COFFEE. 



71 



pound. In a medium hazienda, or plantation, the average return of 

 coffee is about 1074f. per labourer, women, children, and old men 

 included." 



The quality has been so much improved in the last ten years that 

 much of the coffee is sent to Europe and sold under the names of Java, 

 Ceylon, Martinique, San Domingo, and even Mocha. At the Paris 

 Intercolonial Exhibition of 1867, Brazilian coffee received from the 

 jurors a gold medal over all other coffees. 



Between 1816 and 1820 the planters of Eio abandoned the culture 

 of the sugar-cane, and turned their attention to coffee, the cultivation 

 of which thereafter became the basis of such immense progress, and 

 the accumulation of wealth in the capital of the empire. Although 

 the province of Eio is still the chief producing district, it may be 

 interesting to mark the progress of production in the other provinces, 

 which is fairly indicated by the shipments from the several ports ; 

 thus, from Bahia, the exports to foreign markets have increased as 

 follows : 



Arrobas of 

 32 lbs. 



1810 3,893 



1830 45,882 



1840 52,365 



1860 198,604 



Arrobas of 

 32 lbs, 



1865 330,063 



1870 12,853,117 



1874 8,483,124 



. The greater part of the Caravillas coffee from this province is sent 

 to Eio Janeiro in consequence of the easy transit during the summer 

 months, when the prevailing winds from the north-east enable the 

 planters to get quick returns for their produce from that important 

 coffee mart. 



Passing now to Santos I may state that the exports were in the 

 years — 



Cwts. 



1869 487,893 



1870 400,464 



1871 460,695 



Campinas is the coffee capital of this province, and the quantity 

 carried over the San Paulo line was in 1870, 29,720 tons, and in 

 1871, 41,107 tons. 



The culture of coffee is comparatively recent in the province of 

 Ceara, but it is being carried out on a large scale in the mountains of 

 Maranguape, Aratana, Baturite, Araripe, Machado, and Uraburotama. 

 Although the plantations were attacked by the insect, and the produc- 

 tion diminished after 1863, it still forms the second article of export 

 of the province. In 1866, 103,330 arrobas were shipped from there, 

 and in 1874, 94,800 arrobas. Agricultural production is, however, 

 just now stationary in Brazil, and likely to recede, owing to the want 

 of labour. Coffee and the cane represent 1 0,000, 000?. sterling, out 

 of a total of 17,000,000?. The abolition of duty on coffee in the 

 United States, and its reduction from dd. to l^d. a pound in England, 

 came as a timely relief to the Brazilian planter, and with the in- 

 creased prices for it will enable him for some time longer not abso- 

 lutely to break down. 



