Evening star., 1899-10-14
ALL ABOUT CLOVES.
How They Are Cultivated and the
Difficulties With LabOrers.

IaOOEeTS,
From the London Clos
Gloves were at ssnei time the only eco
nomic product whatth Zanzibar supplied to
foreign countries, aerites Mr. Consul Cave,
and. although much has been and is being
done to encourage IMAGINATIVE agriculturist
to have more than one iron In the fire. this
tree is still and probably always will be far
more extensively cultivated than any other.
The Glove season pfbpef; that is, the period
during which the sropb ripens and is har-
vested-extends fr9R September to March,
but the cloves couttnuswto be brought into
town for some mofahs Gater either because
some of the treesI ares retarded in their
towering or because the growers are hold
ing back for more favorable market.
The 1898 crop, although 302, 700 pounds in
excess of that ofthe previous year. was
not more than a good average one, and fell
far short of the results obtained in 1890,
1894 and 1895, but, although this is true as
regards the twelve months ended Decem-
ber 81 last, it will probably be found when
the next report comes to be written that
the season of 1S9S-99 has equaled. If 1t has
not surpassed, any previous existing record.
In the summer and autumn of last year
considerable anxiety was felt as to what
the season would bring forth, for there had
been no heavy rain for eighteen months
and a large number of trees had died from
want of water. In Pemba alone no fewer
than 100000 are said to have perished from
the crop and make 1t one of the most pro-
lifo that this county has known. but the
long drought which preceded them not only
caused the buds to be somewhat smaller
than usual but delayed the harvest for
several weeks. And this is especially the
case in the Island of Zanzibar, where the
rainfall is seldom more than half as heavy.
and the trees not nearly so old or so hardy
as In the sister island. The quantity Of
cloves brought into town from the Zanzibar
plantations up to the end of the year was,
{v,,;11 1. -, IN nn.
smallest amount tabulated, but of these no
less than 80, 800 frasilas, and from the two
islands together 121.S5S frasiias arrived in
December alone, which IS far in excess of
the amounts recorded for any period of one
month since these returns were first COM
piled.
The other great difficulty which both the
government and the Arab cuItiyator have
to contend with is the labor question, which
1t Will probably take many years to solve
Ever since the importation of slaves has
been prohibited the supply of labor has
diminished with increasing rapidity from
year to year, and now that thousands of
slaves have been freed under the decree Of
1897, 1t Is quite inadequate to meet the de-
mands that are made upon it. Much has
been done In the interests of the cultvator:
the freed slaves are induced, whenever it is
possible, to settle on the shambas of their
old masters and to work for them under
voluntary agreements, either in return for
fixed daily wage or by giving up a GER
tain number of days to their EMPLOYERS
and devoting the remainder of the week to
the cultivation of plots of ground which
are allotted to them for that purpose A
money wage has, as often as possible. been
substituted for payment in kind. both as an
additional incentive to the laborer, and so
as to prevent him from absenting himself
from his work for two or three days in sue
cesSion at more or less frequent intervals
In order to dry and dispose of the green
cloves which he has either earned as his
share of the picking, or, as frequently hap
pens, stolen from the trees during the
night; but no legislation can make the ma
tive take a genuine interest in his work or
keep at it for longer period than will en-
able him to live in comparative comfort for
few weeks Of contented idleness The
scarcity Of labor has had its effect both on
the total yield of the year and on the quail
ity of the sampler Different buds on the
same tree ripen at-1ifferent times, and. to
secure good samEsi they should be picked
at certain definite stage of development.
but in his anxiety stQ have as much of his
crop f,r :, gathered ga as oRossaple the cultivator
has had to neglect Any Special care In pick
ing, as well as in the equally important
process of drying,bwitR the natural result
that the cloves sent honae are found to vary
in size, color and quality.