THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Februam i, 1882. 
been established for many years in the West Indies 
and at Bourbon, and is of secondary importance only. 
The mother cloves are planted in rich mould at the 
distance of 12 inches from each other, screened from 
the sun and duly watered. They germinate within 
five weeks, and when four feet high are to be trans- 
planted at intervals of 30 feet, with a small admixture 
of sand with the red mould, so as to reduce its ten- 
acity, and are to be cultivated in the same way as 
the nutmegs, only that when full grown they require 
less manure in the proportion of one-third, They 
yield generally at the age of 6 years, and at that 
of 12 are in their highest state of bearing, when the 
average produce may be estimated at 6 or 7 pounds 
of marketable fruit each tree during the harvest, 
which takes place in the rainy months, but with us 
they have hitherto borne two crops in three years 
only. The fruit is terminal, and when of a reddish 
hue is plucked by the hand, so that the process of 
gathering it is tedious. It is then dried for several 
days on mats in the sun, until it breaks easily be- 
tween the fingers, and assumes a dark brown colour. 
It loses about 60 per cent in drying. When past its 
prime, the clove tree has a ragged and uncombed ap- 
pearance, and I am led to suppose that its existence 
is limited to 20 years, unless in very superior soil, 
in which it may drag out a protracted and unprofitable 
state of being to the period of perhaps 24 years. Hence 
it becomes necessary to plant a succession of seedlings 
when the old trees have attained eight years of age, and 
this octennial succession must be steadily kept in view. 
17. With reference to the number of labourers, 
cattle and ploughs necessary for a plantation of 1,0(0 
nutmeg or clove trees, after the ground has been 
thoroughly cleared of underwood and stumps of trees, 
I consider that 7 Chinese or Bengalee labourers, 50 
head of cattle and 2 ploughs would be sufficient for 
all the purposes of the cultivation, with the excep- 
tion of collecting the clove harvest, which being a 
very tedious process would require an extra number 
of hands, and indeed the best plan would be to gather 
it in by contract. 
18. If the stamp of civilization is truly due to a 
nation only in proportion to its progress in agricult- 
ural improvements, this portion of Sumatra may justly 
be said to rank very low in the scale of civilized 
society, The causes of this backwardness are neither 
occult nor of difficult solution. They may be traced 
to the fostering of a spirit of commercial enterprize 
among the people, and to the facilities afforded them 
of purchasing supplies of grain at all times from the 
Company's Granary wichout subjecting themselves to 
the labours of the field in raising it. The general 
cultivation of rice, inasmuch as it leads to an increase 
of population, and to a reduction iu the price of 
labour, is so intimately associated with the interests 
of the spice plantations, as to b3 inseparable from 
them ; whilst it is the first step towards the ame- 
lioration of the country and the prosperity and happi- 
ness of its inhabitants. In order however to place 
the anticipated results of Fuch laudable exertions be- 
yond the risk of dubious issue, it becomes a meas- 
ure of paiamount policy to tiansferthe dispensation 
of the laws from the native chiefs to tha British admin- 
istration, to which the people ought to be tutored to look 
up as the fount of mercy, justice.and provident wisdom. 
1!). I have very great satisfaction in affording my 
individual testimony of the energy and zeal which 
actuate the great body of the planters, and of the 
correspondent improvement of their respective plant- 
ations ; but in a report of this discription it would 
be as invidious to record the names of such as 
have been foremost in the race of emulation, as it 
would be unjust to particularize those, who acting 
under the restrictive orders of tin ir constituents, have 
been compelled to yield the Balm of their more suc- 
cessful competitors. Suffice it to say, that the plant- 
ations generally exhibit tokens of progressive amelior- 
ation, and that such of the trees of the importation 
of 1798 as have been duly cultured, are in the 
highest degree of health, vigour and productiveness. 
20. It would be unreasonable to expect that such 
felicitous results could have been re ilized without pro- 
portionate sacrifices. In the first era of the speculator!, 
the cultivators had to contend on the one haud with 
nature in exploring and eliciting the latent properties of a 
soil notable only for its supposed indomitable steril- 
ity ; whilst on the other the problematical success 
of the undertaking and extent of capital requisite to 
conduct it to a prosperous issue, involved consider- 
ations of no trivial importance. It is to their in- 
dustry, spirit and perseverance that we owe the 
naturalization of these valuable exotics, the established 
reputation of their produce both in Europe ard India, 
which is equal, if not in some respects superior, to 
that of the Moluccas, the abolition of the odious 
monopoly and exclusive pretensions of the Dutch to 
this trade, and finally the assured possession to Great 
Britain of this promised scene of national and colonial 
wealth. I consider that I am within bounds in estim- 
ating the total amount of European and private capital 
in this speculation at 436,000 dollars and ?f native 
at 35,000 dollars from the first commencment of 
the plantations until the trees respectively came into 
bearing, but of this a considerable portion has been 
redeemed in produie. 
21. The difficulty of hiring efficient labourers, the 
high price of labour, the want of capital, the length 
of time which must elapse before the cultivator 
reaps his produce, aud the impracticability of obtain- 
ing a ready sale on the spot for it, in consequence of 
the depressed state of commerce, are the principal 
obstacles that have hitherto impeded, and s till continue 
to impede the further extension of the plantations. 
If, however, the exigencies of the public service would 
admit of the transfer of Bengal convicts to the planti-rs 
at such rate as would indemnify the company against 
any loss on this account ; if Government would ad- 
vance money to adventurers of good and steady 
character, secured on the lands, and payable in pro- 
duce, if it would offer a fair equitable price for pro- 
duce payable on the spot, or in Bengal, agreeably 
to the option of the cultivator; and if it would 
iuterpose its influence in obtaining a remission of the 
duties in England as has been effected in India 
through the exertions of the Honorable the' Lieut. - 
Governor, there is every reason to believe, that the 
cultivation of the species might eventually be carried 
to double its present extent. 
22. Having at length arrived at the conclusion of 
my labours and imparted all the information that 
at present occurs to me as worthy of record, I 
have to offer an apology for the prolixity into which 
I have been led from the interesting nature of the 
subject, and for the minuteness of detail into which 
I have jndged it necessary to enter in some places, 
in order to prevent a misapprehension of my meaning. 
Both in cultivating and curing the spices, I have 
differed materially from the mode adopted by the 
Dutch, from a conviction of its inexpediency, but I 
have not recommended any plan in substitution, the 
superior utility of which is not sanctioned by my 
own personal observation and experience, or founded 
on solid and substantial data. 
I have the honor to be, Sir, 
Your most obedient servant, 
(Signed) J. LTJMSDAINE. 
Fort Marlborough, 
2nd September 1820. 
(For table, see next page.) 
