The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-08
ALL ABOUT CLOVES.
How They Are Cultivated and the
Difficulties with Laborers.

How They Are Cultivated and the
Difficulties with Laborers.
Cloves were at one time the only eco
nomic product which Zanzibar supplied
to foreign countries, writes Mr.. Con-
sui Cave, and, although much has been
and is being done to encourage the ma
tive agriculturst 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 proper: that is, the
period during which the crop ripens
and is harvested-extends from Sep
tember to March, but the cloves con-
tinue to be brought into town for some
months later, either because some of
the trees are retarded in their flower
ing or because the growers are hold
ing back for more favorable market.
The 1898 crop, although 1902 700 pounds
in excess of that of the previous year,
was not more than good average one,
and fell far short of the results OBJ
tanned in 1890. 1894 and 1895, but al
though this is true as regards the
twelve months ended December 81 last,
it will probably be found when the next
report comes to be written that the
season of 1S9S-99 has equaled, If IL 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 num-
ber of trees had died from want of
water. In Pemba alone no fewer than
100000 are said to have perished from
this cause. The rains came in time to
save the CROP and make 1t one of the
most prolific that this country 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 sew
eral 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. it will be OBJ
served, only 60,364 frasllas, the small
est amount tabulated. but of these no
| less than 32,399 fraslas and from the
! two islands together 121S5S frasilas ar
| rived in December alone, which is far
| in excess of the amounts recorded for
any period of one month since these re-
| turns were first compiled
The other great difficulty which both
the government and the Arab cultiva-
tor have to contend with is the labor
question, which it will probably take
many years to solve. Ever since the
importation of slaves has been pro-
| T1N pf Iah hag ,t,
ished with increasing rapidity from
year to year, and now that thousands
of slaves have been freed under the
decree of 1897 it is quite inadequate
to meet the demands that are made
upon it, Much has been done in the
interests of the cultivator: the freed
slaves are induced, whenever 1t is pos
sible, to settle on the shambas of their
old masters and to work for them, un-
der voluntary agreemenst, either in re-
turn for fixed daily wage or by CIV
ing up certain number of days to
their employers and devoting the re-
mainder 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, beer
substituted for payment in kind, both
|
er, and so as to prevent him from alb.
senting himself from his work for two
or three days in succession at more ol
less frequent intervals in order to dry
and dispose of the green cloves which
he has either earned as his share of tho
picking, or, as frequently happens
stolen from the trees during the night
but no legislation can make the native
take a genuine interest in his work ol
keep at it for longer period klan viii
enable him 10 live in comparative com
fort for a few weeks Of contented idle
ness. The scarcity of labor has had IL.
effect both on the total yield of tn,
year and on the quality of the sample
Different buds on the same tree ripeI
at different times, and to secure Z
good sample, they should be picked a
certain definite stage OF development
but in his anxiety to have as much o
his crop gathered as possible, the cul
tivator has had to neglect any specia
care in picking, as well as i'm the equal
ly important process of drying, will
! the natural result that the cloves sen
home are found to vary i'm size, colo
l and quality.