Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-09-03
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE.


AMERICAN ENTERPRISE.
What an American Accomplished in
Brazilian American Home in the
Tropics.
Scribner for September.
If ten American travellers were asked
to give their impressions of Brazil, we
should hear ten different opinions, grad
ing all the way from enthusiasm to
despair. And [ suppose that Brazilians,
travelling in the United States, get just
as diverse impressions Of this country and
its people.
When anybody asks me if Brazil is a
good field for the American mechanic,
farmer, merchant, [ can only answer:
That depends upon the man. The
country is what it is; but you or [ de-
scribe it imperfectly, because we see it
only from our particular angle of vision:
we Judge of it, as it has treated us we'll
or i'll. And after all, our pretty theories
are of small value; what is needed is
the experience of practical men,
An American gentleman, Mr.. K. J.
Rhome, for many years had theory
that the Amazonian highlands we're
fitted for successful farming. So he
came here with his family, took the
managing partnership of Brazilian
plantation, and put his theory into
practice. At the end of twelve years,
the estate has become the finest on the
Amazon, and American enterprise has
built up an American home.
To US, who have. been three days
tediously canoeing across the river valley,
against contrary winds and strong cur
rents, broiled by the sun all day, and
tortured by mosquitoes at night, it is
SNAIL wonder then that Taperiuha seems
like haven Of rest. Mr.. Rhome stands
on the bank waving his broad-brimmed
hat, and welcoming us as we land by
stout American grip. Friend of four
years standing, or stranger of to-day, it
is all the same to this overho wing
hospitality; so we are sliced and marched
off to the house, where we get another
greeting from kind Mrs. Rhome and the
bright eyed, healthy children. The
house servants scramble to prepare
room for us, and three or four negroes
hurry down to the canoe for our luggage.
The bath follows, of course; a dipin such
cool, limpid water as we have seldom
seen in the tropics; and Mr.. Rheme has
bathing house where you can swim in
the cement-lined basin, and take a
shower of a hundred gallons a minute.
Then we sit down to g bountiful table,
whereof every dish is the product of the
plantation, or of the surrounding woods
and streams; even the wine equal to
most grapevine, is made from native
Caju fruits, and our after dinner cigar
cites are of fragrant Taperinha to-
bacco.
When our host came here the planta-
ton was managed in the old narrow
Portuguese style, saving accent and losing
want of proper superintendent, and
the proportion of cultivated land was
very small. Since then, improved
machinery has been introduced; the
great canefeld has been widened year
after year, and the pillow has turned up
rich black land that had not seen the
light for centuries. The estate, joint
property of Mr.. Rhome and the Baron
of Santarem, is measured not by acres,
but by square miles. There are highland
forests and lowland pastures, lakes
stocked with fish and turtle, and
streams with water enough to turn
heavy mills.
In the tile-covered mill house half a
dozen stalwart negroes are employed in
feeding" the great cane miH and carry
ing away the crushed refuse. At Erere
we saw the Indian mill-a pair of
squeaking wooden rollers, turned by four
men at an immense expenditure Of
breath and muscle. Elsewhere they have
larger and more elaborate wooden mills,
turned by horsepower. and few of the
better plantations boast of iron ones.
made in the southern provinces. But
Mr.. Rhome assures us that his American
mill has effected a saving of at least
twenty-five per cent. over the Pernam-
buco machine that was formerly used
here; and of course the daily
grinding can be greatly increased
with the capacity of the rollers. At
present most of the corn-juice is distilled
into rum, which commands ready sale
along the river. Mr.. Rhome has intro
4duced improved sugar-evaporators, and
he believes that sugar making will prove
very profitable.