399 fraslas, is the highest 

 on record for Zanzibar in one month. Still, a heavy loss has 

 taken place upon the trees. The dry weather of December, 

 the rainfall for which was the lowest on record, following upon 

 an unusually dry year, caused the trees, especially in the districts 

 where the crop was very late Dunga, Kitumba, and the north 

 end of the island to shed starved and immature buds, and 

 labour was diverted from picking to sweeping up the fallen 

 cloves under the trees. A quantity has been gathered in this 

 way, though a far greater quantity has been lost. Picking in 

 these districts never really got into full swing. 



In the Machui district the crop was abundant and well 

 forward, but the labour was totally inadequate to cope with it. 

 The trees look as heavily laden now with ripening mother of 

 cloves as they did in the beginning of the season with buds, 

 and the proportion picked must be quite insignificant to that 

 which was left. In the South Mwera country the crop was 

 earlier and lighter, and was comparatively well gathered. 

 Pemba seems to have suffered less from the effects of the 

 drought than Zanzibar. The soil of Pemba, having more clay 

 than ours, is more retentive of moisture, and therefore better 

 able to resist the effects of drought. The Pemba trees, too, 

 are older, and their roots will consequently have reached deeper 

 levels for their food supply (Annual Report of the Agri- 

 cultural Department of Zanzibar, 1899 ; Tropical Agriculturist, 

 January 1, 1900, pp. 447, 517). 



