Remember the Rainforest 1

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farmers, armed with ax and fire, had to fearlessly strike the vegetation here against the disorderly creative force of this land that opposes peaceful agriculture.

Etching 21 Slash and burn agriculture

Unnumbered and varied are the scourges to which the daring farmers are exposed in these jungles, far from all contact with the civilized world; for, except for the fatigue of the thick woods, where many trees of ten to twelve feet in diameter require two axes for days to be felled, and where the burning is incomplete, the worms, snails, ants and birds pursue the cultivated plants even more, because they are delicate foreigners in these jungles. The newcomer also runs the risk, as well as his servants, of contracting many diseases, especially the palustre fever and rash; they are attacked by mosquitoes, which force them to carefully close their cabin during the day, as the pests seek out the dark places; He often lacks the usual healthy food, having to obtain his supplies of meat, butter, etc.; and finally the slaves are to him a matter of constant apprehension, since the slightest discontent offers the opportunity to flee to the immense neighboring woods or to hide in the houses of the distant farmers. The laws, in fact, rigorously punish Brazilians who retain foreign slaves, but it is not uncommon for this to happen; the farmer, at the beginning of his farming, whose capital is thus partly unproductive, then suffers from a lack of workers, precisely when he needs them most.

For all these difficulties, not well evaluated in Europe, our hospitable compatriot drew our attention; We were able to recognize how much force of character, and even of happy chance, is necessary for German settlers in those regions to succeed in the business, of which we have no idea in our country. Also the two neighbors of Mr. Weyll, - at the Luisia Farm, Mr. Fr. Schmid of Stuttgard, and in Castel Novo, Mr. Borell of Neufchatel, - although hopeful, gave us an equal description of difficulties of colonization in these forests.

The first intended to turn the ashes of the burnt plants into potash, and observed that the ashes of the local trees have relatively much more potash and the other cultivates, preferably, coffee.

Everyone had suffered a great deal from palustrial fevers, and they reasonably believed that their new dwellings would be freed from the noxious exhalation of the woods when they were cleared by the establishment of populous colonization in their surroundings. But as far as we know, this desire has not yet been fulfilled. And after settling on the banks of the Mucuri River in the province of Porto Seguro, a wave of

Province of Porto Seguro

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