Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-03-07
A Brazilian Coffee Plantation,

luoiu " Piioou'
A Brazilian Coffee Plantation.
Brazil produces more than one half o.
Ill the coffee raised on the globe The
largest coffee plantations in Brazil. This
plantation is situated in Bara do Pirahy
about 100 miles from r o Janelro, and on
the Dom Pedro II, railroad. On this
Brazilian railroad, owned by the Brazilian
government, the cars are built in the
United States, and drawn by American
locomotives. On the Fazenda Santa
Catharina, the plantation covers an area
of over twenty square miles, and is said to
be the one of most complete in Brazil
being furnished with the most approved
machinery. On the Fezcnda are black
smith, carpenter and machine shops, a
hospital with resident physician and
corps of assistants for the 600 slaves own.
ed by the proprietor, Baron de Montelro,
fine orchard and garden, and many
substantial and well kept buildings. In
addition to the culture of coffee Il large
amount of labor i, expended in raising
sugar-cane, corn, beans, rice, mandiaco,
oranges, bananas and vegetables. Every
thing raised except coffee is for consump
tion on the plantation. A mountain
stream furnishes the power for the
machinery through an overshot wheel.
The coffee trees on the plantation num-
Der 100000, planted on the hillsides,
as it is essential that the soil should not
retain water. The trees are kept from
five to eight feet in height, both for con
venionce in gathering and to increase the
productiveness. The trunk is covered
with graysh bark and white blossoms
grow in clusters arop nd the branches. 1t
is propagated by planting the seeds in
nurseries and after year transplanting
them on the plantation in rows when they
present somewhat the appearance of a
vineyard in their regularity. The full
producing force is not reached until the
fifth year, and they frequently reach
thiity years of age when generally the soil
will be found exhausted. Between the
rows of trees are planted orange trees,
Indian corn and msndioca. without any
effort at regularity The fruit of the for
mer and the corn meal are highly priced
by the slaves. Tne coffee berry when
ripe is deep red, aud containes two seeds.
These seeds are the ordinary beans which
comes in the coffee bags ready for roast.
ing. The berries, being picked by gangs
of slaves, are carried to u trough of running
water into which they are thrown and
carried along some distance with the
stream to II drying bed. They are then
spread out on long beds which are raised
between TWO and three feet from the
ground with Il slightly inclined surface in
order to drain them in case of rain. The
berries are sprea4 several inches deep on
these beds, and during the day, while the
sun is pouring down, gangs OF slaves are
kept running through them wnh large
wooden shoes, in order to expose new
surfaces. The process turns the berries
| black, and the ileshy substance about the
seed becomes hard and forms shell or
hull which is removed by machiIery. The
two seeds, now being seper ated, are ex-
POSED to the sun again for many days' and
another membrane, when brittle, removed
by machinery. During this process the
flee is protected from the dews at night
by heavy tapauis. Ills last membrane
being removed the seeds are ready for
winnowing. This not only removes the
chaif, but the rapid motion impaired by
tn, seves developes the oil and polshes
hem. The coffee is now sorted for mar
ket. In this last process women only are
employed Every seed must be handled
and classified. The small, round seeds
are intended for the trees. If the coffee is
intended for the European market, it i,
deposited from the troughs of running
waller into large semi cylindrical cistern
through which runs Il horizontal axis with
spokes at intervals. The berries upon
being struck with these spokes are broken
and the seeds liberated. The whole mass
Is then spread on the drying bed as before
Coffee treated in this way is known as
washed" coffee. What is known as
''nnwashed" coffee is considered of in.
inferior quality in Brazil. but it is the only
kind marketable in the United States.
The last night at the Fazenda 800 of the
slaves We're drawn up in line at D. m .
and each given a full gill of rum for some
extra labor performed. When they had
all received the liquor, and at the com.
mand of the overseer, they shouted Goo
bless us" in Portuguese, and were dis
missed, the time until 1890 being theil
own. This interval they employed r
amusing us with songs and dances. The
words were mixture of Portuguese and
some African dialect; the music consisted
of their voices accompanied by drums ant
tin pans filled with beans, resembling 6
child's rattle. At 10: 80 the "slave bell
was rung, and thoy all retired to theil
sleeping quarters. A prayer was ther
offered, in which they participated They
were counted and locked up for the night
These 500 slaves and their 100 children art
under the most rigid surveillance, anc
their daily lifeis regulated like machinery
Among the older slaves several were
tattooed about tbe face and chest. These
negroes had been imported from Africs
in slave ships; the tatooing was their tribe
mark. One old negro was pointed ou
who in Africa, many years ago, had beer
king. He was captured in battle and sole
by his captors TO the slave dealers.
Relative value of various disinfec ant,
has been tested with great nicely by Prof
Beilstein,an eminent German chemist, and
the result published in the DeutSch
NerrcT. He arrives at the conclusion
that Aluminium sulphate is an effective
and, at the same time, the cheapest sub,