SAO PAULO 11 



The cost of land in this very fertile district is from 400 to 500 

 milreis per alqueire (5-6 acres). For clearing the timber, burning 

 down the brushwood (but leaving the hard wood standing), 120 $000 

 per alqueire are charged. As latterly timber of first-class quality has 

 been in good demand, it has paid to get the hard wood removed. 

 In this part of the country there are for instance " peroba " trees 

 which sell at 70 to 80 milreis per cubic metre and generally the wood 

 obtained out of the forest has more than paid for the cost of clearing. 

 The fibres on this " fazenda " averaged about an inch (28 mm.), 

 they were very strongs but the cotton was not well picked, a lot of 

 foreign matter being gathered with the cotton. Some fields had 

 cotton of 30 mm. and even more. 



There is no plant or seed selection carried on ; if this were 

 resorted to excellent results could be obtained on this otherwise well 

 managed estate. 



In the year 1918 when the crop was especially good and prices 

 were ruling high, a tenant made on one " alqueire " cotton (5-6 acres) 

 a profit of 3 contos (3,0008000) and the estate 1 conto. 



On the Pederneira estate are also 100,000 coffee trees, looked after 

 by an Italian colony. 



Mr. Guedes has several other estates in the neighbourhood, one 

 of which, " Victoria," includes a water fall which produces at present 

 2,000 h.p., but is capable of extension to 20,000 h.p. This hydro- 

 electric plant drives a cotton mill of Mr. Guedes at Tatuhy, and 

 suppHes light to five towns and villages. In 1912 Mr. Guedes was 

 fortunate enough to be able to buy this estate of 886 alqueires at the 

 low price of 110 contos. 



Mr. Guedes is a typical Paulista, always planning and scheming 

 how to improve his many undertakings. 



At another farm in this district the landowner paid Italian settlers 

 500 $000 per " alqueire " to cultivate cotton for him. This contract 

 price includes all the work from the preparation of the soil until the 

 cotton was ripe for picking. The latter had to be paid extra at the 

 rate of 1 $000 per 15 kilos. His average crop was 3901b. per acre, but 

 as he said, he did not bother about his cotton, his principal occupation 

 being stock-raising. 



As a further proof of the fertility of the soil I may mention that 

 six weeks after planting alfalfa (a kind of clover) the first cutting was 

 made. The alfalfa was planted on the 19th December : at the begin- 

 ning of May five cuttings had been taken off and the farmer expected 

 to be able to get twelve cuttings in the year. We often heard of seven, 

 eight and nine cuttings, which is phenomenal in comparison with the 

 U'S.A. The land which produced these crops was bought in 1920 at 

 150 $000 per " alqueire " and it was recently sold again at 500 $000 

 per " alqueire." 



We walked here through some pasture land which had a coarse 

 grass on it, five feet in height, the blades being covered \vith an oily 

 substance. It was what is called here " Catingueira " grass, an 

 excellent fodder for fattening cattle. 



There i^ plenty of available land for the extension of cotton 

 growing in these parts. 



