Their agriculture is simple enough. They begin clearing the ground of weeds, and burning them after the first fall of rain, which in Houssa is in the month of May; and when a person wishes to enclose a piece of ground for his own use, he first gets permission from the governor. He then sets his slaves, if he has any, to cut down the smaller trees and brushwood, leaving the micadonia or butter trees, if there be any, standing on the ground: the wood, brushwood, and weeds are then gathered together in heaps and burnt. After the first rains have fallen, the male and female slaves go to work, each male having a hoe with a long handle, and each female a basket, dish, or gourd, filled with the grain intended to be sown: the male goes on in a straight line crossing the field, striking as it were with his hoe on each side, and raising a little earth each blow in the line about two or three feet, or broad enough for a man to walk; the females follow with their baskets of grain, dropping the seeds into the holes made by the hoe, which they then cover over with earth, and give it a slight pressure with the foot. When the dourra or other grain has risen above the ground three or four inches, the weeds are hoed off, and the earth loosened around the stalks; when the dourra has got to the height of three or four feet, they hoe around it a second time, leaving the weeds in the middle of the rows. This is cleared away, when small millet or calavances are to be sown between the rows of doura, which is frequently the case. The third operation is to draw the weeds and earth towards the roots of the doura a little before it ripens. When ripe, the slaves go into the field or plantation, pull it up by the roots, and lay it in rows between each row of millet which is left to ripen: it lies in this state four or five days, when they cut the heads off, tie them up in bundles, and carry it home; where, after lying upon sheds made of the branches of trees for a few days to dry, what is not wanted for use is stowed away in their granary. As the seeds of the doura begin to ripen, it must be constantly watched by the slaves, who are perched on trees, or on raised platforms, with dried gourds, which they shake to make a noise, at the same time shouting and hallooing to frighten away the flocks of small birds which come to devour the grain, and which at this season fly in myriads, making a whirring noise with their wings when they rise. The doura is very subject to blight, caused by a kind of winged insect, of a black colour, something like the bugs on a camel; its smell is most offensive, and if killed by the fingers, the stench can hardly be borne, and is not easily washed off. The millet and calavances remain a month on the ground after the doura.
The stalks of the doura grow to the height of nine and ten feet; the thunder storms, accompanied with rain and wind, often bend these stalks when near ripe, so that the roots are raised above ground, and the plant dies if the slaves the next day are not sent in to hoe the earth up to the roots of such as are broken down. The stalks of this grain are frequently used for fences and the rafters of their houses. Sometimes they tie the bean and millet straw into bundles, and carry them home for their camels. Their granaries are made in the form of a large urn or pitcher, raised from the ground about three feet by stones. They are made of clay and chopped straw, and are raised to the height of eleven or twelve feet. The thickness of the sides is not above four inches, though in any part it will bear a man’s weight: the diameter in the widest part may be from seven to eight feet, at the top about three or four feet, and is overlapped at the mouth like a wide-mouthed earthen jar. When the grain is put in, a conical cap of thatch is put over to keep out birds, insects, wet and moisture. The doura and millet will keep well in these jars for two or three years; after that period it perishes, and is destroyed by worms and insects. The jar itself will last seven or eight years, if taken care of, by matting round the lower part with straw during the rainy season; if not, two or three years is the period it will stand unimpaired.
The time of putting the sweet potatoes in the ground is at the commencement of the rains, the ground being first well cleared of weeds, well hoed into furrows, the clods all broken, and the soil a good strong clay or mould. The branches or stems, in slips, are then planted by the dibble, and are two months before they have potatoes at the roots.
The gaza, though differing in taste, shape, name, and size, is not unlike a small quince: it is more watery than a gourd, of a reddish white inside, and by no means a pleasant taste; its stem is as thick as that of a gourd, with large rough leaves like those of a gourd. It is planted like the sweet potatoes, and is perpetuated in the same manner, by joints, and sown in furrows, at the same time, in a good soil of clay or mould.
Wheat, of which they raise enough to supply all who make use of it in this country, is sown after the rains, when the cold weather has set in. It is always met with by the side of a small lake or river, where they are able to water it by irrigation every day. It is ripe in three months after it is put into the ground: the grain is small. It is not much relished by the Arabs, who say that it injures the spleen, in whatever shape it may be eaten. The bread made of it is black and coarse; but that may arise from the imperfect manner in which it is ground and cleaned. Barley they also have; but this grain is only used in very small quantity. The rice is sown in long beds; and they have it in great abundance from the Surano, near Magaria: the rice of Soccatoo is considered the best in Houssa. Melons, pappa apples, the great . . . . ., a few fig and pomegranate trees are grown in gardens. They have not been able to make the date tree grow at Soccatoo; whenever it gets a little above ground it rots and dies.
They have a great many wild fruit trees, the principal of which is the butter tree. Onions are brought forth at the side of the rivers or lakes, and the place on which they are growing is watered afternoon and morning, the water being drawn by a bucket and a rope fixed to a long pole, over an upright post which serves as a pivot; the water being poured into hollowed trees, conducts it to the entrance of the little squares where the onions are growing. The onions are large and good, much like the Portuguese onion. The leaves of the kuka tree, or adansonia, are carefully gathered after the rains, dried, and used in all their soups and gravies, giving to them a slimy gelatinous consistence. The sauce, or cake which makes a sauce, from the beans of the nitta tree, is in great request. The beans, when taken out of the shell, are then broken in a wooden mortar, and put into a pot with water, and kept on a good fire from sunrise to sunset, when the pot is taken off: they are allowed to stand in it until they begin to ferment and smell. They are then taken to the river, pond, or well, where they are washed thoroughly with clean water: when they are considered as perfectly clean, they are spread on mats in the sun, and carefully covered up at night. When a second fermentation takes place, or they begin to smell, they are taken and bruised fine in their mortars, until it becomes like paste. It is then made into small circular cakes, which are dried in the sun before they are put by for use. This, when prepared, looks like chocolate. To me it had always a very disagreeable smell; but the taste was rather pleasant than otherwise when put on roast meat or fowls. Of this the people are very fond, and go so far as to eat it alone, and without being cooked.
When they wish to plant indigo, the place chosen is one of a good strong clay or mould, and in a situation where there is moisture through the heat of the summer. After enclosing the ground, they clear it entirely of weeds, and burn them. The ground is well worked up by the hoe (they have no spade or pickaxe), and laid out in furrows, with a flat top, about a foot high, two broad, and six or seven inches between each furrow. The indigo seeds are then planted by the dibble, and just as the rains have begun: they cut it every year during the rainy season. A plantation will last four or five years without renewing the seeds. They crop it about three or four inches above the ground. The leaves are then stripped from the stems, and laid in a heap, exposed to the rains and weather for a month, until they ferment, when they are beaten in wooden troughs of a round form, and about two feet deep, and two feet in diameter; here they remain until dry, and are then considered as fit for use. One of these troughs of indigo, in the spring, costs three hundred cowries; in the summer, the price rises to six or seven hundred.
The cotton is here planted in low situations, where the ground is partially covered with water during the rains, or else in a good clay that has moisture in it through the dry season. The ground, or plantation, is generally only surrounded by thorny branches stuck in the ground as a fence, then hoed well, and the clods, if any remain, broken. A hole is made with the hoe, and the seed is put in and lightly covered. If the season be abundant in rain, the cotton is plenty; if not, the crop is bad. The time of pulling is in the months of December and January. When worked, it is done by the women, clearing it of the seeds by two small iron pins, between which the cotton passes over a flat stone lying on the ground; the seeds are thrown behind them, the cotton before. The seeds they give to bullocks and camels, and are considered as very fattening. The cotton being prepared, is put on a distaff, which is short, light, neat, and small, great pains being taken in shaping and ornamenting it. The females who spin it have generally small looking-glasses in their baskets of cotton, with which they often survey their teeth and eyes. A piece of chalk, or pipe-clay, is in constant use, to rub the spinning thumb and finger. The occupation of spinning is generally assigned to married women, or some old female slave that is a favourite: weaving and sowing is left to the men. They have three different kinds of hoes: one with a handle of about five feet in length, and a small head stuck into the end of the staff; this is used in sowing the grain: one with a handle of about three feet in length, with a small iron head stuck into the end of the staff: the third, called gilma, has a short bent handle, with a large head, and is used in all the heavy work instead of a spade.
Their manufactures are confined to a very few articles, the principal of which is the dying of tanned goat skins red and yellow. The red skins are dyed with the leaves of a red millet, which is pounded in water mixed with natron; when thick enough, the skin is put on the stretch, and the dye rubbed in. The yellow is with the root of a tree called raurya, which is also pounded in water mixed with natron, and laid on the skin in the same manner as the red. The latter are considered as superior to all the other skins dyed of the same colour in any part of Houssa. A number both of the red and yellow skins are carried to Kano and Kashna almost monthly, where they are made into cushions, bags, boots, and shoes, &c.
The next article is the white cotton cloth of the country, of which they make a considerable quantity, both for the home consumption and for exportation to Kano and Nyffé: what they export is principally made into tobes and large shirts before it leaves Soccatoo. They have also a cloth called naroo, which is something like our counterpanes; a few checked and red striped cloths, used as tobes, and some as wrappers or zinnies for the women. The weavers of the latter are mostly natives of Nyffé, as are also all their blacksmiths. They have shoe, boot, saddle, and bridle-makers. Another article of export is the civet; the animals that produce it are kept in wooden cages, and fed on pounded fish and corn. A few slaves are also sold out of the province to the merchants of Kano, Kashna, Ghadamis, and Tripoli. A young male slave, from thirteen to twenty years of age, will bring from 10,000 to 20,000 cowries; a female slave, if very handsome, from 40,000 to 50,000; the common price is about 30,000 for a virgin about fourteen or fifteen. The articles brought to Soccatoo for sale by the Arabs are the same as what are brought to other parts of Houssa, and are mentioned in another place. Salt is brought by the Tuaricks from Billma, and also by the Tuaricks of the west. The salt from the latter quarter is much better, being more pure, and in large pieces like ice. Ostriches alive and ostrich skins are brought by these people, but little is given for a skin, only from 4000 to 5000 cowries for the finest. They also bring horses which fetch a good price here; dates from Billma, and a small quantity of goods which they buy from the Arabs at Aghadiz. The articles they could export in considerable quantities, if there were buyers, would be elephants’ teeth, bullocks’ hides, which, when tanned, only cost five hundred cowries, equal to sixpence of our money. Goat skins, and the skins of antelopes, and other wild animals, might be procured in abundance, but, of course, would rise much in price if there was a great demand. Gum-arabic might also be procured in abundance. What they would take from us in exchange would be coarse scarlet cloths, which in all parts of the interior bring a good price, say 10,000 cowries a yard; coarse yellow and green cloth; red tape; unwrought silk, of glowing colours; sewing needles, of the commonest kind; looking-glasses, no matter however small, at a penny or twopence each in England; earthenware with figures, plain ware would not pay; the coarsest kind of red camlet scarfs; jugs and hardware of the most common description, but stout; foolscap paper of the coarsest kind, if it did not let the ink through: beads, I think, are sold as cheap here by the Arabs as they are in England; sheets of tin; tin pots and cups; brass gilt rings for the fingers, arms, and ankles; as also ear-rings; copper and brass pots, the more figures the better; paper and wooden snuff-boxes of the commonest sort.