THE JAVA BEBET. 65 



the "Maatschappy," or Netherlands Trading Company, by sales at 

 public auction, either in Batavia, Padang, or Amsterdam. There 

 are also plantations owned and worked by individual proprietors, 

 but the aggregate production of these estates amounts to only 

 about one-sixth of the entire yield of the island. These planta- 

 tions were mostly in existence before the adoption of the govern- 

 ment monopoly system, or are worked on lands of inland pi-inces 

 who have retained that part of their native sovereign rights. 



A visit to Java, made in 18T6, afforded me an opportunit;* 

 of inspecting the Java coffee-fields and the methods of cul- 

 ture. One of the finest estates visited was that owned by Mr. 

 J. "W". E. de Sturler, situated in the Preanger district. It com- 

 prises upwards of 20,000 acres, upon which, at various elevations, 

 are grown rice, coffee, tea, cloves, and nutmegs. The coffee-plan- 

 tation covers over 800 acres, upon which I found more than half 

 a million trees in aU the various stages of growth and bearing, 

 producing in average years 3,000 picnls (408,000 lbs.), which 

 would be equivalent to 3,000 government bags, or 6,000 half-picul 

 mats. The trees are here raised from the seed, which is the 

 regular coffee-bean of commerce, and begin bearing at the age of 

 two years, their product annually increasing thereafter for many 

 years. The yield varies greatly, however, with different trees and 

 different years, a tree in full bearing producing from one to two 

 pounds of beans per year. The trees are set at regular inter- 

 vals of about ten feet, although in some plantations they are 

 set in rows somewhat closer than this, the rows, however, being 

 about that distance apart. The trees are kept pruned down to a 

 height of about ten feet, the top being cut off, thus causing the 

 tree to spread. The diameter of the trunk, of course, varies with 

 age, but the average size of trees in full bearing may be said to 

 be about that of a man's wrist. In Java the picking begins in 

 January, and lasts for three or four months. In this work men, 

 women, and children are employed, and as the fruit is brought in 

 from the field in baskets it is thrown into large heaps, where it is 

 allowed to ferment for about three days. It is then spread out in 

 the sun to dry, which usually takes two weeks or more, according 

 to the weather, and when dry it is put into a huUing-machine as 

 described in a previous chapter. After the beans are carefully 

 5 



