The sandy soils of the coast in which this plant seems to delight would, if they were not cultivated with it, remain almost useless; but from the produce which the coco-tree yields, they are rendered very valuable. The lands which are occupied by this plant alone yield a settled income to the owners of them without much labour; whilst the cultivation of any other requires considerable toil; however the long period, of from five to seven years, which the tree requires before it bears fruit, cannot fail to be considered as a drawback upon the profits which it ultimately affords, and upon the great age to which it arrives. However perhaps there are few trees of equal size that yield fruit in so short a period. It is a most valuable production, of which every part is appropriated to some useful purpose. The Brazilians say, that it affords to them both food and shelter; of the trunk and of the leaves their huts are built; of its fibrous roots baskets are made, and cordage of the outward husk. Its fruit renders to them meat and drink, and an excellent oil is likewise to be obtained by skimming the juice which may be pressed from the pulp. The coco is in general use in cookery among all ranks of people, and it forms one of the chief articles of internal trade[180]. When a plantation of this tree is about to be established, the ripe cocos from which the plants are to be reared, are placed in the ground, about twelve inches below the surface, in long and almost united rows, for the convenience of being watered. They are frequently placed in this manner, under the eaves of houses, which saves much trouble, for by the accumulation of water from the house top, each shower of rain produces sufficient moisture, and the owner is relieved from any farther trouble in this respect. At the expiration of five months the shoots begin to make their appearance above ground, and at the end of twelve months from the time that the cocos were first put into the earth, the young plants may be removed[181]. They are then placed at the distance of eight or ten yards from each other, upon the land that has been cleared for the purpose of receiving them. As soon as they have once taken root, and by far the major part of them fail not so to do, very little care is necessary. They must however be preserved tolerably free from brushwood, at least during the first years; and indeed at all times the fruitfulness of the tree will be increased, if it is allowed its due space.[182]
THE CARRAPATO OR CASTOR TREE.
This plant may be, as well as the coco, reared in sandy soils, but it will flourish with more luxuriance, upon those that are of a richer kind. The oil, which is extracted from the seed, is in general use for lamps and other purposes, but neither is it eaten, nor known as a medicine; but it is administered as an outward application. It is given to animals that have drank the juice of the mandioc, and is sometimes successful in forcing the poison back from the stomach. The plant is much cultivated, but it is frequently to be seen growing spontaneously.[183]
BRAZIL WOOD.
The wood from which is extracted the beautiful red dye, which is so much esteemed in Europe, is, I believe, generally supposed to be peculiar[184] to the country to which it has given a name[185]. It is often called in Pernambuco (from whence, I imagine, that it is exclusively exported) pao da Rainha or Queen’s wood, owing to the circumstance of the trade in it being a government monopoly; and it is exported to Europe on account of the Crown. No care has been taken to prevent a scarcity of the wood, and indeed its ultimate extirpation; it is cut down unmercifully wherever it is met with by the officers who are appointed for this purpose, without any regard being paid to the size of the tree. No plantations have been formed of it, and consequently it is now rarely to be seen, within many leagues of the coast. The labour which is required in obtaining it is now considerable, for the weight of the wood renders its conveyance very difficult upon the backs of horses, and this is the only manner in which it can be carried. The pay which is given by the government to the carriers is below the usual rate for work equally laborious, and therefore a wide source of oppression is afforded. The carrier receives with his load a slip of paper, declaring the weight of the wood which he is conveying; this is to be presented by him at the Intendencia da Marinha, or dock-yard at Recife, and he must wait until the wood is again weighed and the paper countersigned, before he can return home. These men are delayed sometimes for several days, before they are permitted to return; and they find that it is their interest to make many presents to the inferior officers, that they may be quickly dispatched. Here the old system of indifference to what is just, still most glaringly continues. This account of the treatment of the men who convey the wood, I received from several who had been employed in the business.
If the trade in the wood was to be laid open, it would only tend to its scarcity still more speedily than under the existing system; but as soon as it became scarce it would be rendered an object worthy of cultivation: however, as long as it is to be obtained in its wild state, and enormous profits can be made, the government will probably continue to supply the market on their own account. Every sugar plantation might cultivate a great number of these trees, without any additional land being required to be cleared for the purpose of planting them. The fences of the Cercados, or fields, might be strengthened by the addition of the Brazil inserted at intervals; instead of other trees being used in this way.
I never saw the plant, but I have heard it described in the following manner. It is not a lofty tree; and at a short distance from the ground, innumerable branches spring forth and extend in every direction in a straggling, irregular, and unpleasing manner. Practice is requisite to obtain a knowledge of the tree, for the valuable portion of it is the heart, and the outward coat of wood has not any peculiarity. The leaves are small, and never cover the branches luxuriantly.[186]
The Tatajuba, or Fustic.—This is a species of wood producing a yellow dye, which is well known in England. It is of spontaneous growth. A demand has lately been made for it, and destruction has followed wherever the plant can be met with.
The Feijam or Kidney Bean is planted in April and May with the mandioc. It is much used in the neighbourhood of the coast by the free part of the population, but is not produced in sufficient quantities to form a common food for the negroes. When it is cooked with the juice of the pulp of the coco-nut it makes a most excellent dish. In the cotton districts it forms one of the chief articles of the negroes’ food.
Milho, or Maize, is planted with mandioc, and sometimes in the cane fields; but as the best crop is obtained by planting it with the mandioc in January, few persons sow it at any other time. In the inland districts it is sown with the cotton, and in such situations yields more plentifully than in the lands which border upon the coast. Boiled maize is a common breakfast for the slaves in the cotton districts; the dish resembles thick peas’ soup, and is far from being unpalatable if sugar or treacle is added. The people call it angu de milho.