The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-11-05
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Tobacco in Brazil.

teen or twenty men and women are
! employed here in preparing tobacco
by the Amazonian process. which is
as different as possible from ours.
The leaves are picked from the stalks
as soon as they are large enough
slightly dried tor day or two under
shelter, and brought to the house in
GREAT baskets. Here the midrib is
removed by boys and women, and the
leaves-two, four or eight pounds to-
oether-are spread out in layers one
over the other, and rolled together
and bound with strips OF bark. Next,
the roll is wound tightly with heavy
cord. as thread is wound upon spool;
the strongest workmen are chosen
for this part OF the process, and one
Of them can wind no more than tit
teen or sixteen molL0S in a day,
twisting the roll with his hands, while
the cord, thrown about post, is held
tightly by the foot. In this manner
the tobacco is very strongly COM
dressed: the roll, after winding, is
left for several days until it will re-
tain it's form; then the cord is re-
moved, and long strips of jdcitdrG-
the split stem Of climbing palm
are wound on its place. The tobacco
goes to the market in this condition,
but is not considered good until it
has passed through a termenting
stage. which occupies five or SIX
months. Then the roll is hard and
black; people shave it off as they
want it for pipes and cigarettes; the
Indians make large cigars with wrap
pers of tanary bark, but they are gen
orally satisfied with a few whitfs, and
then stick the cigars behind their
ears to get them out OF the way until
thew are wanted again. Roll tobacco
brings from 81 to$l,50 per pound,
but the profit is limited because no
means have been devised for shorten
ing the process Of manufacture and
doing away with the heavy manual
labor involved N it. And in this, as
in everything else, Brazilians object
to any new method, because they are
SO firmly welded to the old.
Even the commonest labor here
gets a touch Of warm tropical color
and motion. A dozen or more wo-
men preparing tobacco on the piazza
form a group the like OF which would
be utterly impossible at the North
Look at that great negro, recalling
the Discobolus, with his brawny
arms as he twists the tobacco-roll
but the Discobolus is only still white
marble; this man is living flesh and
blood. with a dash of equatorial glow
thrown into his dark skin. Look at
that lace. maker. Was ever a genre
painting made to equal this picture
Yet the girl is plain enough, and hel
actions are simple. Our host, even
is Brazilian -American-not by Ian
guaee, nor manners, nor dress, but by
an indescribable tout ensemble that
would disappear in two weeks voy'
ace. l think the most familiar thing
about the house is the imported cal
but then, cats are tropical every
where.
A stole would turn enthusiastic
here. Follow the road that leads
mn to the great cane field, The hill
side is all aglow. am afraid that
our frequent stops are less to get N
paneoyrics OH nature than to tan our
selves with our broad.brimmed hats
But on top the breeze is fresh ano
cool breath of the trade VINO
coming up the valley from the AT
( lantic. We are OH the edge OF the
southern table-land; the ground
about us is dead level, sinking sud
denly to another dead level five hun
dred feet beneath. We can look
across the food-plains, thirty miles
or more TO the blue mountains OF
Monte Allegro and Erere; down be-
low us the river Uaiaia winds like a
ribbon through the green meadows
there are few lakes in sight, but
nothing like the scattering OF them
that we have seen in other places.
In other places there are lines OF
swampy forest, and strips of arums,
and, clumps Of bushes, all running
parallel to the channel seams left by
the Amazons in sewing this patch
work together Back of us the great
cane-feld stretches half a mile OF
more in every direction, fresh, green
waving-the prettiest sight plant
er's eye could find. The cane is GU
by hand and brought to the brow o
the hill on oX-carts; there it i
thrown into long shoot, which de
posts it cleverly in the mill-house
No wonder that the cane thrive
| H. c,ro1n1 10 rich hlon