February 2 , iSgi^] 
1”HE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
S43 
after this process of burning' every year becomes dry 
and sandy, the sand being left lying between the tufts 
of grass, while any organic part of the soil surviving 
the roasting is washed away. 
It is a relief now and then to come to a hilly part 
where coffee can be grown, and we pass on the way some 
very fine coffee estates, some only coming into bearing 
and all having large clearings of young coffee, and large 
villages of E'jropean colonists’ houses (mostly Italians), 
lu about two hours we reach the town of Sao Jose de 
Rio Pardo, having passed two small stations among 
coffee estates. From Oasabranca we have come in a 
north-easterly direction, and our journey ends here 
at Sao Jose as far as railway travelling goes. We 
have now for the rest of our route to proceed on mule- 
back. 
Before leaving Rio we had been directed to the hotel 
kept by Senhor Ananias, and the proprietor was him- 
self at the station on the outlook for “ Hospedes ” 
for his establishment: more than that, he had a con- 
veyance called a trolly to take them, and a mule cart to 
carry the luggage to the hotel. I think I have on 
former occasions described a trolly. It is not a 
Brazilian invention, but was introduced by some 
American contractor in the days when railways were 
young, adapting the idea from similar vehicles used for 
many years in the hilly parts of the Northern States 
of the American Union. It consists of four wheels on 
the axles of which are laid two eight inch boards on 
the flat, these act as springs, on them are fixed seats 
cross-wise for holding two each seat; some have two of 
these seats and some three: indeed they can be made 
with any number of cross seats by adopting longer 
boards, and extending the wheel-base. The boards or 
(springs are of a timber called Cahrmva, or Bahama 
the latter name because the wood emits a 
strong agreeabie scent, and a balsamic liquid is 
extracted for medicinal and surgery purposes) and 
are very strong ; I have never heard of a ease 
of any of them breaking. To allow for turning the 
boards are put closer together on the foreaxle, 
through which goes a strong bolt; to the foreaxle to 
which is also attached the pole, for two or more mules; 
or the shafts if for one. 
You will notice that this arrangement does not 
give much play to the look in turning, and the unwary 
driver if he makes a quick turn and the inside wheel 
in turning catches on the board-spring, he may upset 
the *' trap ” and bring its living freight to the ground. 
If the trolly has to turn right round on a road 
the occupants must all come out, and the driver 
will then lift the hinder part to one side, that is 
fo say he will himself turn it end for end, which 
he can easily do, as when empty the whole thing 
is very light; so in this way it can be turned com- 
pletely round on a narrow road. 
When the writer came first to Brazil there were 
not many of these conveyances, and they looked 
very rndely made articles; any paint they had was 
engrained with mud or dust. Bub now, in the coun- 
try-towns, trolly-making is a profession, and profes- 
sional painters “ do them np” with paint and varnish 
in a sort of artistic manner, and the trolly gets a good 
washing every day it is used. A nicely done-up 
trolly with scats for four will cost £10. My estate 
carpenter — a Sootohman — made me one to my own 
design, and I paid for the ironwork alone to a pro- 
fessional trolly maker £15. 
In the trolly in which we were conveyed to the 
hotel there was yoked to it a large horse, a sort 
of kangaroo breed. All its action seemed to be in 
the hinder quarters, and as the only pace 
the animal had was a gallop, he took ns 
through tho steep streets by genuine “ leaps 
and bonnds.” And such streets — laid out on the 
face of a hill! Abont a hundred yards near the railway 
was fiat, and a large square on which were situated 
the church and tho jail was nearly so, but all the rest 
of the streets wore at a gradient of one in three, or not 
<0 exaggerate they were like what ‘‘ Willie Gordon ” 
of Oodasgeria would call tho " good old ono in five.” 
This was not tho greatest objection to them, they were 
jauooont of paving— although any quantity of workable 
granite peeped through the sides of tho hills near the 
town — and the heavy rains had made them full of 
ditches, ruts would be a mild name. Sometimes the 
axle of the forewbeela of tho trolly would be at 35 
degrees with the horizon while the hind wheels wonld 
bo nearly on a level. Although they have not got 
farther in Sao Jose than o, one-horae trolly, the citi- 
zens would be very much offended if a strang- t c -.lied 
it “ a one-horse town,” for here is a centre of repa-.U- 
canism, and discussions go so high some times as to defy 
tho authorities to keep the peace, and now (Sept, 1889) 
there is a detachment of soldiers, which had beer sent 
up not long ago to keep the outrageous spiri ' :■ within 
legal bounds. We learned through conversations with 
“ mine host ” and others, that the same Ananias who 
was driving the kangaroo horse was a rank republica'i 
and more so a decided socialist. He good-naturedly 
stated his opinion, and with a prophetic inspiration 
declared the monarchy doomed. 
Senr. Ananias made us very comfortable at hie 
hotel, gave us clean rooms and good food, hut fonighed 
at the idea of our thinking it possible to tore 
mules to continue our journey the next day. ‘-No, 
no, senhores. we are an advanced people, but we 
must not be hurried. There are mules to be hired, 
but you must wait a day and then start at five nest 
morning.” 
Next day wo had an opportunity of noticing that 
Sao Jose was really advancing, new houses were spring- 
ing up in all directions. The railway has been 
opened only for one year, and before it was projected 
there very few houses and population could not be 
counted above 300. I should say there were now 3,000 
inhabitants. The bulk of the population is Italian, and 
the storekeepers, a great many of whom in addition 
to their Casas de necjocio (retail shops) add that of 
Maseatto or pedlar, nay some of them had large stores, 
and send goods on mule packs to the far interior, for at 
present this is the ultimo tliulo of this branch of the 
Mogyana. It is to be feared however that the opening 
of this branch as tar as Moooca — near tho boundary 
of Minas — Sao Jose will get a check in its advancing 
career as far as the last mentioned branch of trade is 
concerned. 
The day was not lost, for as our mode of travelling 
was to be on mule-back, and as we were to use our 
own saddles, some additions had to be made to our 
accoutrements, in the shape of extra cruppers, girths, 
saddle-cloths, and, above all, a breast belt for the saddle 
must not be forgotteu, for the roads we had to go over 
were described by Ananias as steep and stony in 
some places, and having mud-holes in others that 
would try the best graith and the pluck of the best 
mules to get through them. “SVe had guns and a fair 
supply of ammunition, but the country was de- 
scribed as so full of game ; some extra shot suitable 
for what we were likely to meet had to be procured. 
Cartridge cases we had enough of, and knowing from 
past experience the wretched powder procurable in 
the interior I had brought from Rio a fair stock of 
Curtis & Harvey’s powder, note this as the powder to 
be bought here has more smoke than penetration small 
shot for snipe a.uA codorno (a small partridge) we bought 
800 reis — (Is 8d) per kilo : and the small bullets, of 
which you put three in your gun, if you meet an Ounca, 
(a small tiger) we got for 600 reis (Is 4d; per kilo. 
All our luggage had to be arranged to go convenient. y 
on the pack-mules, and many details, which many of 
your readers as old travellers, well understand had to 
be attended to. 
The evening was agreeably spent, for with dusk came 
an advent of some three or four ‘‘ Comets.” In coun- 
try hotels they generally make their appearance for 
the first time about dinner time ; they are observable 
for perhaps a single day and two nights, and they con- 
tinue their ecceutrio orbits, some having Sao Paulo as 
their centre, aud some Rio de Janeiro, after short visits, 
to these little worlds in the interior. They disappear 
aud return some months after. I do not know if your 
commercial travellers would feel honoured by such a 
name being applied to them, but those of that class 
here are proud of it. These gentlemen scour the 
country with samples carried on paok-mules, and tak(j 
