RIO LECTURE 215 



material, which a little foresight and organisation would have raised in 

 your own country. 



Picking.— A considerable los.s to the grower and to the country at 

 large results from the careless picking of the cotton crop. In the course 

 of my journey I had the opportunity of verifying by means of an actual 

 transaction between Parahyba and Liverpool, the differences of prices 

 obtained for one and the same quality of cotton, some of which was 

 clean, some dirty, and some of medium grade. Tlie respective prices 

 were 5-42d. for dirty, 7-92d. for medium, and 10-42d. for clean cotton. 

 I was also told by Boxwells that out of 800 odd bags in one lot there 

 were only 28 bags which they could classify as clean. The price for 

 the latter would be 20% above the average. 



It is very easy to pick cotton clean, and comparatively little more 

 trouble is necessary to obtain the above price difference. Each picker 

 should have two sacks — one for clean cotton and the other for dirty 

 cotton, dead fibres, etc. Many farmers think tliat dead fibres and 

 extraneous substances increase the weight of cotton and consequently 

 the profit. This is a capital error, as I have shown in the above actual 

 transaction. It is really a pity to see how your people reduce the value 

 of the fibre through carelessness in the picking. 



In Bahia and generally in the North trade has established a 

 difference in price of 50% between clean and dirty cotton, and 

 in Parahyba it is almost impossible to find a buyer of dirty cotton at 

 any price. Thus the farmers will learn to pick their cotton clean at 

 the expense of a considerable reduction in the price. In Sao Paulo 

 and Minas the difference between clean and dirty cotton is not suffi- 

 ciently high, which undoubtedly accounts for the dirty condition in 

 Avhich the cotton is picked. 



8erid6 cotton comes into competition with Egyptian cotton. I 

 saw how in Egypt children and women whilst picking cotton took into 

 their mouths those parts containing leaves and dry substances and by 

 suction separated the foreign matter from the lint. This shows how 

 much care is bestowed upon clean picking in Egypt. 



On my journey through the North I noticed that women picked 

 better than men and they understand better what constitutes the 

 quality of cotton. This is probably due to their occupation of spinning 

 by hand, a process which is still carried on in many parts of the Interior. 



Cotton must not be picked whilst the dew is still on it. Cotton 

 must be dry, as damp cotton cannot be ginned satisfactorily. It is 

 likewise prejudicial to leave the bolls too long open before picking as 

 two or three clays of hot sun cause the fibre to lose strength. Should 

 it rain during the picking season, it is imperative to gather the cotton 

 as soon as it becomes dry, otherwise the exposure to the sun after the 

 wet burns the fibre. 



Markets. — The market buildings existing in almost all the 

 municipalities might be used for the sale and purchase of cotton. In 

 this way the farmers would receive a better price. The bales would be 

 weighed on official scales and when one farmer sees that his neighbour 

 receives due remuneration for the greater care in the picking, seed 

 selection, etc.. he will undoubtedly emulate his example. These 

 markets would receive the current prices from the neighbouring places 



