The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-10-04
aqrituIturnl mn DonIrstit.
Farming in Brazil.

We clip the following from correspon-
dent OF the St Louis Republican, written
from Paranagua:
I have learned some new things about
farrnjnO and believe that every country, I'D
its nec1liar customs, has something 70 IN
strnct and be initiated, while we would I'M
nrove upon IT, The process OF clearing
land for instance IN Brazil IS unique. anu,
asit IS the universal cnstOm, will describe
II. as / have seen il thoroughly demon5tra-
ted under my own eye and adopted by my
own cOuntrymeu. The Brazilian Iorest-
whether virgin timber cf the secondary
growth where squatters have once eIe4le 81
Hp little patches, and allowed tneH AGAIN
~ fall back into a state Of nature, are iuA
ofvines aud underbrush ia most places
n this growth was Ike the oak and other
hard brush OF Missouri. il would be for
rnidahle lob 10 cut down. Bur IL l. all Ike
succulent weeds, forced 10 an extraordinary
size hv the showers and the sun Of per
nefuai spring. Even cotton and the castor
oil plant, and, % some extent, tobacco anu
red pepper assume these proportions, wneu
undisturbed Now, into this forest Bra
lillian viii walk with bis espQt1, Di9
knife. which is a cross between sworn
and an Arkansas tooth pick, ana Win an
the motions Of a fencing master, ana some
uot known iu that science, but which he
learns from his father and from practice,
he hews everything down not larger lhan
his arm or leg, with the ease that boy
hacks down mullen stalks. remember an
Irish gentleman, in my younger days, VINO
used 10 excite the r.dicule Oi the nelghDOr-
hood by ch0ppng his stove wood WITH "a
carving knife. lie was sehOOl-master,
and taught the young ideas how 10 saOot,
but ne might learnt lessons N BIazll
which am sure he never read o. he
Brazilian slashes over his head, aud Dene1lA
bis feet, and On each side, and before hini'
aud the whole tangled mass IL soon
lie everm0wad hay. covering the whole
surface OF the ground. He then passes
over the same field with al axe telling the
larger timber, except perhaps some pTec-
ious woods, and chOpping all the branches
level An expert hand Will clear an acre
4 dav and chop ii over, and thus continue
the process "a lOug Is time or mediation
suits, or iii lac las lArIu enough open lOl
the small reQuiIment5 OF himself aud
family. lie then waits TWO or three weeks
tlu the whole mass is dry when lie takes
some favorable day and wind, and hres ID
10 the windward, and the nanf5 cover
over the whole surface Kissing aud crack
ing ike a western prairie on Ire, con
sumug every dry thing and every weed,
and every ant, and any other tsch0S OF,
.wild varlneuts" that may be nesting
there. Tie ground is then ready 70
receive his crop. He does not have u
dog rOil7 and labor on the stumps anc
trunks which remain, for the ground needs
no blowing, and the logs aud stump'
will all rot out In two OF three years, man
uring the soil in the meantime lie plants
mandiOc, or beans, or corn, or potatoes
and, OF late years, has learned 10 PLAN
coffee trees on the same ground, thus sup
pOrtinghis family tin the coffee trees are
large enough 10 bear, and crowd out otho
vegetation. Weeds viii not come on {
good burn Tor q year or two thus giving
him several good crops without labor
and when the weeds do come on, II he d
one Of tie rowing sort, who do not hay'
patience 10 wait for coffee. be will maxi
another clearing as before, rather than
keep the weeds down. This accounts
tor great many abandoned places which
are not impoverished like the old field.
Of Virginia, but too rank with teemine
weeds and soil for the ''Old f0gies' o
Brazil They consider ii easier work q
clear the virgin forests than 10 cultivate
the ground aiterwards-a hint which has
TecOnciled NE very much 10 the timOerec
country which is so much easier cleared
than anything that l have ever seen 10
the backwOOds. As 10 tools, the cSpHfa
Is superior 10 anything ever inyented
and an agricultural friend who brought
out brush hooks aud other cOntrivancc,
has thrown them all aside. He even iount
the Collins axe less serviceable than a pc
cuIarly shaped native One-resembling &
large, long handled tomahawk. Thus We
live and learn. But he insists, and 50 dc
1, that ha will '.astOnish the natives
some Of these days, and beat them all %
death" when he gets his land ready for Ihe
pillow.