A L AGO AS 



125 



" Verdao " was again the best fibre ; the ginnery was full of the 

 usual mixture. The factory we inspected had two gins with 50 saws 

 each, a cleaning sieve and two screw presses worked by hand. Last 

 year this factory dealt with 1,200 bales of 75 kilos. The daily 

 production is 30 bales. The cleaning sieve takes 3001b. of dirt daily 

 out of the lo.OOOlb. of seed cotton which is handled. 



When the bales are sent per ox cart they are made to weigh 

 110 kilos. 



Planting takes place in May — June and the cotton is ready for 

 picking in about three months. A most unusually quick period of 

 growth, but in all this district of Alagoas this information was confirmed. 



Market Scene at Sant'Anna do Ipanema 



The export tax horn the State of Alagoas is six per cent, ad valorem, 

 plus seven per cent. Municipal duties are 200 reis per bale and in 

 addition the large ginning factory w^e saw had to pay annually 175S000 

 ior town dues. 



The crop in Alagoas was not ready for picking at the time we 

 visited the fields. The plants looked very vigorous : generally the 

 *' annual herbaceous " kinds remain two years in the field ; " Verdao " 

 remains four years. 



One of our party went on horseback from Propria to Quebrangula, 

 a three days' journey, and brought samples back from the following 

 j)laces on this tract : 



(1) Propria. — Not in reach of overflow of Sao Francisco ; 

 cotton very dirty, most of it 23mm., but the " Verdao " is 30mm. 



