The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-24
HOME or THE COFFEE MING
Once Hoed In the Fields where Now lie
Grows 5000, 900 Trees.

| The home 81 the coffee king il hack among
tho rich coffee lands 81 Brazil. where
according 20 "a writar In the bookl 90 per,
the blood rsd earth colors svsrythInk
| IL touches with a reddish hue.
His plantation. the Monte Allegro. 10
30 niles dra west of Rio Janeiro. but one
must travel twice that distances on .
roundabout journey "a reach IL. ruda
with tn. coff"e king for hours and
hours through a continuous succession
Of coffee trees. with no end in sight
when one considers that there arr
from two hundred and fifty 20 thr--
hundred trces 10 each acre he will readily
heli"ve that on the thirty-two plantations
owned hy this one man there are mnrs
than : .ODO On trees.
His name. Francisco Schmidt. indi.
Gates his German origin. A half century
ago his parents came tn Brazil a. pnor
"miRrants and settled in the coffee regions
Of the State 81 sac Paulo. Brazil Ire
youthful Francisco. who vas then only
Ia years of age. began work by hoeing
the coffee trees. which was about the
only work he could do. He is now tha
owner Of lands upon which he hoed coffee
wfl.In "A boy.
a coffee field is a beautiful sight when +,
tho trees ar" in bloom in October but
this beauty Is evanescent. The petals
soon drop on. and then the green berries
h"gin To appear in thick clusters winch
require months To mature
At last their color changes TO a cherry
rcd. and They are ready for the picker-.
TINS - the busy season and the coffee
plantations ara scenes Of great activity,
Thousands Of pick.rs flock to the cohs-
fields The cherries when picked are.
sacked and run through pulplng ma
chimes. after which they are spread upOu
great paved yards for drying
Here they are turned and turned for
days and weeks: no artificial system II
drying equals that Of the sun. which seems
10 give the beans the desired flavor. They
are now run through cleaning machines.
sorted and sacked and are sent 10y tram
to the shipping ports.
The production 81 the Schmidt faZen-
das for last year amounted 10 2So.@
sacks OF 1873 pounds each. a total Of NOR
than 3S.Ooo.OoO pounds Of green coffee
This would furnish a cup Of coffee 20 every
man. woman and child in the United
States and Canada for one week
1t requires more than i3O acres OF
drying YARDS, eith~r Hade OF DITCH Ia''Se
or of beaten earth. to- dry this great pro
duction OF coffee and fourteen mills run
10y steam OF water power to do the Wor"
Of the other Processes. There arr @.S''
acres IN the entire estate. although all ''
II ~ not under coffee cultivation
There are twenty-five railroad sta
tiuns on the lands 81 these various planm
lions besides "A number ~ other sid'hr
Twelve hundred families. numbering
over 5000 people. live on the plantailoh'
and make their living 10y cultiVatlnS ""
coffee trees. One family will care Tor
: 600 trees. but each member Of he IAN !
lly as=ists ia tho work sOOu az 5si'-''
physically.
Then there are blackEmiths "aE"
makers. harness makers ana men y mAh'
other trades who spend all Of their ''f''
IN the plantation. Each one has h's ~
her work to do and IL " all sy~teml''
Just ~ in our own great industrial '-'"'
lIshmcnts All the oxcarts. ~ag no At"
harness needed are made ON N" p.'n.1
non and even a private tailor ~ eniSOJSi
TO- make the clothes of the propri"t'r '''
hi- sons.
More than eighty miles of t"."i....l ~
wires have h.~-n strung to give '...'
Itsy. Zen stores brlonKiug t. To- o.
supply the tenants with ueC,a~. '.'.-
eating. drinking or wear. IT, f1d'' 49,
this vast establishment reminds nc
the feudal estates VI Old