134 BRAZILIAN COTTON 



three varieties into " first/' or " primeiras." and " seconds " or 

 " medianas "' ; the lowest they call "refugo." 



Droughts. — The rainfall of the whole of the north-east part of 

 Brazil, from Ceara down to Pernambuco, even to the interior of 

 Alagoas is very irregular, and at periods of between five and seven 

 years there are seasons when no rain whatever falls. These periods 

 of prolonged droughts used to be very fatal to the cattle and human 

 beings and even now, though many water reservoirs (" a9udes ") 

 have been constructed the loss of cattle is very considerable. Grass, 

 alfalfa and such other fodder crops which can be stored for long periods 

 are not cultivated probably on account of the shortage of hands, but in 

 some cases these crops could no doubt be grown and be used in times 

 of droughts. From Sao Paulo northward \\'e never saw a haystack 

 such as we are accustomed to in Europe, North America, and even in 

 Argentine. Would it be too much work or is there some other reason 

 why hay is not made ? When the rains do not come, then the people 

 trek and walk hundreds of miles, from Ceara and also from the Sertao 

 of the other north-eastern States, in search of water and food. It is 

 then when the cactus tree is appreciated by the cattle, the juicy 

 substance giving food and drink. Everything but Moco cotton and 

 the cactus dry up ; indeed we have seen cactus cultivated by some 

 farmers. It is mainly for the purpose of fighting these periodical 

 droughts that the fine motor roads are being constructed. The 

 Government also builds large reservoirs for the storing up of water, 

 for these supply, besides drink, also food in the form of fish. Originally 

 these reservoirs were built also with the intention of irrigating fields, 

 but none of the many reservoirs I have seen was or could be applied 

 for such purpose. As soon as the rains fall, the people return to their 

 old homes ; they love their native heath regardless of these droughts. 



■-V^^ 



River-Bed Cultivation 



As soon as the river dries up, beans and other vegetables are planted Note als 

 wattle-fencing 



