13 



splendid opportunity to raise a particularly tine grade of tobacco. 

 Little was known of Deli at this time, especially of the interior. After 

 a persistent effort the Arabian succeeded in interesting a Java planter, 

 Mr. Xienhuis, and in March. 1863, the latter accompanied the Arab to 

 Deli to see what could be done in the matter. Mr. Xienhuis was received 

 very cordially by the native sultan and succeeded in getting a firm foot- 

 hold in Deli and securing several valuable franchises from the sultan. 

 The following year Mr. Xieuhuis was provided with sufficient funds by 

 a mercantile firm of Rotterdam, and raised a crop of 50 bales of tobacco 

 of about 176 English pounds to the bale. In 1865 he raised 189 bales. 

 The first crop raised by Mr. Xienhuis in 1861 of 50 bales sold for 18 

 cents Dutch money, equivalent to about 20 cents American money, 

 per 1.1 English pounds. The next crop (1865) of 189 bales sold for 

 119 cents Dutch money, or 60 cents American money, per 1.1 pounds. 

 The 1868 crop of 890 bales sold at about 90^ cents American money. 



The superior quality of this tobacco attracted the attention of experts 

 to such an extent that in 1869 a number of capitalists of Amsterdam, 

 headed by Mr. Cremer. concluded to undertake the raising of tobacco 

 on a large scale. They organized the --Deli Maatschappij" ('^maats- 

 chappij" means company i with an original capital of 300.000 guilders 

 (about 8120.000). Many companies and several private planters fol- 

 lowed this lead, but the Deli Maatschappij has always been the most 

 important organization of the east coast of Sunjatra. At present there 

 are 36 incorporated companies, with a total of 97 estates or planta- 

 tions, and 38 private planters in the tobacco district of the east coast 

 of Sumatra. 



An estate to be at all profitable should contain at least 4,000 bouws, 

 equivalent to about 7.000 acres. The land for such an estate is obtained 

 in Sumatra in a way unknown in America. It is not bought outright, 

 but a franchise or concession is obtained from the sultan for a period 

 of seventy-five years under the sanction of the government. In the 

 beginning of the tobacco industry a concession could be obtained for 

 almost nothing. It depended mainly upon the native sultan, subject to 

 the approval of the Xetherland East India government, which was 

 readily obtained. In recent years, however, it costs much more to 

 obtain a concession, and so much of the best tobacco land has been 

 taken ui> in Deli that it is difficult now to obtain the necessary quantity 

 of land where good tobacco can surely be grown. 



LAYING OUT AN ESTATE. 



After the concession is obtained from the sultan and is approved by 

 the government, the planter pays an annual rental, called hassill 

 tanah. of 50 cents a bouw^ per year. In the beginning the sultans 

 were not very particular in the measurement of the land. The land 

 was not accurately surveyed, and the boundaries were very carelessly 



^A bouw equals 7,097 square meters, equal to about If acres. 



