April r, 1882.] THE TRO PICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
THE COFFEE TRADE OF BRAZIL. 
We have now received Messrs. Kern, Hayn & Co.'s 
annual review, and from this interesting and important 
document we hope to quote largely tomon-ow. Mean- 
time,- we may say that the tendency of the report is 
to shew that over-production and lowered prices (the 
latter falling from 16 to 25 per cent during the year) 
had told so hardly on the planters that they are now 
demanding Government aid, not only in such legitimate 
directions as reduction or aholition of export duties and 
reduction of railway freights, but by the establishment 
of a Rural Mortgage Bank which should advance money 
against security at low interest to the planters. The 
latter proposal is truly characteristic. It means that 
on "block" security, which may not only be reduced 
greatly in value, but become absolutely a burden on 
those holding it, the Bank should be compelled to lend 
its funds and at a low rate of usance: that, in fact, 
money should be lent on the principles of high risk 
and low interest. That is not sound finance : — not fair 
to the owners of the money ; but Messrs. Kern, Hayn 
& Co. express the hope that this concession as well 
as the others will be granted! They do not seem to 
see the force of their own statement, that in the case 
of estates far inland present prices of coffee will not 
pay cost of carriage to the sea-borde. Persons dealing 
with their own money would certainly hesitate to lend 
on such properties, and most decidedly would never lend 
on them at low interest. But, as the great landholders 
can influence tho Government in Brazil, we should not 
be in the least surprized to see Government money (if 
European capitalists would lend it to tho Government) 
used for the purpose indicated. Committed as the Im- 
perial and Provincial Governments are to an immense 
number of railway schemes, for the construction or 
guaranteeing of which they calculate on tho heavy ex- 
port duties, it is impossible to see how these can be 
remitted or even reduced. 
As regards railway fares, their reduction by private 
companies which have been guaranteed would, in many 
eases, simply mean that tho Government, that is the 
general community, would have to make up what was 
reduced in favour of a particular interest. It is clear 
that, by the wild rush into coffee in tho past four years, 
the planters of Brazil havo brought a great crisis on 
themselves as well as on their competitors who did not 
work with slave labour. It is an obvious case of direct 
retribution on the greedy wrong-doers, but involving, 
alas ! tho suffering of tho innocent as well as tho guilty. 
Messrs. Kern, Hayn & Co. take, of course, the sensible 
view, that big crops will now bo the nolo for some 
years to come. Exports, however, will depend on im- 
proved prices, and for these the brokers look to the 
Hint of present low prices in increasing consumption. 
Hut uuoh iucroaso cannot come all at once, or in pro- 
portion to the enormously increased production result- 
ing from the practical concentration of tho whole slave 
labour of Brazil on coflee-growing. To add to the troubles 
of the Brazil planters, Messrs. Kern, Hayn & Co. anti- 
cipate pressure from the abolitionists, while no satis- 
factory progress in the direction of immigration has boon 
made. Messrs, Kern, Hayn <& Co. adhoro to their figures 
for exports from Rio, and they now give those of Santos 
191 
for tho past three years. We find our estimate of an 
export of 7 millions of cwt. of coffee from Brazil, and 
our belief in a specially large increase in the case of 
Santos, fully justified, thus: — 
1879. 1880. 1881. 
Rio ... 206,327 tons 202,124 tons 258,313 tons 
Santos ... 67,972 „ G2.C15 ,, 80,146 ,, 
Total ... 274,299 „ 264,739 „ 338,459 „ 
The equivalents in cwt. of the enormous export of last 
year are : — 
E10 5,166,260 cwt. 
Santos 1,602,920 „ 
Total G,769,180 „ 
minor ports making up the round 7 millions. As Santos 
coftee is that which mainly competes with Ceylon plant- 
ation kinds, it is of interest to our planters to learn 
that all the increase in this kind went to Europe, tho 
exports from Santos to the United States, indeed, hav- 
ing fallen from 12,113 tons in 1879 to 11,123 in 1881. 
But even Rio has far more affected the markets of 
Em-ope than it has those of the United States, for, 
while only 65,622 tons went from Rio to Europe in 
1879, and 83,065 in 1880, no less than 109,268 went 
to lower prices in the markets of Em-ope in 1881. To 
the United States the shipments from Rio were actually 
less than in 1879, the figures being 
1879 131,900 tons. 
1880 105,993 „ 
1881 130,682 „ 
Let us, however, be thankful that tho United States 
are able to take half the great crop of Brazil, now, 
and that the certainty is that, amongst their people, 
consumption will rapidly increase. Increased consump- 
tion in Europe will depend on war being averted, and 
also on stringent action being taken to put a stop to 
tho nefarious practice of mixing chicory and worse with 
coffee and selling ground dates and other rubbish as 
substitutes. Why the adulterators of tea should be pun- 
ished, and those who not merely mix coffee but super- 
sede it should bo encouraged, is a great mystery. 
Our readers may bo interested in seeing the names of 
the Rio firms which shipped over 80,000 bags in 1881. 
They are thus given : — 
Ed. Johnston & 0 333,362 Bags 
Phipps Brothers &0 306,301 „ 
J. Bradshaw & O. ... ... 299,717 „ 
Hard, Rand &0. 252,948 „ 
Wright &0. ... ... 230,344 „ 
Norton, Megaw&O 224,552 „ 
F. Sau wen k O. 219,448 „ 
Mc. Kinnell k C. 212.931 „ 
Ed.Pecher&O. ... ... 193,395 „ 
Berla, Ootrim &C 183,03!) „ 
Trinks, Munch k 0 171.026 „ 
Kern, Hayn & O. 160.827 „ 
Arbucklo Brothers ... ... 136,261 ,. 
Wm.Ford&C. 101,361 „ 
Wille, Schmilinsky & C. ... .. 92,345 „ 
O. Mc. Culloch, Beecher k C. ... 84,833 ,. 
As 17 bags make up a ton, Messrs. Ed. Johnston A Co., 
it will bo seen, shipped more than 22,500 tons, or 
450,000 cwt., not far short of a Ceylon crop. But men 
bigness is not in itself an admirable quality. Brazil has 
tho advantage of vast areas of fertile soil. To tako 
advautago of that cironmstnnce was perfectly legitimate. 
Bnt tho soil has boon tilled mainly by bondsmen, whoso 
cry at being robbed of their freedom and of the just 
