JaKUabi- I,' 1884,] 



THE TROPICAL AGllICULTURIST. 



493 



Contrary to the Chamber of Commerce at Batavia, 

 Brazil that occupies itself ivith contemplating the present 

 in connection with the past, Brazil, in endeavouring to 

 improve her piesent position, keeps her eye fixed on the 

 future. This is the radical difference of the two points 

 of view from which the same question is regarded. It 

 must not be disregarded, that in South America the ob- 

 ject is to produce cheaper and cheaper, in spit« of the 

 modification in laboui", or, perhaps, just on account of these 

 very modifications, while in general a visible progress in 

 all branches of human labour in those genial regions, but 

 especially of agriculture, is discernible. 



The editorsof the " Handelsbericht " offer very judicious 

 observations on the equilibrium between the laws of pro- 

 duction and consumption, on their mutual relations to the 

 prices, and finally on the prices themselves in proportion 

 to demand and supply on the markets. Over-produc- 

 tion cannot be better compared than to a vase, the contents 

 of which run over and are lost ; the forcing up of the 

 prices cannot be granted, but by thinking of the equi- 

 librium, caused by competition, which allows neither of 

 extravagant rising, nor continuous falling, and this point 

 has been merely glanced at by the Chamber of Commerce, 

 merely intent upon starting mitigating questions, such as 

 the extent of the cultivated area, the vitality and product, 

 ivity of the plant, involatarily reminds one of a man- 

 inquiring into the age of his uncle and the extent of his 

 esiJectations, 



This purely scientific inquisitiveness, based upon self in- 

 terest, reminds us also of the computation made every 

 year of the probable coffee crop in general. In Brazil, too, 

 people are tempted to tliis — possibly meritorious, but yet 

 inexact^attempt, and lately a very esteemed paper of 

 Eio de Janeiro estimated the Rio crop for ItSo at 3 millions 

 of bags, and the remainder of the preceding crop at 1,000,000 

 bags. Another jiaper agreed as to the last cypher, but 

 evaluated the 18S:i crop at only 2,400,000 bags. M'e make 

 bold to say that such a computation, though made in good 

 faith, must be entirely arbitrary; there is no means to 

 gather the required date in a practical, correct mauer, 

 so as to be reliable. Whoever is any way acquainted with 

 the real condition of the immensely extensive coft"ee-cult- 

 ure in Brazil, will not attach the least importance to such 

 calculations, which look something hke the famous milliard 

 of coffee trees, said to be standing in the four Brazilian 

 Coffee Provinces. Has any one ever been able to count 

 them ? 



As to the average cypherof production, about which there has 

 been so muchdispute,there is indeed not much use in attending 

 to it. It is almost acknowledged, and in a few years it will 

 be duly acknowledged, tliat the general coffee-production 

 in Brazil is balanced by nature. There exists no bad years ; 

 as there are no good years ; what can happen, is a general 

 progi-ess or retrogression of production, which is quite a 

 different thing. A culture extending over an area of more 

 than 1,500 kilometres from North to South, and of more 

 than GOO kilometres from East toWest, is a very favoured zone, 

 which is remarkably free from great meteorological changes, 

 such a culture keeps its own balance. The intertropical clim- 

 ate of Brazil does not suffer from atmospheric disturbances, 

 or only in a trifling degree, and then only for a part of the 

 vast cultivated grounds. 



Earthquakes, cyclones, severe frosts, and destructive 

 inimdations are almost unknown - in Central ErazU. Be- 

 sides this, another fact must be adduced to coroborate 

 our assertion. It is known that in general the coffee tree 

 only beais fruit regularly every two years. The new plant- 

 ations on reclaimed soil of the first quahty alone, can 

 yield fruit every year regularly dming the vigorous years 

 of the plant. Now the variations in the production of 

 adjacent plantations are often so great, that it is mostly 

 very difficult, taking the crops of one or more districts 

 as basis, to conclude to the goodness or badness of that 

 year's crop. One plantation will yield more than another, 

 while the latter j'ielde<l more the preceding year than 

 the former; and then again, there are frequent late crops, 

 that coincide with the new crops, and always considerable 

 reserves, which, in consequence of several causes, pass 

 from one season to the next. The crop season in the four 

 chief Pronnces of Brazil, and in higher or lower, or 

 more or less southerly situations, differs too, so that. 

 Strictly speaking, the gathering goes on almost thiough- 



out the year, though the real and greatest crop is gathered 

 from April to October. 



However strange these purely practical particulars may 

 sound, which are imparted without the least presumption 

 by a person, who, more as one interested in the matter 

 than as a tourist out of mere curiosity, has visited some 

 hundreds of the great plantations in the Provinces of Rio, 

 Minas-Geraes and S. Paulo, and therefore in a period 

 of 20 years has travelled over some thousands of kilo- 

 metres through those immense forests of coffee trees in 

 Brazil; yet we transcribe them here and offer them 

 to the reader, in order to co-operate in throwing more 

 lighten the question of the day. 



A special circumstance has prevented till, very lately, 

 the totals of the exports of Brazillian coffees being gener- 

 ally known; and this circmistance served casually the 

 very blameable system of concealing the truth; the bad 

 system we have already refered to. The statistics of this 

 article of Rio-coffee run from January to December, and 

 those of the Santos-coffee are reckoned after the financial 

 year, being from July to June. Hence follows an isolated 

 statement of the two most important cyphers of the 

 Brazilian production, and although it is seemingly easy 

 and a matter of course to have merely to add the two to- 

 gether to get the total, yet it is a fact that both in Netherland 

 and elsewhere, people seem to have come for the first time 

 this year to the cognizance that the exports of Brazilian 

 coffee have reached the astounding figure of about six 

 nulUons of bags. 



As regards now the last argument of the "Handels- 

 bericht van Rotterdam," we must observe, that the proh- 

 abihty, as well as the prevailing tendency in Brazil, leads 

 to an increase of production, a hj'pothesis which Brazil 

 deems applicable to all the other coffee producing count- 

 ries, and especially to those countries which are able, by 

 their cost prices and general expenses, to compete with 

 South America, where these expenses are diminished in 

 inverse ratio to the improvements effected on the article, 

 thanks to the new means of conveyance, the better system 

 of management and the numerous machines adopted. Java, 

 also, will and must obey the laws of progress, not 

 only with respect to the quantity but also the quality, 

 for arc there not also other Java coffees besides superior ? 



But perhaps after all Java is not the most powerful 

 rival of the Brazilian coffee of the future, but presumably 

 such^ a mighty rival may appear in another part of 

 America, and perhaps even within ten years or so. It is 

 unnecessary to mention the new region opening to the coffee 

 culture. A creditable writer, quite conversant with the 

 coffee question, affu-ms that the consumption of coffee 

 throughout the world might be tripled, compared with the 

 present consumption. 



The centro da Lavoura e Commcrcio at I!io de Janeiro, 

 foreseeing all this, has taken upon itself to make every 

 propagande for coffee, by more and more disseminating a 

 knowledge of the effects, qualities, virtues of this beverage, 

 by exjiosing the many adulterations to which it is sub- 

 jected, by discussing the several statistics, by co-operating 

 towards the adoption of the best system of culture, and 

 towards a better economical condition of the planter, by 

 measures of indirect protection, by contending for a di- 

 minution of duties, by organizing periodical or permanent, 

 Exhibitions and scientific and jiractical conferences or 

 meetings upon the question, and finally, by enlightening 

 consumers eveiy^vhere as to thi most practical, perfect and 

 the simjjlest way of prepanng the beverage, to which pre- 

 paration in general, in Europe as well in North America 

 much too little care is devoted. 



The opening of some estabhshmeuts for, drinking and 

 tasting coffee in the most populous centres of Europe and 

 America, will be the necessary and also logical complement 

 to the Exhibitions to be organized, and to the various 

 measures for extending its use, of which we have already 

 spoken. 



Be it repeated here, that the " Centro " acts only from 

 a sentiment of the gentral good, "With a breadth of 

 conception, inspired by the grandeur of the natural scenery 

 of Bnizil, this union labom-s for the improvement of the 

 future prospects of Coffee in general, with the iiersevcrance 

 and courage necessary for the attainment of grand res"ults, 

 supported by the conWction of the real utility of their 

 mission from an economical and humanizing point of view; 



