VIII 
PEPPERS 
301 
their spending much time at the headquarters of the 
Colony, added to which was the reduction of the tax on 
pepper from the French colonies in France. Chinese 
from Cochin - China settled in Cambodia, and even 
Cambodians commenced planting. At the time of the 
writing of this report, M. Leclerc says that in four 
pepper -producing provinces there were thirty -seven 
villages engaged in this planting, 3,357 planters, 
and 1,773,561 plants of different ages on the estates. 
The greater number of the planters were Chinese, but 
there were nearly as many Cambodians and a few 
Malays and Annamites. 
The author of this report says that France and its 
colonies use at most 3,000,000 kilograms of pepper. 
Cambodia and Cochin-China in very good years can 
produce about 2,325,000 kilos, 1,800,000 in ordinary 
years, and 1,500,000 kilos in bad years, so that these 
colonies could produce a large portion of the pepper 
required by France. The Cambodian pepper, however, 
cannot compete with that of Singapore, Tellicherry, 
and Cochin, which are cheaper and better known on the 
European markets. He gives the following estimate of 
cost and returns : one hectare of 2,500 to 2,800 vines 
in good soil and well manured gives 70 to 100 piculs 
prepared pepper (20 to 30 vines giving a picul at most). 
Taking the lowest figure, 70 piculs, and the pepper down 
to 25 dollars, the return is 1,750 dollars a hectare. 
The expenses are never more than 1,100 dollars for a 
Chinaman who does not work himself, or 900 for a 
working Chinaman, so that the planter gets a very fair 
return for his labour. 
By 1906 the pepper plantations had so much 
increased in Cochin-China and Cambodia, according to 
Mr. Le Roy, that the supply had exceeded the demand 
in France, and more than half had to be re-exported to 
other markets, where it had to compete with pepper 
from other countries often superior in quality and 
actually cheaper. 
Africa . — Little is done now with pepper, though it 
