The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1916-06-29
Rio de Janeiro and Brazil
By ]. L. w.
(Continued from last Week)

ne river negro, Wnlcn nOWS lnto the
Amazon, is as black as ink. 1t is sight
to see its waters mingling with those of the
Amazon below the city of Manaos, a thou
sand miles from the Atlantic. The ANA
zon is yellow, and the two streams move
side by side in great yellow and black
stripes, before the black is swallowed up by
the Mother of Waters. The only cities of
any size on the Amazon river are Para and
Manaos, which monopolize the trade of the
whole Amazon Valley. The city of Para
is at the mouth of the river, and it has
direct steamship connection with the United
States and Europe. Para is city of about
900, 900 people, it has fine public buildings.
1t has picturesque streets lined with tropi-
cal trees. 1t has well-shaded parks and
open squares. Its streets are we'll paved
and the private dwellings are surrounded by
beautiful gardens. 1t has electric cars, a
good waterworks and is lighted with electric
ity.
Manaos is 1000 miles up the Amazon
from Para. 1t has a population of about
rs, 900. 1t is in the heart of the Amazon
wilderness but the biggest steamers come
right up to its wharves. The river is wide
and deep all the way, and after leaving
Para there is practically nothing but forest
on each side of the waterway. And some
of the state buildings at Para are equal in
size and beauty to any in Brazil. The
theater cost $4,000, 900. The town has
fine schools; it has museums and fine
public library. There are hospitals and
infrmaries. recreation grounds and parks
and gardens. The streets are we'll paved.
There are electric street car lines and many
automobiles which seem to whirl thru the
streets without regard to any speed limit.
During my stay in Rio de Janeiro be-
came acquainted with a DR.. Edwin Smith,
who was an American by birth and educat
ed in Ohio, and became medical mission
airy, and who has sanatorium at Rio that
provides the methods of treatments used at
Battle Creek. The sanatorium had then
people from all parts of Brazil. In
connection with it is a college and an in
dustrial farm. The colony owns consider
able land, which it is farming with Ameri-
can machinery. 1t has dairy and owns a
large herd of Jersey cattle. His company
has large publishing house in Rio, and it
| 10 10
of South America. DR.. Smith has been
connected with the sanatorium for many
years. He has travelled all over the larger
part of Brazil and Argentine Republic. and
is we'll posted on farming conditions.
asked him as to the value of land. Said he:
'This country is not bad for American
colonists. 1t is in its beginning, and land
will steadily increase. think it is safe to
say that farm-lands bought to-day will be
worth double their present prices within a
short time. Good lands can be bought
for $40 an acre or less, and the government
has colonization departments where persons
can take the land and pay for it in regular
yearly payments without interest. The
lands are usually sold in 250--acre lots.
There are number of colonies. They are
mostly composed of Europeans. Some of
the first settlers were Russians and Italians,
who received the land at the nominal cost
of ST an acre. The Russians have used the
old-style farming common in Russia.
Many of them hold the lands in common,
dwelling in villages and going from there
to work their lands. There are Russian
| villages which have three or four thousand
people. The Italians live on there farms
and are growing rich. Many came to
Brazil with nothing, and the government
had to feed them. They were given lands
and at first built shacks or lived in dugouts,
like our early settlers of Kansas and Me-
braska.
To-day some of these men own as much
as 1000 acres, and their homes have the
comforts of modern life. There are also a
number of American colonies, and many
are becoming rich thru cattle and hogs, as
stead of shipping it to market. There are
millions of sheep and cattle on ranges in
Brazil. The animals can feed out-of-doors
all the year round. There are grain-lands
that will raise many millions of bushels of
wheat and corn. The grain is mostly
shipped to the United States and Europe.
But the yield of corn does not compare
with that of the United States or Argen-
tine. But this is due to no care being
used in seed selection or in proper cul-
tivation. But the government is increasing
the number of experimental fields on the
lands belonging to the farmers, and is car
rying on demonstration work somewhat
like that of the United States and Argen-
| tina
The fact is Brazil has all sorts of climates,