Evening star., 1915-11-28

workers are Americans. The company
has altogether more than three thou
sand miles of track in the southern part
of Brazil, and more than four thousand
miles in active operation throughout
the republic. Among its plans are
roads to the westward which will unite
Paraguay and Matto Crosse with the
railroads of the east, and also
lands of the south. 1t expects to popu-
late the territories along its extern
sons.
In these movements both the national
assist. When Mr.. Farquhar got the
right to build the railway he was
given large concessions of lands for
colonization purposes from the several
states through which 1t passed. He
was awarded more than seven million
acres Of such lands in southern Brazil.
and it is these that the railway COM
pany expects to open up to settlement.
The lands are Of all descriptions. Some
are good for pasture, some for general
farming and some have forests of pine.
Already number of colonies have been
established. and there will be others as
soon as the world is again moving
along the paths of peace.
Notwithstanding the receivership. the
railway company is gradually complet-
ing its different undertakings. 1t has
already established packing house
here at Sac Paulo, which will eventu-
Matto Crosse. 1t has built a cold
storage warehouse at Rio, and the port
and harbor works in Rio Grande do Sui
are being constructed. I am told that
the Brazil Lumber Company, one of the
subsidiaries of the Brazil Railway Com
pany. is now arriving at paying stage
of It's development. This company deals
with the timber regions of southern
Brazil. The officials report that that
part of the republic has billions of feet
of fine lumber. and that the company's
mills are now saving out one or two
hundred thousand feet per day.
Much of the lumber is what is known
as the Parana pine. This tree grows to
a height of seventy-five feet. and the
trunk is as big around as flour bar
rel. 1t has no branches except at the
those of palm. forming a great in
verted umbrella of green. The wood is
of questionable value on account of
it's texture. 1t is soft and fbrous and
first cut. it is SO full of sap it will not
float. When dry. it loses 65 per cent
of its weight, but IL left out In the
open it absorbs the moisture, taking
in as much 20 per cent of it's weight
in single night.
The wood is good for interior work
only. 1t is almost free from rosin. ex-
cept at the top, where the branches
pentine found. When the trees are
felled these are sawed off. They make
a hot fire, and are used as fuel for the
engines. Each knob is the shape of a
cocoanut and quite large. A pile of
them looks like pile of cocoanuts.
x
AS to the colonization of Brazil and
the opening up of its undeveloped lands
for settlement. the country in many res
spects is where the United States was
forty or fifty years ago. and it's
growth will probably be along the same
lines. Fully one-half of the republic is
made up Of high lands. which have a
climate fitted for white men. There are
vast territories that VIII raise corn, wheat
and pasture. In climate and character the
whole OF southern Brazil is like the
Argentine Republic, and it is very much
like our southern states. In addition to
the grain lands, the country has large
territories that will produce cotton and
tobacco. I am told there are 10000
square miles that will grow cotton, and
that the country could raise rice for ex-
port.
1t is very questionable however,
whether any of the people of the United
States should emigrate to Brazil to en-
gage in farming. This is the belief of
many of the Americans who live here.