Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-28

many of the trees yield two and three
pounds each.
usually done on shares. women and chill
dren picking the berries and hulling the
seeds for half the profits. Practically no
modern machinery has been used. Much
of the pulp has been allowed to dry on the
berries and then pounded off with mortar
and nestle After this tine chaff was re-
moved by winnnwiH@ the seeds in the wind.
Some of the planters hired their work done,
but nearly al. were more. less in debt, so
that there has not vet been 4 practical test
Of coffee raising in this part of the world
with modern machinery and plenty of cap
itaL
How They Raise Coffee In SaIu.
The coffee conditions in the Sulu Islands
are far different. however. from those of
LUZou. Here there = only one plantation.
but it covers seventy acres. and 1t now has
5000 trees. 1t is owned by two Germans,
who have married Ioros. They have a
large tract of land and are testing coffee
raising as an experiment. Their trees are
now 0n.y three years old and they are SO
loaded with berries that the limbs
breaking down with the weight. They will
get one pound per tree this year. and they
tell me that they have been already offered
y cents silver or IA cents gold per pound
for their crop. Within TWO years from now
they think The trees will be producing at
least three and a half pounds each. and it
looks as though they had fortune in sight.
tatiOn. 1t lies about three miles back Of
Jol" on the foot hills Of the mountains. and
IS reached by bride path through the
fields The lands surrounding ii are like
natural park flied with tall forest trees
and overgrOwn with a tail growth of luxu-
RANT grass. The grass in many places was
taller than my head as | sat my pony.
The earth of the path where the grass was
worn off was as black as that of the valley
of the Nile until We came to the plantation
Itself, where IL assumed the reddish tinge
so common To good coffee lands. Nearer
the plantation the scenery grew wilder.
We crossed several streams and wound our
way in and out through the jungle. until at
last. mounting a low hill. the whole seventy
acres of coffee bushes rising and falling
with the land in wide graceful lines of bur
nished green lay before us.
l cannot describe he Iuxllriance of the
growth and the healthy look of the trees
They were az big around as a mans wrist
at the ground, with branches coming out on
all sides, loaded with green and red berries
and blossoms The berries Were in all
stages Of growth some as big as the end
of your little finger and others the size and
color of d large red cherry.
mike the coffee of the northern part of
the Philippines. the berries here ripen all
the year round, so that you see blossoms
and berries on the same stem at the same
time. The blossoms white, much like
the Jasmine flower, emitting a perfume
which is almost sickening in its sweetness.
Here and there among the coffee plants /
could see the trunks Of great trees which
had been cut down in the clearing of the
land and left to rot. There were but few
signs OF cultivation The grass had evil
DENLY been chopped off with boos. | was
told that the ground moved every
month. but that hCeing or wedding had
been done during the past Year.
The Only White Land Owners.
| went over the plantation with one of the
owners. Mr. Charles Schuck, and later spent
some time with him and his family. Both
he and his brother. Mr.. Edward Schuck
have Moro wives and a rumber of half
breed children. Their wives are the daugh-
ters Of some of the Moro chiefs and their
relations with the people are so friendly
that they have been of considerable assist
ance to the Americans in arranging our
peaceful occupation OF the islands During
our visit to the sultan Charles Schuck was
the interpreter, and his sister, Mrs Fexer
and his brothers wife, a Moro princess ac-
cumpanied the party
The Schuck family have lived in Sulu for
many years Charles Schuck'S father.came
here as a trader quarter Of u century ago
and established such relations with the old
sultan that he decided him about 300 acres
of the best land of the island of which this
coffee plantation is a part.
How the Germans Lost North Rorneo
The story of how Mr.. Schuck came to get
the plantation was told me by his SON The
old sultan owned practically the whole of
Sandakan and the vast tract now leased to
the North Borneo Company. Being in a
friendly mood one day he made "A deed of
all this land to Mr.. Schuck. telling him he
could sell what he chose of it TO the Ger
mans. There was an understanding. | sup
pose, that Mr.. SChuck was to give him a
share of the profits. At any rate. the gift
was accepted and SchuCk wrote to Prince
Bismarck, offering the land to him for a
German colony. At that time Germany
II ha Agf.a
she now has. Bismarck replied that Ger
many was not yet ready to enter upon a
colonial policy and that he could not ac-
cept the proposition. Mr.. Schuck reported
the result of his correspondence to the sui
tan. and his majesty in reply made a re-
mark which Schuck did not like. 1t may
be That IL was an insulting reference to
Prince bismarck. AT any rate, II made
Schuck SO angry that he took the deed
granting him North Borneo. tore it in two
land threw il at the feet of his majesty
telling him he could keep his old land and
that neither the Germans nor himself want
ed ii
The sultan. in order 10 appease him. gave
nm a deed 10 this land just outside of JolO.
lie Kept the Borneo property, and short
tine later rented it out To an English syn
d!cate known the North Borneo Com
l,anN Tor the annual payment of $1,000.
This sum the present sultan is still rereiy-
ing from the company. The lands have
Teen developed and quite a town has grown
up about the harbur Of Sandakan and sew
- dI I4i'S OF steamers make IL regular
port of call to bring goods and take away
the crops.
Starting the Plantations
During our chat Mr.. Schuck told me how
he happened to start his coffee plantation
Said he: My father had planted a few
trees They We're not well cared for, but
they grew very fast, and are now twenty
feet high. with trunks ranging in size from
the thickness of your thigh to that of your
waist. They are all in full bearing but it
Is almost impossible TO pick the coffee on
account of the height. When my father
dled, Few years ago, my brothers and
myself found thai had this land but
mat IL was In such condition that ii pro-
duced no income. We left the Sulu Islands
Tor Il l4me and went to Borneo. Singapore
ana elsewhere to earn enough to deyelOD
Inc property. In Borneo We became in
terested in coffee planting. and knowing
what father had done with the old planta-
non. we thought that Il new one could be
started at a profit. My brothers then
cIunhed together and sent me back TO Sulu
TO set out the trees The first thing | did
was 20 lay out the plantation. | cut down
the Jungle and burned it and later On set
out the plants in the regular order YOU see
them We got the seed from Borneo