BRAZIL 145 



Some beautiful fattening lands may be seen which have been 

 formed in the manner described, and as grazing lands they are 

 hard to beat, carrying during the summer months as many as 

 two head of cattle to the acre, and averaging one beast to the 

 acre all the year round. During the winter months the grass goes 

 off to a certain extent, but makes quick headway with the 

 arrival of spring. These lands are all naturally watered, it 

 being a rare thing to see a well or dam constructed in any part 

 of the country, and being close to the federal capital have in- 

 creased in value very quickly. For the newcomer the prices 

 are a little high ; but many opportunities occur when land 

 can be bought at a reasonable rate. 



Next in importance to Minas, from a pastoral point of view, 

 come the States of Goyaz, Matto-Grosso and Parana, and in 

 an} 7 one of them the newcomer may find excellent opportunities 

 for investment. 



Being further inland, land is much cheaper, and, looking at 

 matters from a practical point of view, these are the best 

 States to invest in. Large tracts of open rolling downs, well 

 watered by running streams, can be purchased for next to 

 nothing ; but although the soil is of excellent quality, the 

 grasses are, generally speaking, very poor, owing to the fact 

 that the land has been burned for centuries, and the more 

 tender grasses exterminated. Land can be bought at from 2/- 

 to 5/- per acre, according to the distance from the railways, 

 and, economically worked, can be improved at about 4/- per 

 acre. As in the State of Minas, burning the grass off when 

 thickly covered, and then sowing the grass seed, has been 

 until now the most popular way, but this is not to be recom- 

 mended. The best way is to run the plough lightly over the 

 land, say, to a depth of four inches, harrow it, and sow im- 

 mediately, during the months of September, October, Novem- 

 ber, and December, which are the rainy months, and Natuie 

 does the rest. The native grasses have very superficial rots, 

 and, when turned over by the disc, which is the best for the 

 purpose, become extinct, as after the first shower of rain either 

 jaragua or gordura come away quickly and choke out any 

 few remaining plants. The grass sown in September, that is, 

 provided that the seasons are normal, can be grazed by Decern- 



