CRUZ DAS almas: a BRAZILIAN VILLAGE — PIERSON 



63 



A few farms are still almost entirely self-suffi- 

 cient. On one farm of about 115 acres, for 

 example, live a 61-year-okl man, his w\ie. and 10 

 children, 2 of whom are married and have fam- 

 ilies of their own living in separate houses on the 

 same farm : a total of 21 persons. All food con- 

 sumed, including sugar (in the form of rapadura) , 

 is produced on the farm. '"The only things we 

 have to buy," says the grandfather and head of 

 the family, "are salt and kerosene, a tool now and 

 then and cloth to make our clothing." Oil for the 

 cane press and other simple machinery is obtained 

 from castor beans which also are grown and proc- 

 essed by the family. The beans were not planted, 

 but grew naturally. The stalks, which are light 

 gi'ay at the base, dark brown midway up and light 

 red and green still higher, are over 5 inches in 

 diameter at the base and reach from 9 to 12 feet 

 in height. The dark-green leaves are large, 

 spreading out from 6 to 17 inches. The fruit 

 grows on stems at right angles to the stalk, in clus- 

 ters 12 to 1.5 inches high, containing around 40 

 berries each. 



Although no surplus is produced for sale, all the 

 coffee consumed by this family also is grown and 

 prepared on the farm. A few berries ripen in 

 March but most in April. To harvest them, an 

 area immediately below the tree is cleared, after 

 which the picker grasps a branch with one hand 

 and, with the other, strips off the berries and lets 

 them fall on this cleared space. They are then 

 carried in baskets to a convenient spot where 

 leaves, twigs, dirt, and other extraneous material 

 are winnowed out by means of a large winnowing 

 tray, made of taquara, after which they are taken 

 and spread out on the terreiro ^'^ to dry thoroughly. 

 The duration of this process varies with the 

 weather but ordinarily takes about a month, the 

 beri'ies being stirred occasionally so as to dry 

 evenly on all sides. If rain threatens, they must 

 be taken up and spread again after the sun comes 

 out. When dry, the berries are carried and placed 

 in a tulha, or depository, for keeping in a dry state 

 until needed, when they are carried to the Tnon- 

 jolo ^^ and the hulls cracked and broken off. The 

 beans are winnowed and then put into a large 

 copper basin, about 2 feet in diameter, and roasted 

 for 15 to 20 minutes with a little sugar ; meanwhile 



they are stirred briskly to prevent burning. Tlie 

 roasted beans, which are now almost completely 

 black, are then carried to the pildo "^ and pounded 

 into a powder, subsequent to which they are ready 

 for use. 



The coffee trees had been planted in late 

 "spring," around November. They had been set 

 out on "new" land, which had just been cleared of 

 second-growth timber. The area where the trees 

 and bushes had been heaviest was used for this 

 purpose. Holes 1% spans wide and an equal dis- 

 tance long and deep were dug with the enxaddo, 

 15 to 16 spans apart. Three coffee beans were 

 then dropped in, a short distance from each other, 

 and covered with dry leaves. Stakes about 2 spans 

 long were cut and laid to cover partially each hole, 

 so as to shade the new plants. Wlien the beans 

 had sprouted, or some 3 months later, the amount 

 of sunlight to reach the young plants was in- 

 creased by removing the stakes. They were then 

 stuck in at the side of the plants to help support 

 them during the first months of life. From time 

 to time, the plants were weeded. The first crop 

 was produced 3 yeai-s later. 



Although the land surface in the region, as has 

 been indicated, is quite irregular and soil easily 

 washes away during a heavy rain, no attempt has 

 been made to control erosion. Terracing and con- 

 tour plowing are unknown. Although one crop 

 occasionally is followed by a different one in the 

 same field, there are few systematic attempts at 

 crop rotation. Xor is any effort made to restore 

 fertility to the soil by planting legumes or other 

 soil-building crops, or by scattering barnyard ma- 

 nure upon it. x\s has been indicated, there are no 

 barns. In a country where "winters" are ordina- 

 rily mild and even warm, livestock usually run in 

 pastures during the entire year and consequently 

 manure does not accumulate. Commercial fer- 

 tilizer occasionally is used, but the cost is prohibi- 

 tive for most farmers in the community. Of the 

 17 farms visited, on only 2 were commercial fer- 

 tilizers being used, in quite limited quantities. If 

 the farmer has sufficient land, he may let a field 

 descangar (rest) 3 or 4 yearri.>-»= 



'^ See Hygiene and Body Habits, p. 30. 

 "° See Tools and Other Equipment, p. 51. 



S43S05 — 51 6 



"' See Dwellings and Furnishings, p. 45. 



"' All the fields on one farm observed had been In continaal 

 production (or over 60 years. Crops to some extent had been 

 rotated. 



