BRAZIL AND THE EAST COMPARED 121 



cultivation it thrives in a surprising manner in nearly all 

 localities selected with reasonable foresight in regard 

 to the avoidance of undrained swampy lands or those 

 exposed to strong prevailing winds. Throughout the 

 Amazon Valley the soil is alluvial deposit on yellow or 

 red clay, and rich in vegetable matter brought down by 

 the rivers and distributed over the land by the annual 

 floods. In many districts of the Lower Amazon the 

 trees have their roots permanently below the water-level, 

 and are flourishing under such circumstances in direct 

 contrast to the result of all experience in the Orient. 



In the matter of rainfall, there is no great difference 

 between the Amazon Valley and the Malay Peninsula. 

 Both receive an average quantity of a little over 

 100 inches annually ; but in Malay the distribution is 

 more even than in Brazil, where a dry season, beginning 

 in June and ending in October, is a regular occurrence. 

 The temperature records show no very great variation, 

 although they are slightly lower in the Amazon Valley. 

 The heat, however, is less trying in Brazil than in 

 Malaysia, for during the dry season there is only a 

 comparatively small amount of moisture in the atmo- 

 sphere. 



The labour for working the rubber plantations in 

 the Orient is drawn from China, India, or local sources, 

 and it is sufficiently abundant to insure large num- 

 bers being available at a comparatively low cost for 

 all classes of work in the fields or factories. Skilled 

 mechanics are also cheap and plentiful, and the supply 

 of domestic servants is ample. 



In the Amazon Valley the labourers are brought from 

 the States of Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Maranhao, 



