places after yielding.two, and sometimes-, three:crops.in-'the: year, it isniot“
necessary e ^ to. change the culture. Water, which, is-'So:moch'wanted,^nd
which is seldom/found in requisite abUndancerih; tropical re g io n s /W fow s
rn the. greatest plenty.. - The cultivator who has pfeparecthis sSwak, br rice
field,. Withm its reach, diverts part-of,3tTmm:its channel, spreads ife-ont-into
numerous canals of irrigation, and thus procures from it,- under a. scorching,
sun, the verdure of the rainy season,, and in due time a plentiful .Harvest
Nothing, can be conceiyed more beautiful to the eye,-! .or more gratifying to:
the imagination, than 'the prospect of the rich variety of hill and dale* of
nee plantations and fruit trees, or forests, of natural streams, and artificial-
currents, whicb.presents itself to the ,eye* in--several 'of .the-'eastern and
middle provinces,, at some distance from the coast: , In. some., parts ' of
Keduy Banyumas, Semarang, Pasuruan, and Malang,, it ,4s| difficult ?to say
whether,the .admirer of landscape, or the cultivator ,of;thg ground, /tviU be'
most gratified by the view. The whole-.eountry, as seenTrom mhuhtains'-of
considerable elevation, appears a rich, diversified,; and well watered garden E
animated with villages, interspersed with the- most luxuriant fields, and
cqvered; with the freshest verdure.
Over far tb^greator part, Sev<mjCigh,iaof .tlm iJaod, the.soil is dtber cn-
Urely neglected or badl, cnltivated. and the p o p u la tio n .- ^ . - -It is byth*
produce of the remaining eighth that the- whole h f the nation is snpported-
mditrs probable that; if; i, were all under, estivation, no area: o f ta d of
the same extent, m any other quarter of the globe,, could:exceed it, either
m quantity, variety, or.value of its vegetable' productions. Thcrkind of
hnsbandry rn different dMriets (as shall be mentioned afterwards more par.
ftcuIarW depends upon the nature and elevation of the ground, and thd
facilities for natural or artificial irrigation. The best lands are those
in the. vaihes of .the higher districts, or on the. dopes of mountains, and Ml:
the piarna sttetrdiiug from them, assuchlaurb are cuuUuuaiiy enriciitd with
accesstous of new earth gashed down frohu the hills by the periodical mins
I he poorest soil is that found on . the-ranges of-low. hills, tetmed-kendam
along many districts, and particularly in-the southern division of
the.is and ; but m no-part is it so sterile-or ungrateful, as, not to afford a
liberal return , for the. labour bestowed upon its. cultivation, especially if a
supply of water-can be by any means directed uppn it*
But
I But when- nature'dóes-'mu'cliy'foc a,r country; tits inhabitants are1, sometimes!
contented- to-do littieflrjfchd^ -satisfied 'with'tits' common' gifts, neglect to
improve1 them into the*means oftdighity-'ori comfort.- The peasantry- of Java,
easily procuring thé‘necessgriès'óS^lifeg.1 seldom’ aim at improvement'of their-
condition;1' ’Biicer ia1^the;principal'--foo'd bf^-all- classes' -of' the - people, and the
great'staple-of theiriagriculture. *l0 f this-néeessSry' 'afticie,1 it -is» calculated:
that a lafêöürer' can, iniardinary circumstan'cesjvé^miftbm-foür to1 five /kalis'
a "day;' and a -.kali beifig'S^uivamPt-'to1-. one pouhd and a'quarter avoirdupois;,
isifeekoned a* sufficient alIowan G,e?J-for the' daily- sübsisténce of an adult, inv
these- regions.' The- labour o f1 flag-women- onJ'Java is ’^tim;ated':' almost',- 'aè
highly’as that of-1 -the- -rrp|tt^ and- thus a married siqupl&eam maintain eight
or;;tèn- bersbns; and' as. a family Seldbm^j^^^pyfel^Ahstt number,; -they-
havé commonly -halrioftitheir earnings; éppEcablé for > the purchase-'"of little
coEjfprtsJ »for-implements of agriculture,- fb'&elmhing' an’d-'lodging/ The tWo-
klst articles cari'itoylibé'i'exphhavéin a-ebuntry- where the children1 generally go
naked,- antl*Where'fthp?simples1i>strimture-possibl0ti&'sufficient to- afford the
requisite protection - agarost-%he' élementS/tii
''-Theipncel}l^ f rice; ’ which thus becomes- of-timportance to the1 labburer,
vSri'ès'- in different ipartS-°of the- island; according- to the fertility óf the-
district where if ifpró'düced,•fits' situation with1 • regal'd'- toV a market, or-its'
distancê. from^ójïë-^óf ’the numerous; provincial Udbifal^i. As 'thfe^mCa^isi of
transport,- by which' the ab'ündance of one district T&ffght 'be^-'canVëyed fpi
supply-'the deficiencies-oft-another, and-to- equalize the distribution of'the»
general stock, w^rew and laborious, this variational price’-isosometimes1,
v&^-èódsïdërableeven same district there are. great, variations;
according to.--the natutë-^óf the crop, ajj-n^thb^ Native Provinces;., a jrikul.
f-'wbig'hing- 13S-|- -lbs. English) sometimes; sellsr-helbw- the fourth part
bf?%* Spanish: dollar, and at other times- for more than two Spanish dollars-'x
but in ^ common years, and at an_ average,overf the! wBdleJisland,, including
■the capital, the estimate may- be taken af thirty ^Spanish, dollars.!-the Jcqyan.
of -thirty- pikuls, or three- thousand kalis. - A kali of xriee, 1 according to i this
estimate, may bfe; sold to thé consumer, after allowing a-sufficient profit.ta:
the retail merchants for’ much1 less -than a penny.
But though the1 price-of this' common article of subsistence may;bql®f‘
Some consequence to the Javan labourer, when he wants to make any-pur-
glase with Ms -surplus portion, he is rendered independent of the-fluctua^
tions of the market for his necessary food, by the mode in Which he procures.'
it.
State of the
peasantry.
Price o f rice.
Sthueb pseisatesanncetr yo.f