5^8 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[February i, 1892. 
which remain. There is little wind, so no staking 
is required. Indian corn is grown between the rows 
of coffee until the latter nearly covers the grounH, 
one crop of black beans a year is also 'aken off. 
This latter forms the principal ingredient, indeed the 
base of the food and is as neosssary in Brazil as 
oatmeal is in Scotland. 
The price hero paid to colonist families for 
treating i. e., cultivating coffee, each family re- 
ceiving from 1,000 to 5,000 or more trfies divided 
off for the year, or succpssion of years is, for — 
Five weedings a year 50|000 (£5) per 1,000 trees 
(3 acres) per annum. 
Por picking the cherry and 
carrying it to the road 300 reis (7^d) per box 
of 50 litres (say 1§ bushel). 
The planter prepares it for, and sends it to the 
market. At this rate, although I have not time to 
go into the figures coffee pays well. But all depends 
on the supply of colonist labour. In Brazil as in 
every other place if oulirlvation or treatment (here 
reduced to only keeping it clean) bo neglected coffee 
will not payi 
Frrm this estate we passed on to another in 
charge of a brother in-law, then to those of other two 
brothers, all these occupying the block of 5,000 
acres amongst them. Coffee was seen at all sges 
from 8 years downward?, Ou each division was a 
curing establishment, and a saw mill, a corn 
grinding mill, for colonists make bread of corn 
meal — mandiooa prrparing machinoB, chaff-cutters, 
(fee. On each is also a store for supplying al! the 
necessities of the colonists in the wsy of food, 
clothing, tools, luxuries &e. so that they have not 
to go to the town for anything but for amusement, 
or services of the church. 
The price paid for opening new clearings and 
bringing coffee into bearing, that is for four years, 
is 400 reis (lOd) per tree for the four years 
{1,000 trees to 3 acres). Tho farmer engages nativFS 
of the country to fell the forest ; but charges this 
to the colonist. The farmer also gives a skilled 
man for lining free of cost. In addition to the 
400 reis a tree for four years, the colonist has all 
the Indian corn, and beans he may plant between 
the rows of coffee and gather during that time, 
which is of considerable value. So much is the 
income to the colonist in the bringing of young 
coffee into its bearing state, prized by them, that they 
flock from long distances as soon as they hear of 
new clearings being opened in particular parts, 
and leave the older coffee where their income is 
for the price for weeding and picking only. We 
must recollect the colonist in any case hss a 
piece of land in the valley for growing food supplies, 
and is allowed the use of tha general pasture for 
cows or mules. 
During my stay here I visited many coffee estates 
all more or less in condition simihir to the above. 
This visit impressed rae very favourably, as to the 
future of coffee planting in the Sao Paulo. It 
remains to be seen if the labour supply will be 
rqual to the eager desire to extend the cultivation 
by men of capital. 
A. SCOTT BLACKLAW. 
REGULATION OF SUPPLIES. 
To the Editor of the Home and Colonial Mail. 
SiH,— When illuatrRting the difhcully of eecuring a 
conobiuati Jii to regulate salerf, I said that tboie who 
imported tea brought in O/iluutta (approximately one- 
third of the whole) could not bo iadiidtd. 
Ah thiB is not a .sf-lt-evideot proposition, I will try 
to Hhow that it is a trae one, iind to eicplaiu its beariug 
upon tho quoHtioM under diacunsion. 
1. The objects, und intereste of Calcutta buyers 
are not identical with those of the prcducer. It is 
of primsry importance tn thera that prices in 
London should quickly tfke a rat)ge based upon 
the rplatinn of supply to demand ; consequently, if 
prospfcts are not distinctly favourable to a perma- 
nent upward movement, they regard a temporary 
inflation of price as aa element of danger, to be 
iivoided, not to be encouraged. 
2. Freedom to press galps in case of need is essen- 
tial to them, if their operations are systematio, and 
contiouou.sly csrried on. 
3. Most of their trarsaotions are financed on terms 
which limit their power to hold. 
We are, therefore, in preFercT of a large BPction, 
compelled, by tho nature of the case, to hold nioof 
from concerted action. To those must be added those 
actnal producers who^e financial arrangements make 
it inconvenient to them to hold, and it is found that 
fuUv one-half of the imoorling community cannot 
be broueht into combination for this particular pur- 
poso. Now let us essnme that the other 
half organise and agree in a policy of 
keeping back supplies ; what happens ? They 
simply make the market for the others, who get the 
full benefit of demand, and supply the buyers with 
what they want, leaving the holders over-stf^cked, run- 
ning theiisk of the unknown future, with the added 
dififidvantag^i of extra charge?, Iiks of frpshn.'>ss, &c. 
This, sir, is no fancy sketch ; T speak of what I know. 
It has happened befo-e and will hippen again when the 
conditions are not tavourablo to prices hollaing up on 
their merits. Mark the qualification, for I refer to 
past action, and am lustifying the course which the 
creat importing; houses have taken, since its wisdom 
has been called in question. Under diffcient circum- 
stances a different policy might be pursued or attempted ; 
it may, indeed, be that the time is very near when 
Sfillers will be in a much stronger pwition. If so, indi- 
vidual judgment and action will effect what is 
wirited It is a grave matter that those who hold 
a fiduciary position either aa managing agents, direc- 
tors, or hrrkers, should be publicly ohargeH with 
mismaimgemeot amounting to derelietion of duty. 
But they need no justification. Pao'B must convince 
reasoning fail, and Mr. Shillington. wi*h candour if 
doing him infinite credit, has quoted figures which 
put him and "Observer" out of court. What does he 
l;f II us ? That although ten million pounds more have 
come from India not a pound more has been con- 
snmed in England. Larger consumption at any cost 
is, thorefore, an shsolute necessity to ns ; and we have 
now the satisfaction of seeing more being used than 
ever before, ^ni would this he the case it supplies 
had been kept baek, and the field left free to the 
sellers of rihina and Ceylon tea ? I am really ashamed 
to re-state the elfm"ntary principles of econnmioa ; 
but it is the A. B. O. of trade that consumption ex- 
pands when distriliutors hold atooke and shrinks when 
they do not, and the reason is obvious — they have 
become co-partners with the ptodnoer, diroctly iuter- 
estfid in pushing the snie of his prodnct. 
What IS to he the upshot of this eorrespondence ? A 
fuller appreciation, it may he, of th^ complexity of_ 
the problems which face us; a check, I hope, to tho 
passing of hasty and immature criticism upon others, 
but most certainly not any discouragement of co- 
operation among producers That is mo>t earnestly to 
be desired, bnt. let i's aim b" something pr^ictical, 
franght with substantial henefi': to every individual 
man of tliem. The oorfiuemcnt of production within 
certain limits wuld bo such an aim — bnt even ths.t 
would be useless if the Ceylon planters refused to join 
hands with us ; for if a reeuctioii in Jndia is to be the 
signal for an increase in Ceylon, wo had far better 
fight for our own hand, and brace onrselves for the 
struggle which tha prophets of evil say is inevitable. 
Bemember, that when it was seen ten months ago 
that the Indian crop was short and the price rising, 
word was passed round Ceylon to make nil the tea 
they could* — ihe object being, of course, to hasten 
* Thera was no such combination ; the large quan- 
tities of tea were made because under the influence of 
the neathei the buebes Hashed lasuriantly.—Ec. T, A. 
