23O COFFEE I ITS CULTIVATION AND PROFIT. 



great. In 1880, in the Cochin, Travancore, Mysore, 

 and Madras districts, and at Lohardugga in Bengal, 

 412,947 acres had been taken up for Coffee, of 

 which 162,847 acres had mature plants. 



JAVA AND SUMATRA 



Claim our attention first. Java Coffee sells at 455, 

 when best Ceylon plantation is fetching 8os., but 

 this only points to the fact that much Coffee from 

 thence is poorly dried, and comes over " country 

 damaged," &c. The soil of the island is good 

 enough to produce as fine a sample as was ever 

 grown. Land does not seem to be difficult to procure. 

 Any foreigner residing in Java, and elsewhere in 

 Netherlands India, may apply for and obtain, under 

 the same rules and regulations applicable to the 

 Dutch themselves, Government waste lands. They 

 can purchase and become possessors of Government 

 contracts running for seventy-five years from their 

 original holders. The size of most of these con- 

 tracts is 500 bouws one bouw=if acre and quit 

 rent varies from 6 dols. to 20 dols. per bouw per 

 annum, payable on the sixth year from time of 

 purchase, the average amount being at 9 dols. per 

 bouw. The purchase sum for such contract varies, 

 but if the site and soil be good, 50 dols. per bouw, 

 roughly speaking ^7 per acre, is not considered out 

 of the way, and this is by far the pleasanter and 

 more practicable way of acquiring land for Coffee or 



