The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-04-01

planters had to close. This reduced
the crop Of 1892 to about 100000
bales, which brought good prices
and evidently stimulated the pro-
duction, for the crop of 1898 rose to
100000 bales, and the 1894 crop,
which is now being disposed of, is
estimated at about 10000 bales or
more.
The opinion is that there is at
present no demand for more than
zoe, 1000 bales year at the most, and
when the production surpasses this
quantity another crisis will be ex-
perienced
As far as have been able to
gather from the means at my dis
posa, there are at present on the
east coast of Sumatra twenty-six
public companies and about twenty
five private planters engaged IN to-
bacco cultivation.
As to the mode Of cultivation, the
planting is done by Chinese coolies,
imported chiefly direct from China.
When the number from China proves
insufficient. Chinese are engaged in
the Straits settlements on contract.
Each Chinese coo!ie gets field of
three fourths of bouw, or one and
three fourths acres He has to plant
tobacco on that field, and he gets
payment for his labor when the tobac-
co is ripe and delivered by him to his
master When he delivers his tobac-
CO, the coolie is paid per 1000 plants
according to quality, from 81 to So.
During the planting season, however
he receives an advance of S. per
month
When the tobacco is in the fer.
menting sheds the Chinese work in
the sheds on contract until the plant
ing season commences again They
are chiefly employed at sorting TO-
bacco, and receive therefor { cent
for each bundle of thirty five to forty
leaves The payment Of coolies on
the estates is made on the 1st and
10th of the month when they are
paid what they have earned, or given
advances
Besides Chinese, other coolies are
employed, namely
japanese, who in the beginning,
get Sc month, and the women So
per month They are used for road
making, shed building and jungle
cutting or clearing work. These
wages must be considered as mini
mum as soon as they learn their
work, they enter into contracts for
piece work, and good workmen can
earn as much as $12 per month.
Kings are also found in Deli, but
they are comparatively few, as the
British government does net allow
the emigration of laborers to Neither
land India Those Kings who man.
age to get over work as cattle keep.
ers and road makers, and earn from
Sc to SO per month.
For jungle cutting, $40 to $50 per
1000 square fathoms are made. ac.
cording to the nature of the wood
that has been felled This is done in
gangs, and each mans share comes
to between 81 and S.
For cutting long grass (lalang)
man receives IS as maximum for TO-
600 square fathoms.
Flowing is paid for by the month.
With plow and two pairs Of bufa'
loes, one.third of a field, or one-fourth
of bouw, can be plowed per day
A japanese or King gets for this
IS per month, and for looking after
the bufaloes So A boy for driving
the bufaloes and keeping off the mos
quitoes receives S. to S..
For full particulars regarding to:
bacco cultivation in Deli would re-
fer to the work De Tabakscultum in
Deli,lpublished by j. Il. de Busy
Rokln, 6O Amsterdam.
Having made up my mind to obtain
a supply of the seed of the plant in
question, if any was at all obtainable.
and recognizing from the statement
made u,e by the acting Dutch consul
general that this would be extremely
difficult, if not impossible, through
official channels, sought to do so
through private ones, and, thanks to
the kind assistance of leading mer-
chant extensively engaged in trade
with Sumatra, have at length succeed
ed in procuring lot of what ha in
forms me is from the best plants the
island produces This lot of seed |
shall avail! myself of the first oppor-
tunity to forward you, with the re-
quest that one-ffth of it be handed
over to Senator Samuel Pasco Of
Florida, who has written me for some
and that the remainder be transmitted
caorotorC of