536 
tHP TROPICAL AGRJCULTURI8T. [February i, 1892. 
The extensions went from Mogymirim to Casa 
Branca, from Casa Branca to St. Simon, and 
lastly to Eibeirao Preto. The very idea that these 
extensions might be carried out sent people from 
the districts of Eio de Janeiro and S&o Paulo, 
where coffee was beginning to grow seedy, in search 
of new fields and these paid what the old land 
owners thought a good price, and very soon large 
tracts of forestland were levelled by the axes of 
the free natives of these parts. The apprehended 
scarcity of labour was tuet by the introduotion of 
European colonists, on a system which I have 
formerly described in these notes. Colonists make 
money on young coffte plantations, for the reason 
that in addition to so much paid for each thousand 
•trees (about 3 acres) for weeding, they were allowed 
to plant corn and beans between the rows of 
coffee until the latter covered the ground acd 
these cereals after leaving abundance to supply 
the house and the piggery, they generally sell to 
good advantage. 
The pioneers in the settling of European colonists 
on coffee lands (among whom the writer was 
amongst the first), h&A a great deal to suffer, 
in loss of patience and proprietors lost heavily 
by their running up large debit accounts and then 
leaving without paying advances, but now after 
an absence of some years from the Province of 
S. Paulo, and witnessing the system, now much 
improved by the Government paying the passage 
money, it must be pronounced a success, as regards 
the cultivation of coffee. But with the large 
number of European families, who have arrived 
here daring the last eight years, there is still a 
scarcity of labourers, owing to the rapid extension 
of coffee planting. 
The districts traversed by the Mogyana rail- 
way supply nearly three-fourths of the exports to 
foreign ports from Santos. The total crop shipped 
from that port may be put down at 2,000,000 bags, 
of 60 kilos each for 1889-90. Of this quantity the 
district of RibeirSio Preto alone supplies about 
250,000 bags. We see then that the reason of in. 
crease of production is entirely due to ilie extension 
of the railway system. 
These districts ever since they were opened to 
ooflee cultivation were entirely independent of 
slave labour, they depended in their supply to 
the free labourers,— fairly abundant, but very un- 
managable — and to European oolonists, if not 
imported direct, taken from other estates — not 
altogether " crimped " as the debt on the estate 
they left was always paid. 
Let U3 see what the official report gives of the 
current of European immigration for the last 
eight years applied to S&o Paulo alone ; — 
1882 ... 2,743 or a total of 176,442 
1883 ... 4,912 immigrjintn. 
1884 4,879 
1885 ... 6,500 
1886 ... 9,536 
1887 ... 27,089 
1888 ... 74,497 
1889 ... 17,283 
1890 ... 27,883 
I need not go over the figures of the produotion 
of coffee, which has uradually risen from 500,000 
bags in 1874 to 2,000,000 bags, of 60 kilos in 
1890; this is in round numbers and as the prcduction 
will 'increase according to the quantity of labour 
available, the ruling powers are aiding the far- 
mers liberally in their efforts to introduce Europnnn 
labours, wo may conclude that the exports of cuff je 
from Santos will continue to increase as long 
as these efforts continue. 
The present digression is perhaps instructive, 
as showing ho* rapidly the state of agriouiture 
Rdvanoea ia new oountriea aa soon as means o 
communication are secured. We are now re-visiting 
the country after a few years absence: its state 
formerly is described above, and let us see it now. 
I was 8S you may expect all anxiety to be on 
horseback, and after resting for a day in town 
and making a programme of how a run through 
these coffee covered bills could be effected, in the 
few days at my disposal, the equipment for the 
trip was arrangf d. Fortunately my friend although 
he lived at the hotel had a house for supplying 
machinery and iron-work of all kinds and knew the 
most of the fazendieros in the district, had little 
hestitation in combining business with pleasure, 
and was willing to accompany me for a few days. 
Close to the town of Eibeirao Preto there are not 
many coffee fazendas, for the reason that it is 
situited in the val'ey formed by the liibeirao (small 
river) and the neuiest highlands on which coffee 
can be planted, so as to bs free from the visitation of 
frost are distant from six to eight miles. The 
horse hirer who was more punctual than we 
generally find such individuals in the towns in the 
interior, had animals waiting for us at day-light 
which at the season of the year, end of March 
was about 5-30 a.m. 
The road on leaving the town goes south-west 
for three miles and then west. The valley re- 
minds one a good deal of the pasture lands in Europr . 
It is laid out in beautiful fields planted with the 
grazing grass of the country, of which there are 
several kinds, and surroundbd by fences, some made 
of thorns (of a loguminaoeous species, which throws 
out long shoots, these shoots are cut half through 
once a year and folded down, and as they continue 
to grow and ."jenJ out secondaries form a formidable 
obstacle which domestic animals of a wild nature 
cannot break through) others of wirefencing (now 
greatly used here) while on farms belonging to 
those of little capital are found a five bar fence 
of bamboos. Little attention is paid to shade-trees 
and still less to shrubbery of an ornamental kind, 
although many beautiful flowering plants showing 
varied colours and delicious scents of all siaos up 
to the largest tree are to be found in the neighbour- 
ing woods. 
A great many vendas are passed where the 
principal article sold is rum, and about five miles 
from town we came to a large store, where every 
thing that there is a demand for in the country 
is sold, and where they buy everything that the 
labourers of the country may grow for sale, and 
also what the latter may possess themselves of by 
doubtfully honest means. The place had all its 
Btanding space in every part occupied by Italians, 
men and women, and owing to so many speaking, 
shouting, and drinking healths in Italian wine Ceaid 
to be manufactured at a large hquor factory in 
fS,o Paulo) the beautiful musical language of South- 
ern Europe was mixed with the jargon of the ''Cabo- 
colo." This is the name given to the mixture between 
the Brazilian Indian and the white; they are copper- 
coloured, but have siraight black hair with a Mon- 
golian looking face. Free day labourers here, in the 
west are mostly of these Cabocolo and Ihe 
boisterous laugher of the African resembled the 
confusedly babbling noise which we read of as having 
been heard long years ago in the plain of Shinar. 
My companion who had passed this way often 
wa^ soon recognized by the owner. We were shown 
real English-beer, Guinness's stout, and other gcnnine 
liquids of this class, but teeing it was not yet the 
sixth hour of the day nor even the third, we could 
not be tempted, but we were greatly lefreshed by 
the usual cu|) of black coffee, which kept off the 
craving for breakfast which we were -now begin- 
ning to feel. 
^ome miles {aitber on, wecame to the fazenda of 
