420 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIS'l . 
[Dec.  1,  1896. 
From  this  time  onward  the  unsettled  state  of 
the  country  made  the  future  of'  coffee  very  un- 
certain, till  in  1889  the  declaration  of  a protectorate 
restored  confidence  and  gave  a great  impetus  to  the 
industry.  Messrs  Buchanan  Brothers  opened  up 
large  plantations  at  Zomba,  Michiru,  and  elsewhere, 
while  the  African  Lakes  Company's  coffee  at  Maudala 
continued  to  do  well.  Mr.  Brown,  of  Ceylon  ex- 
Eerience,  settled  in  the  Mianje  district,  which  had 
eea  strongly  represented  by  the  late  Rev.  Robert 
Cleland  as  exceptionally  well  suited  for  coffee  ; and 
Mr.  Duncan,  having  now  left  the  mission,  opened 
up  a plantation  near  Blantyre. 
P’rom  this  point,  so  rapid  has  been  the  progress 
made,  that  the  late  Mr.  John  Buchanan  wrote  in 
7 he  Central  African  Planter  for  October  1895  that 
no  less  than  one  hundred  plantations  had  been  opened 
up  under  the  respective  interests  in  the  country,  and 
that  these  plantations  represented  an  area  of  six 
thousand  acres  under  cultivation.  The  local  revenue 
rose  from  nothing  to  £20,000  per  annum  in  five  years. 
The  services  of  Mr.  Buchanan  were  recognised  by 
the  Government,  and  he  received  a C.M.G.  in  1890. 
Much  to  the  regret  of  every  one,  he  died  on  his  way 
home  for  a holiday  on  9th  March  of  this  year. 
Mr.  E.  C.  A.  Sharrer  is  now  the  largest  owner  of 
estates  in  the  protectorate,  amounting  to  about  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  thousand  acres,  of  which  only 
about  nine  hundred  acres  are  under  coffee.  It  has 
been  suggested  that  planters  should  also  turn  their 
attention  to  cotton-growing.  Tobacco  and  tea  have 
both  been  introduced. 
So  extraoi dinary  has  the  development  been  during 
the  last  few  years,  that  since  1889  the  quantity  of 
coffee  exported  has  increased  in  an  almost  geometri- 
cal progression.  The  exact  figures  have  been; 
Tons 
1889 
parchment, 
. . 5 
1890 
, . — 
1891 
..  10 
1892 
• • 
. , — 
1893 
..  42i 
1894 
..  74 
1895 
• t 
..  146 
1890 
• • 
(estimated)  350 
*The  year  1897  is  looked  forward  to  as  likely 
to  prove  a record  year,  chiefly  because  a very 
large  number  of  plantations  come  into  bearing  for  the 
first  time  in  that  year ; some  planters  being  so  san- 
guine as  to  put  the  yield  at  twelve  hundred  tons 
‘parchment’ — as  the  raw  coffee  is  called  before  the 
membrane  covering  the  seeds  is  removed. 
The  varying  degree ; oi  success  attained  have  been  due 
to  many  different  causes,  arising  mostly  from  experience 
in  trying  to  reconcile  the  approved  methods  of  coffee 
cultivation  in  Ceylon  and  India  with  the  conditions 
of  the  new  country  : and  partly  also  from  local  difficul- 
ties, as  for  instance  the  labour  question,  which  were 
unforeseen,  and  could  mily  be  resolved  as  they  pre- 
sented themselves. 
In  the  early  days  there  was  an  abundance  of  local 
Yao  labour,  but  the  supply  was  irregular  and  unre- 
liable. Constitutionally  indolent,  the  natives  in  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  plantations  were 
soon  satiated  with  calico  and  other  baiter  goods; 
and  in  the  wet  season,  just  when  labour  in  Dm  planta- 
tions was  most  needed,  there  was  none  to  bo  had,  as 
the  villagers  had  betaken  themselves  to  the  hoeing  of 
their  own  gardens.  The  necessity  for  a reliable 
labour  supply  being  evident,  an  attempt  was  made 
to  bring  down  Atonga  labour  from  the  west  of  Lake 
Nyasa,  which  was  entirely  successful,  the  new  comers 
readily  engaging  to  work  on  the  plantations  for 
several  months  lU  a time,  and  this  at  the  most  impor- 
tant period  of  the  year,  the  wet  season. 
It  is  hoped  that,  acting  in  conjunction  with  the 
f^ortuguese  goveninienl,  the  promoters  of  this  scheme 
may  be  able  very  shortly  to  extend  the  line  all  the 
way  to  the  coast  at  Chindo. 
A fnither  step  in  advance  was  made  by  inducing 
the  Angoni,  an  offshoot  of  the  Zulus,  ami  long  the 
scourge  and  terror  of  the  Shire  Highlands,  to  accept 
work  in  the  dry  season  on  the  plantations;  and 
now,  instead  of  coming  down  in  their  thousands  to 
devastate  the  country,  they  lay  aside  the  shield  and 
spear,  and  handle  tlio  hoe  wdth  equal  skill.  Only 
last  year  another  huge  field  of  labour  supply  was 
opened  by  the  subjugation  of  some  disaffected  chiels 
on  the  north-eastern  slopes  of  Mianje.  The  Walolo, 
occupying  a vast  tract  of  hilly  country  to  the  east 
of  Lake  Shirwa,  had  for  some  little  time  been  ven- 
turing down  in  small  companies  to  work  for  the 
Europeans,  but  by  the  timely  action  of  Sir  Harrj' 
Johnston,  Her  Majesty’s  Commissioner,  against  these 
chiefs,  the  tvhole  Walolo  ccuntry  has  now  become 
accessible  to  European  influence.  It  is  evident  that 
there  is  every  prospect  of  an  abundant  labour  sup- 
ply, and  in  this  respect  the  outlook  is  very  bright. 
The  chief  drawbacks  to  coffee-planting  havehithert® 
been  the  labour  question  mentioned  above,  and  th 
inadequate  aud  expensive  means  of  transport.  The 
Shire  is  navigable  for  the  present  flotilla  of  steamers 
plying  upon  it  as  far  as  Chiromo,  three  days  dis- 
tant overland  from  the  coffee  district.  For  a very 
few  weeks  during  the  rainy  season  it  is  possible  to 
reach  Katunga,  a point  about  twenty-eight  miles  from 
Blantyre.  From  the  plantations  to  either  of  these 
points  the  coffee  crop  is  carried  in  bags  on  the  should- 
ers of  coolies.  The  risk,  inconvenience,  and  expense 
attached  to  this  mode  of  transport  have  been  greatly 
felt,  but  even  this  difficulty  is  about  to  be  met  by 
the  construction  of  a narrow  gauge  railway  line 
which  will  run  from  Chiromo  to  Blantyre,  passing 
through  or  near  many  of  the  largest  plantations. 
The  reckless  mode  of  agriculture  follow'ed  by 
the  natives,  by  which  they  clear  large  tracts  of 
forest  land  on  which  to  make  their  gardens,  is 
becoming  so  serious  a question  that  the  expedi- 
ency of  legislation  in  the  matter  has  been  con- 
sidered. It  is  well  known  that  deforestation  is 
followed  by  a decreased  rainfall,  which  reacts 
not  only  the  coffee  crops,  but  on  the  health 
of  the  European.  And  where  such  wholesale 
clearing  has  taken  place,  land  which  might  other- 
wise have  been  good  for  coffee  is  rendered  tem- 
poi'aiily  useless  for  w'ant  of  shade. 
Efforts  are  being  made  to  lessen  the  various 
circumstances  disadvantageous  to  coffee  by  bettor  sys- 
tems of  irrigation,  planting  of  shade  trees,  and 
manuiiug.  As  showing  the  enterprise  which  is  so 
prominent  a characteristic  of  those  Central  Africa 
pioneers,  it  might  be  stated  that  during  the  past  year  a 
‘ Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Ariculture  ’ has  been 
formed,  whicli  promises  to  do  much  good  in  securing 
authoritative  and  unanimous  action  on  the  part  of  the 
planters  in  questions  affecting  their  interests.  But  per- 
haps. above  all,  the  Central  African  Planter,  started 
last  year  aud  so  ably  conducted  by  Mr.R.  S.  Hynde, 
K.R  s.(;.s  , in  the  planting  interests,  is  an  unequi- 
vocal sign  of  a very  bright  and  prosperous  future 
for  coffee  in  Nyasaland. 
By  the  foresight  and  discretion  of  Her  Majesty's 
Commissioner,  who  has  given  the  industry  much  en- 
couragement and  consideration,  the  danger  of  intro- 
ducing the  leaf  disease  so  common  in  Ceylon  and 
India  has  been  averted.  No  seed  is  allowed  to  be 
introduced  into  the  countiy,  even  thougli  sterilised, 
and  although  some  iiiconvenionco  lias  undoubtedly 
theieby  arisen,  the  )isk  justified  Dio  striilgent 
measure. 
'The  eyes  of  Ceylon  jilanters  liave  been  for  some 
time  turned  to  Nyasaland,  aud  in  1895  was  formed  the. 
• Nyasaland  Coffee  Company,  lAd.,’  with  a capital  of 
three  hundred  thous.and  rupees.  The  quality  of  the 
coffee  has  been  highly  spoken  of  by  the  liondon 
coffee  brokers,  and  it  holds  its  own  with  the  best 
Ceylon  and  Mocha  coffees. 
'The  late  Mr.  Jolm  Buchanan  estimatod  that  to 
bring  a plantation  of  say  two  hundred  acres 
into  bearing  in  the  third  year  would  require  an 
expenditure  of  two  thousand'  to  two  thousand  five 
hundred  pounds  (sterling).  And  ho  cautioned 
