Travels in the gold and diamond districts of Brazil; describing the methods of working the mines, the natural productions, agriculture, and commerce, and the customs and manners of the inhabitants: to which is added a brief account of the process of amalgamation practised in Peru and Chili . in the improve-ment of them. Here is, for instance, abundanceof excellent clay and plenty of wood on the marginof the rivers, yet it is rare to meet with an inclo-sure, even for a kitchen garden, much more sofor a corn-field. They generally choose theirgrounds for tillage by the banks of a rivulet, so asto
Travels in the gold and diamond districts of Brazil; describing the methods of working the mines, the natural productions, agriculture, and commerce, and the customs and manners of the inhabitants: to which is added a brief account of the process of amalgamation practised in Peru and Chili . in the improve-ment of them. Here is, for instance, abundanceof excellent clay and plenty of wood on the marginof the rivers, yet it is rare to meet with an inclo-sure, even for a kitchen garden, much more sofor a corn-field. They generally choose theirgrounds for tillage by the banks of a rivulet, so asto have one side or sometimes two sides boundedby it; the remainder is fenced in the most clumsyand bungling manner imaginable. Ploughing isperformed by the help of two oxen yoked to acrooked piece of wood, about four inches in dia-meter, and pointed at the end. After the groundhas been rooted up, the wheat is sown, withoutany previous attempt to clear it from noxiousseeds. While it grows up, it is never weeded; sothat wild oats, poppies, and other pernicious herbs,thriving among it in wild luxuriance, obstructthe suns rays and hinder it from ripening corn, beans, melons, &c. are all treated ina similar way. The wheat, when ripe, is cut down -PECOST CATCHING- CAT TIE. yCGSISG FOR WHEAT S TRICH NEST. DEFECTIVE STATE OF AGRICULTURE. 33 with sickles, and gathered into heads or circular pen of from forty to sixty yards in dia-meter is then formed with rails and hides; in thecentre of this enclosure is placed a quantity of aboutone hundred or two hundred quarters of wheat inthe straw. The pile is so formed as to have theears on the outside as much as possible. A smallquantity is pulled down towards the circumferenceof the circle, and a herd of about twenty maresis driven in, which, being untamed, are easilyfrightened and made to gallop round. At thispace they are kept by means of whips for four orfive hours, until the corn is trod out of the ears,and the straw
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookpublisherlondonprintedforlong, bookyear1825
