SERIDO 149 



Scarcity of Labour. — There are thousands of acres of this kind 

 of land which have not yet been put under cultivation in the Serido 

 district. There is therefore every possibility of extension but the 

 country suffers from a shortage of people, especially now since the 

 Government has started the construction of the motor roads. Labour, 

 which used to come to the Serido from the Breijo sugar district of Para- 

 hyba, after the termination of the sugar crop there, in order to help 

 with cotton picking in the Serido, has been attacked by the road- 

 making firms, where discipline is perhaps not as strict as on the farms. 

 Now that the rubber collecting in the Amazonas is being discontinued, 

 it is to be hoped that the Cearense labourers who used to perform this 

 work will be directed to the cotton fields of the Serido, where the 

 climate is invigorating and living healthy. 



No other crop but cotton can come into consideration in these 

 quarters. Of Indian corn, beans, etc., only so much is grown as is 

 required for the feeding of the inhabitants and their stock of pigs. 



The cultivators whom we interrogated were mostly alive to the 

 importance of pure seed ; their only regret was that they could not 

 obtain selected seed from any institution and it is to be hoped the 

 Government will undertake a Moco seed farm in this area. 



We had the advantage of an excellent guide in the whole of the 

 Serido. Dr. Ignacio Joaquim de Carvalho Filho, the chief judge of 

 Caico, who knows the whole zone thoroughly and who understands 

 the peculiarities of the country, accomjDanied us throughout this part 

 of Rio Grande do Norte, explaining the conditions and organising 

 excellenth^ the whole trip. We are much indebted to this gentleman. 



We examined the gins in Caico and found one with 50 saw-blades, 

 though sharpened, which would not gin properly. The reason was 

 that the man had ginned cotton that had become wet by the recent 

 rains ; the hairs had clogged the saw-points and consequently they 

 would not work satisfactorily. We found quite a good lot of Moco, 

 silky, 35 to 38mm. long, but part was fully 45mm. before ginning. 



The present prices for such cotton were four milreis per 15 kilos 

 first-class seed cotton, and 3 $600 for seconds. One merchant told 

 us that a large exporter had bought cotton in February /March, i.e., 

 when the cotton was not yet grown, at 200 milreis per 130 kilos lint, 

 free Lages station, charging one per cent, interest per month until 

 delivery. 



The cotton merchants in Caico are : 

 Celso Dantas de Camboira ; 

 Ariston & Cunha ; 

 Gorgonio Ambr. da Nobrega ; 

 Luiz Agatangelo de Brito ; 

 Fco. Gorg. da Nobrega. 



Caico is situated on the " Rio do Serido," the main river ; when 

 it has water it runs so fast that the banks have to be protected by 

 special grass. There is no cultivation of Baixos on this river on 

 account of its quick flow. 



On leaving the town we passed a small plantation where we saw 

 50mm. Moco. We first visit the " Valle do Saboeiro," 220 metres 



