The farmer and mechanic., 1915-09-28

one-third more than her North Ameri- |
can sister. She will give five litters of |
pigs every two years. Our average is |
less than six pigs to the litter. here
the average is eight or nine. rms
means that one SOW will have forty |
pigs in two years, and not only that,
but the first litter will be producing
pigs before the end Of that time In
deed, the breeding proposition is
something like that of the Australian
rabbit. We are trying to improve the
pigs Of Brazil. We are introducing
keep growing from its birth until 1t
weighs two or three hundred pounds
During our conversation Mr.. Mac
kenzie showed me number OF pho-
tographs Of cattle taken upon his
ranches in Parana, Sac Paulo and
MattO Crosse. The native stock or
Matto Crosse consists of fine big long,
horned animals-far better, I should
say, than the native Texas breed. He
showed me also some of the Here
| fordS they are now raising On the
Parana ranch. They look as we'll as
any young stock / have seen in the
| States. Among other pictures was one
| Of a zebu bull. These have been i'm
| ported from India and they are used
! largely here as a cross with the native
| stock They are vicious, however, and
| they run so largely to lean meat that
| they are not good as cross for ex-
porting. The Brazilians like lean
meat, and for this reason the zebus
| have become quite popular IN many
| parts of the country.
Mr. Mackenzie showed me some
photographs Of the cowboys of the
big ranch not far from Sac Pau1o.
The most Of them were barefooted
Brazilians, and their bronchos were
mules. The methods Of taking care
Of the cattle on that ranch were the
same as ours. It is different in the
more remote parts Of the country
There the boyboys limit themselves
to visiting the ranches only now and
then. They watch the cattle carefully
. at breeding time, and the calves are
immediately separated from the COWS
The calves are shut up in corrals ano
. the COWS brought in to feed them
, morning and evening. In the fa1
: north the cattle ARE lassOed. In Rio
, Grande the cowboys use the bolo. IL
some places the animals are branded
+ In others they are marked by cut
9 ting their ears in such way that the!
I can be known. Eacn fazenda has it
/. own cut or mark. The cowboys OF tn
I great plants of GoyaZ and other cen
r trail states are dressed in leather from
y head to foot. In some places the,
, are paid by being given a share of tn
p production.
e The completion of the railroad t
n the highlands of Matto Crosse will
:. | make a great difference in the hand
n ling of the cattle. The stock will b
: fattened on the ranches and carrie
G on the cars to the packing houses
e Now there are practically no packin
o houses and the cattle are driven over
It land to the market. The distanc
h ranges from 900 to 1000 miles, an
t. it requires many weeks to make i
d The most of the animals are Wild an
some of them are loaded with pro
ducts and made to pay their passae
-, as freight animals Much of the wa
is through the woods, where the CT
- of panther may stampede the who
r drove. Sometimes it is through tn
10 swamps which become quagmires
IT the rainy season, SO that the anima
~ wade breast-deep through the mu
=, The average number in q drove
20 cattle is from 1000 to 1000, and tt
"a owners sometimes lose a whole dro>
- on it's way to the market. When IL
"a animals arrive they are often livir
IA skeletons, and have to be fattened b
"A fore they can be sold.
"a In some parts of Brazil there a
an cattle fairs to which animals from {
parts of the country are driven. The
O are two of these in the state Of Min
Geraes and others in other province
&c Buyers go from Rio Janeiro to the
.s fairs to buy animals for the municip
" slaughter houses. They have to ke'
H. a large number Of animals on hal
be for the reason that cold storage
+ lacking. This is SO in most Brazili;
IL cities. In Rio about 400 beasts a
no killed dailyto supply the demand. T
re animals bring different prices, accOr
iii ing to the season and the locality
we some parts of Matto Crosse a tW
on year old steer is worth from SIS
1st $40, while q. saddle OK will bring frc
he SIS to S25. In the state of Goyaz
ed five-year-old steer Or OK is valued
from $40 to $40, and in the little sta
to of Plauhy an OK may sell for from
to $40.
re During the past two years cat
-, have praafIv ,,cop IN r-o1,o 80 ~