148 



BRAZILIAN COTTON 



of water to one coming from a famine district is a great consolation, 

 but judging from the lie of the land behind the three irrigation works 

 visited, it would appear to me that great areas of first-class land are 

 being sacrificed at the expense of a very problematical scheme which 

 will require much larger sums than the construction of the dams has cost. 

 The Moco cotton is the only plant in the Serido which will with- 

 stand the great droughts ; this is probably due to the geological condi- 

 tions of the valleys. Slanting rocks, forming an acute angle, on which 

 there are layers of shingle and soil, seem to prevent the moisture from 



A Moco Cotton Field on 

 The dry grass " capim panasco " prevents th« 



' taboleira " land 



fallen cotton from becoming dirty 



running off entirely. Evidently the deep roots of the trees find little 

 pockets of soil and shingle which remain damp even during the years 

 when no rain falls. Until quite recently cotton was grown on the 

 margins of the rivers, brooks, etc., only so far up the slanting side of 

 the hill from the course, as it was thought that the roots would reach 

 into the subsoil water level. These lands are called " Baixos," i.e. low 

 lands. But a few years ago some cultivators made experiments 

 with growing cotton much further up the slant, on what are called 

 " taboleiras," which used to be considered too dry. These experi- 

 ments have been a great success, and the practice of using these " tabo- 

 leiras " for cotton is becoming common. It is true that " taboleira " 

 land does not give so big a yield, but the cotton is stronger. By 

 bringing the " taboleira " land under cotton cultivation a considerable 

 extension of the crop can take place. 



One farmer planted his cotton in large holes, about a meter in 

 circumference, thus forming a cavity into which the rain settled. This 

 man had an excellent crop. 



