128 BRAZILIAN COTTON 



The present Government seems anxious to devote more attention to 

 sugar than to cotton. 



Last year's crop (1920-21), grown in Pernambuco, according to 

 the figures of the Cotton Department, amounted to 29,794,000 kilos, 

 the largest cotton supplying municipality being Sao Jose do Egypto 

 with three miUions, then following Correntes. Flores, Timbauba 

 each with 2^ millions. Bom Jardim, Caruaru, Garanhums, Gloria 

 DO GoYTA, Limoeiro DO NoRTE, Nazareth, Afogados de Ingazeiro, 

 Brejo da Madre de Deus, Taquaretinga, each with over one milhon 

 kilos. 



The State of Pernambuco has three cotton zones, viz. : 



(1) North-east, served by the Great Western Railway with the 

 lines of Limoeiro and Parahyba. 



(2) The Centre, served by the Central de Pernambuco Railway 

 where the best producing district is, with Barao do Rio Branco 

 as terminus, which may be considered the collecting place of 

 all the hinterland extending to Belmonte and Salgueiro. 



(3) The South, Garanhums-Guapapa and part of the Alagoas 

 Railway branch. 



Cotton grown in the State and exported pays 5 per cent, tax but 

 cotton brought in from neighbouring States does not pay export tax 

 again on being shipped ; such cotton has paid the tax in the State of 

 origin. 



Our first acquaintance with Pernambuco cotton was at Garan- 

 HUMS, which is 1,000 metres above sea-level. It is a most curious 

 sight to see cotton fields, palm trees, European vegetables such as 

 potatoes (not sweet potatoes), cabbages, cauliflowers, apple and pear 

 trees growing in fields close together. The climate here, owing to the 

 altitude, is quite temperate and bracing. 



The mayor of the town took us in a car to show us the cotton 

 fields in the neighbourhood. No effort is made to keep to one variety ; 

 we explained to the farmers that they should keep their fields planted 

 with only one variety. 



There is a prospect of achieving some good results in this district, 

 because Messrs. Trajano de Medeiros & Co. have, at this town, an 

 up-to-date ginning factory with 4 gins each 60 saws {see ]). 174). 

 This ginning plant has been working for two years ; about 3,000 bales 

 of 200 kilos are ginned every year and forwarded from here by rail to 

 Recife (Pernambuco) a distance of 286 kilometres. Suction pipes 

 convey the cotton to the gin and again to the double box press, which 

 is capable of turning out four bales per hour. 



In the ginning factory is one of Howard & Bullough's openers, 

 in which ginned cotton is cleaned for clients on commission at the rate 

 of 200 reis per kilo for cleaning and baling. This process enables the 

 cotton to be put into a higher class, being much cleaner than before, 

 but the cotton loses a good deal of its bloom, probably because it 

 runs too fast. 



This firm does not buy the cotton which it gins in its various 

 establishments, but does the work of ginning and baling on commission. 



