TREE COTTONS 141 



There are large landowners and small cultivators, the latter working 

 generally on the share system. 



Further details will be found in the following notes taken from 

 my diary, which describe the route we followed and the points of 

 interest : — 



From Recife we travelled in a special train to Parahyba and Natal, 

 where we had long interviews with the Presidents of the States and 

 with the cotton exporters, of which particulars are given in Chapter xi. 



From Natal we had a special train to Lages, taking with us two 

 Ford motor cars, the only kind which can be used in a country of this 

 nature. We stopped on the way at Baixa Verde, in the municipality 

 of Taipu, to inspect a cotton store and a cotton field. In the former 

 we saw for the first and last time during our tour that a person was 

 employed in separating the damaged and matted fibres (called 

 " crueiras ") out of a heap of cotton. In the cotton field there was a 

 mixture of all kinds, but one Moco tree which had a strong fibre of 

 4omm. occupied our interest. The farmer had not taken the trouble 

 to thin out, there were 12 trees growing in one hole. 



Two German commercial men whom we met at Natal had been 

 cultivating cotton during the war in this neighbourhood. They 

 were very satisfied with their experiment. They gave us the following 

 information as regards their own experience : — 



" RiQUEZA " (same as Verdao) was 28mm. long, yielded 1801b. 

 per acre with nothing else but cotton in the field. Ginning out-turn : 

 28 per cent. Little damage done by pink boll- worm. 



"Webber ■' American Upland, pure, was 32 /33mm. long and 

 yielded 3001b. per acre, it being closely planted. 



" QuEBRADiNHO " (small black seed) in the first year gave hardly 

 anything, but in the second year there was a plentiful crop. Length, 

 28 /30mm., ginning out-turn, 27/28 per cent. 



Annual, or locally termed " herbaceo," i.e., acclimatized American, 

 length, 22 24mm. ; ginning out-turn, 25/26 per cent. 



Share system with 50 per cent, to landowner in lieu of rent is 

 general, but some small cultivators rent their land. Only the hoe 

 is used. 



The value of land was stated as about 350 milreis per 100 square 

 km. There is a shortage of water. 



Lages is the terminus of the railway. Some 20,000 bales of 

 70 kilos pass through every year ; it is a smaller market than Campina 

 Grande, but of importance. We visited a farm close by called " Bello 

 HoRizoNTE." Riqueza proved to be the best of the mixture, being 

 at times 35 mm. long. Moco cotton was found to be very weak, and 

 many dead fibres were in the lot we saw. 



Cotton seed was being sold at 4 milreis per 20 kilos. 



The railway freight from Lages to Natal is 2 $300 per bale of 75 

 kilos cotton. 



