98 BRAZILIAN COTTON 



is spoiled for want of ready communication with the large centres. 

 The people seem hard working. 



The modern ginning factory at Pirapora belongs to the " CoM- 

 PANHiA ViAQAO E INDUSTRIAL DE PiRAPORA," one of the numerous 

 Companies of Mr. Trajano S. V. de Madeiros. It may be of interest 

 to state briefly the terms on which the Government of Minas has given 

 to the Company the concession for the ginning factory and oil mill : 

 a Government loan of 200 contos at 6 per cent, interest, re-payable 

 in instalments within 15 years ; no import duties on machinery, 

 25 per cent, reduction on the export duties, exemption from municipal 

 taxes during the next 25 years and all land for the factory and 

 experimental station were given free. 



There are two large gins and a single American box press. 



The Company has also an oil seed plant which is the more im- 

 portant section as it is intended to bring up on the River Sao Fran- 

 cisco the cotton seed from distant parts where at present most of it 

 is given to the goats and cattle for fodder. The present price of seed 

 in those parts is 40 reis per kilo. The freight to Pirapora is calculated 

 at 30 reis. The cost of jute bagging is probably as much as the cost 

 of the seed it contains, for a bag holding 40 kilos of seed costs at 

 present 1$200. 



In the oil plant what is called the " cold " process is used. This 

 is applicable to all kinds of seed, whilst the " hot " process employed 

 in the majority of cotton seed oil mills can only be used for this 

 special seed. These machines were made by V. Anderson Company, 

 Cleveland, U.S.A. 



Pirapora is joined to Rio by 1,006 km. railway, half on narrow 

 gauge and half on broad gauge. This town is increasing rapidly, it 

 is the great emporium for the goods which are handled by the river 

 traffic, at the commencement of the navigable portion. Joazeiro is 

 at the other end 1,369km. away, from there 576km. railway connects 

 with the capital of Bahia, known in Brazil as Sao Salvador, but in 

 Europe as " Bahia." 



After the previous general remarks on cotton growing in Minas, 

 details as to the conditions of cotton cultivation along the Sao Fran- 

 cisco river will be learnt from a perusal of the next few pages which 

 are short extracts from my diary : — 



SAO FRANCISCO RIVER 



The River Sao Francisco rises in the mountain range called 

 " Canastra " in Minas and flows through the States of Minas, Bahia, 

 Pernambuco, Alagoas and Sergipe, where it enters the Atlantic Ocean, 

 The length of the river is 3,100km., 2,400 of which are navigable. 

 Some small portions are, however, only accessible to boats during the 

 rainy season and it may be said that regular navigation is established 

 only between Piraf»ora, in the State of Minas, and Joazeiro, in the State 

 of Bahia, a distance of 1,369km., of which 480 are in Minas and 890 

 in Bahia. This portion may be called the navigable stretch of the 

 Upper Sao Francisco. The second part navigable throughout the 

 year is between Piranhas and Barra, about 230km. in length where 



