Here I Had Determined To Stay For Some Time To See
Whether This Elevation Would Produce Any Change In The
Zoology.
The village had only been formed about ten years, and was quite
as neat as those I had passed
Through, and much more picturesque.
It is placed on a small level spot, from which there is an abrupt
wooded descent down to the beautiful lake of Tondano, with
volcanic mountains beyond. On one side is a ravine, and beyond it
a fine mountainous and wooded country.
Near the village are the coffee plantations. The trees are
planted in rows, and are kept topped to about seven feet high.
This causes the lateral branches to grow very strong, so that
some of the trees become perfect hemispheres, loaded with fruit
from top to bottom, and producing from ten to twenty pounds each
of cleaned coffee annually. These plantations were all formed by
the Government, and are cultivated by the villagers under the
direction of their chief. Certain days are appointed for weeding
or gathering, and the whole working population are summoned by the
sound of a gong. An account is kept of the number of hours' work
done by each family, and at the year's end, the produce of the
sale is divided among them proportionately. The coffee is taken
to Government stores established at central places over the whole
country, and is paid for at a low fixed price. Out of this a
certain percentage goes to the chiefs and majors, and the
remainder is divided among the inhabitants.
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