TREE COTTONS 14^. 



A seed farm in this district would be a boon, as the cultivators 

 are very intelligent and complain of lack of good seed. 



In consequence of the bad state of roads our progress by car was 

 very slow. The Mayor of Assu and several Government engineers, 

 knowing that we had to cross the river " Assu," whose bed, 800 

 metres wide, had been filled with water owing to the rains, assisted 

 our crossing. Some 20 men pushed the motor cars through the water.. 



We inspected at Assi; a ginning factory where both Moco and 

 Riqueza (here called " Azul "") was 30mm. in length. Moco was weak. 



The present price is three milreis for 20 kilos clean seed cotton and 

 two milreis for dirty cotton, including dead fibres. 



The ginning percentage of Riqueza was given as 25 per cent., the 

 yield as 5051b. per acre. This high yield was obtained on land 

 subject to inundation in the neighbourhood of Assu, at a farm called 

 Sao Antonio. 



Three great irrigation schemes in this district are contemplated ; 

 one at Pata Choca, for which the contract has already been given to 

 Messrs. C. H. Walker & Co. Ltd., London. This firm does a great deal 

 of constructional work for the Brazilian Government, receiving 15 per 

 cent, commission on all outlays. A reservoir to contain 150 millions 

 cubic metres water is to be constructed. At Mudubim and Lagoa 

 DE PiATO dams for 50 millions and 25 millions cubic metres water 

 are under consideration. 



At Assu we had an excellent meeting with the cultivators of the- 

 district. It being market day a large number of them were in the town 

 and the Mayor invited them to the town hall, where after an address 

 by the Mayor, who is himself interested in the cotton business, mc 

 had a lively and interesting discussion. One farmer stated that on 

 his '■ fazenda Camello " he had obtained from selected Moco 5001b.- 

 lint per acre in the first year and over 7001b. the second year. 



The farmers calculate the yield in this district per 1,000 holes 

 (" covas "), which is equal to 3,025 square metres. 



On the boundary road between the municipalities of Assu and 

 Mossoro, the Mayor of the latter town, Mr. Camillo Figueredo, who 

 is a merchant of Mossoro, dealing also in cotton, met us. We had to 

 cross the river Upanbma, a tributary of the Assu, under similar diffi- 

 culties to those we had experienced previously. 



We visited the mayor's cotton plantation and another one, called' 

 " Boa Vista " and " Buenos Aires." 



There was the usual mixture, but Riqueza predominated with a 

 fibre up to 35mm. The cotton is pruned back generally only when 

 Indian corn is to be planted between the cotton. There were Moco 

 trees with branches weighted down : they spread out like fern leaves. 

 10 to 14 sets of bolls were at the end of the branches. The fibre was- 

 42mm. long. 



Mossoro has only lately taken up cotton growing, but there seems- 

 every chance of success, as the yield in the first year on one plantation 

 was 2801b. lint per acre, in the second 3001b. and this year, the 

 third, they thought the crop would be much bigger. 



