File:Brazil, the Amazons and the coast (1879) (14783339385).jpg

Identifier: brazilamazonscoa00smit (find matches)
Title: Brazil, the Amazons and the coast
Year: 1879 (1870s)
Authors: Smith, Herbert H. (Herbert Huntington), 1851-1919
Subjects: Folklore -- Brazil Brazil -- Description and travel Brazil -- Economic conditions Amazon River Valley -- Description and travel
Publisher: New York : C. Scribner's Sons
Contributing Library: Brown University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brown University

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ongs of mirth and gladness, and sleeps with apeace that passeth all understanding. But at Taperinha, the mosquitoes keep to the woods,only coming out at night, when doors and windows are se-curely barred against them ; so we can converse sociably ofan evening, and sleep in our cotton hammocks undisturbed. There are plenty of interesting things to see about thehouse. Fifteen or twenty men and women are employedhere in preparing to-bacco by the Ama-zonianprocess, whichis as different as pos-sible from ours. Theleaves are pickedfrom the stalks oneby one, as they arelarge enough; slight-ly dried for a day ortwo, under shelter,and brought to thehouse in great bas-kets. Here the mid-rib is removed byboys and women,and the leaves—two,four, or eight poundstogether—are spreadout in layers, oneover the other, rolledtogether, and bound with strips of bark. Next, the roll isAvound tightly with heavy cord, as thread is wound on a spool;the strongest workmen are chosen for this part of the pro-
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Prepanng Tobacco.— 1. Splitting Jacitara. 2. Stemming.3. Spreading the Leaves. 4. Rolling. 158 BRAZIL. cess, and one of them can wind no more than fifteen or six-teen molhos in a day, twisting the roll with his hands, whilethe cord, thrown about a post, is held tightly with the foot.In this manner the tobacco is very strongly compressed.The roll, after winding, is left for several days, until it willretain its form ; then the cord is removed, and long stripsoi jacitdra—the split stem of a climbing palm*—are woundon in its place. The tobacco goes to the market in thiscondition, but it is not considered good until it has passedthrough a fermenting stage, which is only completed at theend of five or six months. Then the roll is hard and black;people shave it off as they want it for pipes and cigarettes;the Indians make large cigars with wrappers oitauari^ bark,but they are generally satisfied with a few whiffs, and thecigars are stuck behind their ears, to get them out of theway un

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