220 BRAZILIAN COTTON 



different zones. However, this principle must be strictly adhered 

 to — " to plant only one variety in each district and this must be 

 pure." 



In the course of our journey we were able to learn that the j^ink 

 boll worm has not done great damage this year and that some planters 

 have overcome the ravages of this plague by spreading the seed out in 

 the sun during a few hours prior to jjlanting. In order to preserve the 

 heat, it is recommended to mix sand and charcoal with the seed. In 

 the North a new insect has appeared, '" Nysius erlcoe, Schill ; of the 

 family Lygoeldae, sub-order Heteropteroe — order Hemiptera." It is 

 commonly called " Perseveio "' (in Portuguese " bug '") owing to the 

 strong smell emanating from it, which is very much like that of the 

 common bug. Many farmers hold the opinion that this new insect is 

 a natural enemy to the pink boll worm, but as it is not a carnivorous 

 insect, this can hardly be the case. So far as is known, little damage 

 has been done. The best way of getting rid of these insects, which 

 appear in large numbers, is to cover the cotton that has been picked 

 with a cloth and in a short time the insects will collect on it. 



The States which offer possibilities for an immediate development 

 on a large scale are Rio Grande do Norte, Parahyba and Sao Paulo. 

 I have already spoken of the Serido district and its environments and 

 therefore need not say anything further about Rio Grande do Norte 

 and Parahyba. Sao Paulo, due to its rich soil and phenomenal 

 yields, will certainly produce larger quantities and it seems to me that 

 a good many of the old coffee plantations will be turned into cotton 

 plantations when the price of the latter has again become more lucra- 

 tive to the grower. In the North one generally hears the ojDinion that 

 Sao Paulo is unable to produce anything but short cotton, which idea 

 Is erroneous. I have seen on the plantation of Mr. Manoel Guedes at 

 Tatuhy cotton up to 32 mm. length, and an acre there gives at least 

 2| times as much as in the U.S.A. : 28/30 mm. is quite common in 

 Sao Paulo. 



Sao Paulo must and can easily satisfy all the requirements of the 

 mills in the South of Brazil. It seems to me a useless loss of money 

 expended in freight on the cotton that is brought from the North to 

 Rio and Santos : not only is it a question of freight and insurance but 

 also the export taxes payable to the States of Parahyba and Pernam- 

 buco. Sao Paulo can produce a good fibre of sufficient length to sj^in 

 yarn such as the Brazilian mills turn out. Minas and Bahia also can 

 easily supply with their own cotton all that the mills in these States 

 require. A shipper of cotton told me that he had sent one lot from 

 Sao Paulo to Germany and that his cotton was used there for spinning 

 32's, whilst in Sao Paulo the same cotton was used for spinning 18"s. 

 It seems to me that generally the Brazilian mills are using cotton of 

 too good a quality for their low counts. 



The exportation of cotton from the State of Sao Paulo can only be 

 taken in hand when the local mills have been supplied and when a 

 proper system of classification, such as exists in the North (Recife, 

 Parahyba and Natal) has been introduced. The Euroi^ean buyer 

 refuses to accept mixed cotton : uniformity of fibre and clean 

 lots are essential factors. 



