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BRAZILIAN COTTON 



No. III. NORTH-WESTERN ZONE 



Of this cotton zone a typical sample, Biriguy, was selected for 

 our inspection. The railway journey takes one through Baurii, the 

 terminus of the Sorocabana Railway. This is a sandy place of recent 

 origin, where until 12 years ago very few houses existed ; now it is 

 a town of some 6,000 inhabitants, principally engaged in railway 

 work, as three different companies have made Bauru their terminus. 

 After 12 hours' railway journey through enormous virgin forests one 

 reaches Biriguy. The vast immensity of the forests leaves a great 

 impression on the mind of the traveller during this journey. What 

 one sees is, of course, only a sample of the seemingly endless forests 

 which are gradually being brought under cultivation, providing first- 

 class cotton land. These forests are beautiful on account of the great 

 diversity of trees. Huge trees, some covered with masses of pink or 

 yellow flowers which contrast magnificently with the blue sky, are 

 very numerous. 



Our main object in visiting Biriguy was to become acquainted 

 with the work of colonization undertaken by the " Companhia de 

 Terras, Madeiras e Colonisagno de Sao Paulo,'' whose technical manager 

 is Mr. Robert Clark, a Scotchman who has been many years in the 

 interior of Brazil. 



The climate is excellent ; not too hot, though during the day a 

 few hours are hot, the atmosphere is dry, and the nights are cool 

 throughout the year. There is sufficient rainfall for cotton and this 

 in well-defined periods. 



The Cotton Mission at Luncheon in the Biriguy Forest 



