VIII 



PEPPERS 297 



a higher figure (15 dollars). The chiefs were paid about 

 1^ dollar on each bahar purchased by way of an 

 allowance. The Company looked well after the culti- 

 vation, making annual surveys of the plantations. 

 Their servants resident in the different districts reported 

 annually on the number of vines, their condition, and 

 returns of crop, and gave rewards or punishments 

 where necessary. The inhabitants of the districts 

 were obliged to plant a certain number of vines, each 

 family 1,000, and each young unmarried man 500, 

 and as the gardens attained their prime, young gardens 

 were prepared to keep up the cultivation continuously. 

 The Directors seem not always to have been satisfied 

 with the output of pepper, which was often less than 

 they estimated. This was due to various reasons 

 accidents, such as the death of the owner, floods, raids 

 of elephants, unfavourable seasons, and want of suffici- 

 ently careful calculation by the Directors of the Company. 

 To obtain the medium proportion of produce to acreage, 

 a Mr. John Crisp prepared in 1777 a general comparative 

 review of the Manna Kesidency, in which he showed 

 that the proportion of bearing vines to the whole 

 number in the Kesidency was 5*1 to 11, and that the 

 produce of 1,000 vines in bearing was, on the average, 453 

 Ibs. Further calculations, taken collectively through 

 the country for twelve years, gave as a mean annual 

 production of 1,000 vines in actual bearing, but of all 

 ages, 404 Ibs. The average annual produce of the 

 Company's settlements on the West coast of Sumatra 

 were estimated at 1,200 tons, and this was what was 

 actually received. The return given above for 1,000 

 vines seems to be rather small, but it must be remem- 

 bered that a considerable number of the vines included 

 were obviously only commencing to bear, and it does 

 not appear that any manure was used. 



The system of compelling the natives to cultivate 

 pepper for the Company to buy was the method 

 commonly in use in Dutch colonies until comparatively 

 recent times. It had certainly some great advantages. 



