180 
SPICES 
CHAP. 
merit which they apparently appreciated. From twenty to 
forty pickers were employed, and two overseers at R14 a 
month each. 
In all 520 fraslas were obtained from the 950 trees, an 
average of 19|- lbs. of cloves per tree, and a return, after 
paying export duty of 25 per cent, of K.1,965. Add E.38 for 
43 fraslas stems, and the gross returns are K.2,003. 
From this total there are several charges to be deducted : 
8 pice per bag for cloves and 5 pice for stems, amounting to 
E.29, were paid for conveyance to the beach on donkeys, and 
E.76-0-0 for freight to Zanzibar, landing charges, sorting 
charges, import declaration, and scale fees : — 
520 fraslas cloves 
1,965 
43 fraslas stems .... 
38 
Total . 
2,003 
Two overseers, four mouths . 
112 
Picking 528 fraslas 
466 
Conveyance to beach 
25 
Freight, etc ..... 
76 
Balance profit .... 
1,324 
Total . 
. E.2,003 
Balance profit 
. E.1,324 
Thus the purchase money of the shamba, E. 1,28 7, was more 
than recovered the first year. After paying for digging the 
shamba (100), baskets, bags, drying mats, bakshish to overseers, 
etc., the year’s profit was reduced to about E. 1,000. The former 
owner used to make E.200 to E.400 a year out of this shamba, 
and Arabs now attribute these good results to “ the blessing of 
God,” though the Canon thinks that they may be accounted 
for largely by the fact of his having dug the shamba over. 
It would be misleading to generalise from these results, 
because doubtless Canon Key had much in his favour : proximity 
to a large village and a comparatively large supply of labour, 
a good shamba, and a prolific season. The record is that of a 
prosperous year, and stands as such for what it is worth. Still, 
in our opinion it is worth much. The bad years that now and 
then occur in clove plantations, and which have contributed to 
their disparagement, may be accounted for by the habit of the 
clove trees and vicissitudes of seasons, but they may be also 
due to improper cultivation, or, at any rate, partly so. If clove 
trees will yield so roundly after years of casual management 
