56 



BRAZILIAN COTTON 



Drawbacks. — Besides these advantageous conditions there are 

 also some drawbacks affecting cotton growing in Brazil. 



In the first instance there is the scardty of population, but, as 

 remarked previously, in Sao Paulo the cotton extension is likely to 

 take place in the coffee growing districts where at present a sufficient 

 population exists for dealing with cotton, though it may not suffice for 

 coffee. Furthermore, this part of Brazil is the centre of attraction 

 for the influx of immigrants and Sao Paulo, the most enterprising 

 and well-governed State of Brazil, will see to it that immigration 

 continues. Under present unsatisfactorj^ conditions in Europe we 

 must expect an increased rate of immigration. 



The northern part of Brazil, owing to the character of the cotton 

 plant being jjerennial does not require anything like the labour which 

 annual cotton necessitates. Generally only one clearing of weeds is 

 undertaken, at times two, but during the period of picking there is 

 undoubtedly a scarcity of hands. Fortunately this can be remedied 

 for large numbers of the hard-working and frugal population of Ceara 

 have been, in the past, accustomed to collect the rubber in the districts 

 of the Amazonas. Since rubber can no more compete on a large scale 

 with plantation rubber from Asia, work will have to be found for 

 these Cearense rubber gatherers and nothing is more natural than 

 that they shoidd migrate to Rio Grande do Norte, Parahyba, etc., 

 which are situated at a short distance from their native heath and 

 where the climate is magnificent compared with the Amazonas. 



Next to the scarcity of population the ginning is seriously at fault. 



Ginning. — The following is a list of the cotton ginning machines 

 of Brazil, as per official returns of 1916 : — 



Totals 



873 



20 



21 



1,524 



All these machines are small saw-gins, some containing only 18 

 blades, but the average is perhaps 36. They are of the usual Americar 

 gin type, generally the " Eagle " mark ; 90 per cent, of the saw-gins 

 are absolutely blunt. I must have inspected at least 250 ginning 

 machines in different parts of the country ; I came across one still 

 being used which had not been adjusted for 16 years and it was 



