Hunnicutt: Zebu Cattle in Brazil 



197 



"THE BEST ZEBU COW IN BRAZIL" 



"Polonha," a pure-blood Gujarat, is the property of Sr. Jose Caetano Borges of Uberaba, 

 Minas, and is considered by him to be the best cow of this breed yet imported from India. 

 Her owner has become a miUionaire, as a result of the reputation of his herd. (Fig. 2.) 



States of the northern part of Brazil. 

 Up until 1907 they were unknown in 

 some of the northern States but it is 

 probable that they have spread since 

 then to all the northern States. They 

 have never been in much favor in Sao 

 Paulo or in any of the southern States, 

 so far as I have been able to learn. The 

 bovine population of Brazil is given at 

 30,000,000 and a large percentage now 

 has at least a trace of zebu blood. 



Many breeds or varieties of zebu are 

 distinguished, both here and in India, 

 but it will not be necessary to discuss 

 them for the purpose of this article. 

 The only ones of great commercial 

 importance in Minas are the Gujarat 

 and Nellore, although the Gir and Hissar 

 are fairlv common. The Gir is con- 



sidered the best for milking purposes, 

 but milk is not a primary consideration 

 in the Brazilian cattle industry. No 

 particular care seems to be taken to 

 keep the various breeds separate, on 

 Brazilian ranches, and they are freely 

 interbred. 



In January, 1914, I made a short trip 

 with Messrs. P. H. Dorsett and Wilson 

 Popenoe, agricultural explorers of the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, to 

 study the cattle industry of this part 

 of Brazil on the farms of two important 

 breeders, Snrs. Pedro and Cassiano 

 Lemos of Pratinha, State of Minas 

 Geraes. Their ranch, in an open, 

 rolling, well watered and well grassed 

 country, originally contained more than 

 160,000 acres of land, and most of it 



