414 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



were right. At the time we asked one and all 

 to do this, and several replied, among them 

 the following: 



The director of the largest plantation-coco- 

 nut concern in Portuguese Africa, if not in the 

 world, pointed out in his letter that the fore- 

 going figures were much too low, and such an 

 authority as an owner of estates and a large 

 employer of labour is bound to take first rank 

 for consideration. On June 14 last this 

 authority wrote us from Marseilles : " Your 

 figures are too low ; according to our expe- 

 rience, you must reckon, for 3,000 acres, 300 

 men during six months for picking and trans- 

 porting the nuts, 200 men for the same time 

 for opening and drying, 200 men for the other 

 work, as bagging, &c. In all, therefore, you 

 need at least 700 men for six months. Besides 

 this, you must further reckon 300 men for the 

 general upkeep of the estate, tending the land, 

 cattle, &c., draining, removing dead leaves, 

 repairs to bridges, extermination of pests " (our 

 friend heavily underlines these three words) 

 "and the other work, as on a farm, and this 

 labour force is required for the whole year." 

 By this one must take it that at least 1,000 

 men are needed, or one man to three acres 

 planted and bearing. Your labour bill alone, 

 therefore, will come to much more than you 

 have estimated." 



Mr. L. C. Brown, Inspector of Coco-nut 

 Plantations, was kind enough to send us the 



