188 BRAZILIAN COTTON 



of £3,702,953, in 1920 this quantity fell almost 10,000,000 kilos. Rio 

 Grande do Sul is the next largest exporting State with an average of 

 about 2,000,000 kilos. Good tobacco is grown also in Minas, Goyaz, 

 Sao Paulo, and practically in every State, but this is more for home 

 consumption. In the north of Brazil women smoke pipes, whilst the 

 men keep to cigarettes which they make with the leaf of Indian corn 

 in place of paper. 



The largest buyer of Brazilian tobacco before the War was 

 Germany ; in 1912 Germany took 19,236,000 kilos, equivalent to two- 

 thirds of the total exports. 



Sao Felix in Baliia is the centre of the tobacco manufacture ; 

 for the cover-leaf of cigars tobacco from Sumatra and Cuba is still 

 being imported, merely because the Brazihan tobacco is not carefully 

 graded. 



It is noteworthy to remember that in the central and north 

 Brazil the word tobacco is not used, but " fumo."' 



Cereals. — Wheat is little grown in Brazil and most of the 

 country's requirements (600,000 tons) are imported from Argentine. 

 In the Portuguese colonial times the southern States, such as Rio 

 Grande do Sul, Santa Catharina and Parana used to grow wheat, but 

 owing to various diseases the cultivation was abandoned. The 

 Government has recognised the wisdom of reintroducing this cro}> 

 and by means of premiums it is assisting successfully. Rio Grande 

 do Sul, Sao Paulo and Minas have again commenced to grow wheat 

 and it was estimated that the country produced 84,000 tons in 1917, 

 200,000 tons in 1920 ; half of this was grown in Rio Grande do Sul. 



Rice is grown in every part of Brazil and the primitive cultivation 

 is slowly making room for improved methods, especially in Rio de 

 Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Minas, Rio Grande do Sul and Parana. In the 

 north three crops of rice may be harvested in one year. 



Whilst in 1915 rice exports amounted to only three tons, in 1920 

 they had reached 135,000 tons, representing a value of almost 

 £6,000,000. Rice is largely consumed in Brazil mixed with beans. 

 mandioca, jerked beef, etc , which constitutes the national dish called 

 " feijoada." 



The exports for the last few years were : — 



1917 1918 1919 1920 



Kilos .. .. 41,638,860 27,915,708 28,422,957 134,553,680 



Value .. .. £1,327,730 £985,844 £1,220,749 £5,803,052 



Beans are considered cereals in Brazil. The black bean (" feijao 

 preto ") is the staple food of the masses and is grown every^^here. 

 The War has made Brazilian beans popular in most parts of the 

 world, especially the brown bean {" feijao mulatinho '"). For export 

 purposes beans are frequently sterilised with a view to killing any 

 insects which might reduce the value of the shipment in transit. It 

 is roughly calculated that Brazil produces annually the large quantity 

 of 350,000 tons of beans. The exports during the last few years were : — 



1917 1918 1919 1920 



Kilos .. .. 24,504,044 92,851,909 44,815,403 23,101,337 



Value .. .. £2,152,308 £1,089,284 £1,302,024 £569,292 



