GENERAL COTTON REMARKS 65 



kept with a view to preventing the escape of the butterflies. Latterly 

 elaborate machinery has been installed at a few centres by the Cotton 

 Dapartment for treating the seed in a similar way to that used in 

 Egypt. The pink boll-worm is said to be a new plague that has been 

 brought into Brazil with some Egyptian seed that was to be grown 

 as an experiment. As is usual with insect pests, the havoc caused 

 at the outset is the most formidable, later on, in a country with 

 such large varieties of insects as Brazil is. natural enemies find 

 these new insects. It is certainly astonishing, how little damage 

 was done last season by the pink boll-worm with the exception 

 of a few places. Of course a great campaign against this particular 

 insect was organised by the Government and by many societies on 

 account of the great damage done and in consequence agriculturists 

 have given the matter a great deal of thought. I came across several 

 cultivators in various parts who told me that they attributed the 

 practical disappearance of the pink boll-worm to a very simple method 

 they had employed. They liad spread out the seed to be planted 

 in the mid-day sun for about three hours (not more), at a temperature 

 between 60 to 68 °C. ; some had mixed with the seed sand and also 

 charcoal for the purpose of better retaining the heat. I was told 

 that quite 90 per cent, of the insects are killed in this way. The 

 Professor of Agriculture at the " Luiz de Queiroz " College, Dr. Carlos 

 Teixera Mendes, gave me to understand that his previous year's crop 

 had suffered from 40 to 50 per cent, from the pink boll-worm, whilst 

 this year, after applying the above simple means, he did not think 

 he would lose 4 per cent, of the crop through pink boll- worm. This 

 gentleman had hit on this idea of spreading out the seed in the sun, 

 but evidently other people in the interior in the north had simul- 

 taneously acted in a similar manner with equally good results. 

 Professor Green of Natal assured me that he had found parasites of 

 the pink boll-worm and he had recently taken specimens to Washington 

 (U.S.A.) for cla.ssification, particulars of which were not available at 

 the time of my visit. 



The other insect plague from which Brazil suffers, especially 

 Sao Paulo, is the cotton worm {Alabama argillacea), known locally as 

 " curuquere." The Agricultural Department has supplied large 

 quantities of Paris Green through its branch offices, together with 

 appliances. The worm does not, as a rule in the south, come out 

 until the bolls are formed and begin to open, if the plants are sprayed 

 in the early stages. Once this stage has arrived it cannot do much 

 damage. (The worm feeds entirely on the young leaves and shoots. 

 The insect pests of Brazil are no more harmful than in any other 

 country. Though the list of cotton insects may be formidable, one 

 never hears a planter or farmer mention any other insect than the 

 pink boll -worm (lagarta rosada) and the cotton worm (curuquere), 

 evidently the others are doing very little damage. 



Cotton Exports — The following table was sujiplied to me whilst 

 in Brazil by the Cotton Department of the Agricultural Ministry : 

 since ray return I have received the " Economical Notes " issued by 

 the Bureau of Information from the same Ministry, which contain 

 a list with different figures. I therefore, append this list, especially 

 as the values are stated. 



