FAZENDA LIFE. 113 
selecta," as it is called, often ten or twelve together in a 
single bunch, and bearing the branches to the ground 
with their weight ; the paler " Limao dSce," or sweet 
lemon, rather insipid, but greatly esteemed here for its 
cool, refreshing properties, all these, with many others, 
for the variety of oranges is far greater than we of the 
temperate zone conceive it to be, make a mass of color 
in which gold, deep orange, and pale yellow are blended 
wonderfully with the background of green. Beyond the 
house enclosure, on the opposite side of the road, are 
the gardens, with aviary, and fish-ponds in the centre. 
With these exceptions, all of the property which is not 
forest is devoted to coffee, covering all the hillsides for 
miles around. The seed is planted in nurseries especially 
prepared, where it undergoes its first year's growth. It 
is then transplanted to its permanent home, and begins 
to bear in about three years, the first crop being of course 
a very light one. From that time forward, under good 
care and with favorable soil, it will continue to bear and 
even to yield two crops or more annually, for thirty 
years in succession. At that time the shrubs and the soil 
are alike exhausted, and, according to the custom of the 
country, the fazendeiro cuts down a new forest and be- 
gins a new plantation, completely abandoning his old 
one, without a thought of redeeming or fertilizing the 
exhausted land. One of the long-sighted reforms under- 
taken by our host is the manuring of all the old, deserted 
plantations on his estate ; he has already a number of 
vigorous young plantations, which promise to be as good 
as if a virgin forest had been sacrificed to produce them. 
He wishes not only to preserve the wood on his own 
estate, and to show that agriculture need not be culti- 
