OjfJSSR I, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



297 



COFFEE CULTURE IN BRAZIL : 



FINANCIAL COST AND RESULTS OF 



TYPICAL PLANTATIONS. 



The Anfjlo-Bra-jlkm Timcn has pul)Ushed details 

 regarduig coflfee cultivatiou in Brazil, which wiU be 

 of special interest to our planting readers. From the 

 figures given in the extract, it will at once be seen 

 tliat money in Brazil, for estate purposes, is rated 

 •2 per cent dearer than in Ceylon. The usual rate 

 of interest tor loans on coffee property in Ceylon 

 has been 8 per cent, and as a very large proportion 

 of our land has been opened with borrowed money 

 the rate has seldom been calculated lower in estim- 

 ating the cost of estates. In Brazil, it will be ob- 

 served, the "interest on capital" {for no actual 

 borrowing of money on mortgage is recognized in any 

 of the cases furnished) is taken at 10 per cent, and 

 the balance which remains from proceeds of coffee 

 and "other produce," after the payment of all ex- 

 penditure, including the " expen.ses of owner's family," 

 is said to reduce the nomial rate of interest { 10 per 

 cent) or to raise it. The latter process is shewn in 

 only one of the cases given. In another case the 

 balance left for interest on capital was below 2 per 

 cent. The sums allotted for expenses of owner's 

 family are so modest that we cannot help thinking 

 they must be supplemented by plantation-grown meat 

 and what in the West Indies are called " ground 

 provisions." And this raises another question : al- 

 tliough the sales of produce other than coffee are shewn 

 ill some cases, we do not find any reference to either 

 tiirft or value of cassava, maize, rice, yams, or other 

 food for the slaves grown on the plantations. Ac- 

 count is only taken of what is purchased : "jerked 

 huei, clothing, &c." No doubt a certaLu amoimt of 

 allowance ought to be made in the direction we have 

 indicated. The vastly different conditions under which 

 cofl'ee culture is carried on in Brazil, however, -when 

 compared with Ceylon are shewn by the two facts 

 that, while the word "salary" appears in these ac- 

 counts, the allied term " wages " is nowhere inserted, 

 and that the slaves who work the plantations are 

 estimated at a value considerably beyond the aggregate 

 of land, coffee bushes, buildings, machinery and ter- 

 races ; the latter, no doubt, what we call " barbecues " 

 in Ceylon, only that tliey are much more extensive 

 on plantations in Brazil, where, so far as we know, 

 there are no "curing establishments," such as we have 

 at our port of shipment. All is done on the estates, 

 unless there should be some exceptions of recent date 

 at Santos. In view of the average rate of exchange, 

 we may, for all practical purposes, take the Brazilian 

 mil at 23. Tliis premised, our readers will obser\-e 

 that, while, in tlie case of the first estate, the value, 

 with slaves, &c., is put down at £63,400, the land, 

 equal to 4,700 acres, is rated at considerably less 

 than one-third of this sum, viz., £19,400. The coftee 

 bushes, estunated at 300,000, are valued at £6 000. 

 The rate per tree is 200 reis = one-fifth of a mil, or 

 somewhat uuder 5d. As in Brazil as well as Java, 

 the coffee Vjushes are not pruned, but allowed to 

 grow their full size, our usual calculation for botl> 

 countries has been .300 trees per acre. Of the 4,700 

 acres of laud in the first case less than one-thud 

 (200 times 6'7 acres), or say 1,340 acres, are planted 

 with coffee, which gives less than 240 trees per acre. 

 An extent of 134 acres is described as " virgin forest' 

 38 



Field hands at 

 Artizans , , 



for coffee," what we in Ceylon would call reserve 

 jungle ; four tunes that extcut is in pasture, while two 

 tracts, each equal to that in coffee, are described as 

 "tired" (worn out?) laud, and what we do not pre- 

 tend to understand (can any person with local know- 

 ledge help us ?) ' ' cold " land. Is swampy land or 

 land otherwise unsuitable for coffee culture indicated ? 

 We should also be glad to know why the "alquieres" 

 differ so much in size — 0'7 acres, ll'oti, and so forth ? 

 It will be observed that the slaves are valued 



... £120 each, 

 ... £200 ,, 



while .30 "servants" and 25 sick are lumped up at 

 £5,000 for the whole, about £166 each. No doubt 

 some of the so-called "servants" attend to cattle, 

 pigs, &c. ; but the unpaid-for service of a propor- 

 tion ought surely to be charged against " expenses 

 of o\vner's family " ? It will be observed tliat for 

 an estate of 4,700 acres gross, of which 1,340 are in 

 coffee, the labour force is stated at 230. These are 

 all valued as adults, but, of course, there must be 

 children in addition, most of them born " free." — 

 after a fashion. Taking the field hands, 150, we get 

 only 1 labourer for over 31 acres of the gross extent, 

 or, for the 1,340 acres in coffee, a little under 9 

 acres for each. In our best times we used to have 

 2 coolies for 3 acres in Ceylon. Of course the slaves 

 in Brazil are permanently employed, and neither are 

 the trees pruned nor is the land weeded as with 

 us. On the other hand the coffee in Brazil is pre- 

 pared on the estate. Amongst the items of expend- 

 iture, by the way, is the curious entry " hu-e of sacks," 

 so that the estates do not seem to liave their own 

 bags. Perhaps the muleteers or contractors provide 

 them and charge for the liire ? The items of trans- 

 port to railway and its freight charge, with transport 

 in Rio, we can understand, but will some expert help 

 us to the meaning of "3 per cent commission on 4 

 mils " ? — Oh, we see, — it is the broker's conuuissiou 

 on coft'ee sold ,at 4 mils (eight shillings) per 10 

 kilograms (=22 English pounds). Besides the 10 per 

 cent interest on capital, our readers will obser\-e that 

 the " amortization " of land (why Is 3d in 36 years 

 — is it a misprint ?), coft'ee, buildings, terraces, machines 

 and slaves is provided for under the head of " ex- 

 pense." as well as " 10 per cent on 91,000 mils" (?) 

 in addition to 10 per cent interest on capital. Tlie 

 item for amortization of 230 slaves, the period fixed 

 being 10 years, is £1,597. Nothing is down for wear- 

 ing out of implements, deaths of cattle, &c. But 

 these are minor matters. Salaries of administi'ator 

 &c. Jtre shew^l as aggiegating £1,300, but probably 

 the administrator and his subordinates, like the 

 owner's family, get more or less estate produce. 

 The valuation of this estate of 4,700 acres, it will 

 be seen, is thus made up : — 



Land £19,400 



Coffee trees 6,000 



Slaves 28,000 



Buildings and terraces 7.000 



Macliinei-y, implements, cattle, &c. 3,000 



Total... £63,000 

 From that portion of the estate, 1,340 acres, covered 

 with 300,000 bushes, the coffee gathered was 360.000 

 kilogi'ams. or taking the kilogram at 2! lb., a bear- 

 ing rate of 583J lb. per acre and 2| lb. per tree. The 

 proceeds of crop, all sold in Rio, were, at 4 mils 

 per 10 kilos (8s for 22 lb.) 144,000 mils, or say 

 £14.nu0. But as 849 reis, or not far from 1 mil, 

 per 10 kilos were paid for transport, commission, 

 &c. , on each 10 kilos sold, the net proceeds were 

 only £11,343-12, or £542-2 less than the "expense' 

 taken at £11,885 10; "thereby" it is finally said, 

 " reducing the interest on capital to 914 per cent." 



