BRAZIL 105 



able, and the matter is put through with as little delay as 

 possible. Land values range from 1/6 per acre on the high 

 country to £3 per acre on the deltas of the Alto Paraguay, which 

 is excellent land free of disease. 



Mr. Black states that the natural grasses of Brazil are not 

 very good on account of the periodical burning-off they have 

 been subjected to, but it is an easy matter to improve the 

 pasture. The climate and soil, on the whole, are not suitable 

 for alfalfa (lucerne), but a good substitute is found in the native 

 grass jaragua. This grass, apparently, is a great drought resister, 

 and is wonderfully prolific, easily carrying a beast to the 

 acre. To establish this grass, it is only necessary to burn off 

 the rank grass during the rainy season, and then scatter the 

 seed, which is very light and easily obtained. The seed 



germinates immediately after rain, and the young plants are 

 very fast growing. The first growth of jaragua is left until it 

 seeds, which it does very prolificly. When the seed has been 

 shed, the grass is heavily stocked with cattle, and is well tramped 

 down. The stock are then taken off and the grass is burned 

 off. The young grass comes away again very quickly, and when 

 about 9 inches high, is again stocked heavily, and from then on 

 is never allowed to grow higher than eight or nine inches. After 

 about two years of stocking, this jaragua grass undergoes a 

 change, stooling out instead of growing straight up. It also 

 becomes finer, and can be cut for hay, yielding heavy crops. 

 It is the main stand-by, but another useful grass is angola, a 

 very hardy grass, drought resisting, but not quite so heavy 

 carrying as jaragua. Mr. Black considers that both these grasses 

 would do splendidly in Australia. 



The Rio Grande do Sul is the only province of Brazil which 

 has so far gone ahead in the cattle-raising business, chiefly on 

 account of its proximity to Uruguay and Argentina, where good 

 bulls can be obtained at a reasonable price. The rest of Brazil, 

 according to Mr. Black, is on the brink of rapid development. 

 The basis of cattle breeding is the native herds, which are 

 descendants of Spanish cattle run wild. The importations being 

 made are chiefly Shorthorns, which nick well with the native 

 cattle. Texas fever is the only disease that troubles cattle in 

 Brazil, but it only affects imported cattle, native herds being 

 naturally immune. It is now, however, only a question of the 

 Government arranging to have the imported stock inoculated to 

 remove all risk. 



