222 BRAZILIAN COTTON 



long fibre, as has been pointed out repeatedly at the World's Cotton 

 Congresses. The U.S.A., the largest supplier in the world, has evidently 

 come to the extreme limit of its capacity. The high wages ruling there 

 make the growing of cotton unremunerative and we were told on the 

 authority of the President of the Cotton Farmers' Union that the 

 American cotton farmer would no more continue to allow his wife and 

 children to work in the fields. With such fantastic ideas it cannot be 

 expected that there will be an increase in the cotton acreage of the 

 U.S.A. The boll-weevil is still forging ahead in the Cotton Belt of the 

 U.S.A., so much so that there is hardly any Sea Island cotton left, and 

 of late there has been an invasion of the j^ink boll worm. 



Those European countries that have Colonies in Africa and Asia 

 are using every effort to introduce or to extend cotton growing in their 

 Colonies, where it is frequently necessary to have recourse to expensive 

 irrigation works and to teach the people the value of work. All this 

 is done in the sure expectation that cotton will again be in great 

 demand as soon as the world's conditions have become once more 

 normal. 



Brazil possesses all the natural possibilities. In the States of Sao 

 Paulo and the North you have land which yields much more than the 

 best cotton lands extant : the climate is also suitable and the area 

 which can be planted with cotton in Brazil is larger than that of any 

 other country. As the fruits of the reforms suggested in this paper 

 will not appear immediately, but will take ."^cme time to mature, it is 

 necessary that you take immediate steps and not wait until this great 

 demand for cotton is at hand. As I have pointed out, unless you set 

 to work at once with regard to seed improvement and the control of 

 ginneries your cotton growing industry is bound to deteriorate from 

 year to year. 



As it has not been possible for us to visit the remaining cotton 

 growing States in the North, from Ceara to Para, I shall have much 

 jileasure to suggest to my Committee that a similar Mission be sent 

 next year to do this work, if your Government should desire it to be 

 done. 



I avail myself of this opportunity of expressing publicly the 

 gratitude of the International Cotton Mission for the cordial reception 

 and hospitality which you have shown to them in all parts of your 

 country. I have travelled in many countries, but never have I come 

 across such good-hearted people, so generous, as I found them in 

 Brazil : especially in the Serido I met with real touching cordiality 

 from both rich and poor. 



Finally, I express our deepest sense of gratitude for the hospitality 

 which was dispensed to us by the Governments of the various States 

 which we visited. We stood in need of nothing. Our sincere thanks 

 go out especially to the Federal Government, with which I couple the 

 name of His Excellency, the Minister of Agriculture, for attentions and 

 favours which were granted to us by the Government through the 

 Cotton Department by the Superintendent or his Delegates in the 

 various States ; we greatly appreciated the advantage of having one of 

 the Agricultural Staff accompanying us on our journey. For all these 

 amiabilities pray accept our profound gratitude. 



