He was also a philosophical romantic and fan of Luís de Camões; his holdings included a large number of rare books in various languages, which were incorporated into the Azorean public library and regional archive.

In 1840, he began his studies at the University of Coimbra in the Faculty of Mathematics, briefly interrupted by his arranged marriage to a rich heiress of local winemaker with lands in São Miguel and Faial, D. Maria Guilhermina Taveira Brum da Silveira.

He contracted foreign technicians, investigates the research of international agricultural specialists, and initiates a tentative reform in the Micalense practices used on his families' lands.

José do Canto helped publish the periodical Agricultor Micaelense, a mouthpiece of the Society, and likely one of the first Portuguese agricultural publications.

On his properties, near and around Ponta Delgada and Furnas, he would acclimatize and seed several plant species, including the Camellia and Cryptomeria, today both found throughout the archipelago.

It shares a contiguous border with the gardens of the Palace of Santana, the residence of the President of the Government of the Azores, and within its walls there are many constructions, including the monument to José do Canto, a manor home (in the 18th century-style), an old Victorian-esque greenhouse adapted as a pavilion, and the aforementioned Chapel of Santana (constructed in the 17th century).

José do Canto was also a bibliographer, and fan of Luís de Camões, who collected a personal library of 18,000 titles, edited during the 18th century, including a first-edition example of the Os Lusíadas.

José do Canto died, an unhappy man, and was buried next to his wife within the Chapel he constructed, which he had specifically erected to serve as a mausoleum for his family.