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 ihe 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- 



