The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-11-22
Great Areas of Undevel-
oped agricultural and
Timber Lands
FOOD PRODUCTION
BEING PUSHED
Close of War Has Crippled the Rubber
Industry and People Turn to Other
Natural Resources - Warm Feeling
for American Business.

PARA, Mouth of Amazon River. Oct |
20 ASSOCIATED: !. Press business condi- |
tons in the Amazon valley are beginning
to recover from the disturbance of COM
merce caused by the war. Rubber es-
tate owners, and business men generally, |
realize that. the, competition of Oriental
plantation" arllbberr which has forced the
market prices6fs that article down to about
the actual cost. of gathering wild ANA
ION rubber is reallya blessing III disguise,
since it is bringing about the development
of the other natural resources left I'M
touched SO long as rubber monopolized
all attention ia the valley. Foodstuffs
that used to be. imported from abroad, or
from other parts of Brazil, are now being
raised locally.
A party headed by Henry S Fleming
of New York, which has been investigat-
ing the commercial possibilities of the
Amazon valley, has returned to this city
after a two-months' tour of the Amazon
and some of its principal affluents, nearly
5000 miles of rivers being covered in the
| course of the trip. Mr. Fleming is re-
| ceiver of an American company with ex-
| tensiye docking, shipyard, and navigation
property at Para
The main river was assembled for over
2 500 miles, as far as Iquitos, Peru, and.
| also the Javary, Purus, Negro, Xingu,
| Maju, Tocantnns and other rivers for vary
| ing distances. \ vast amount OF valu-
able information and data has been gath
cred as a result, which is being placed
! free of charge at the disposal OF American
manufacturers importers, exporters and
others interested in the development OF
/ the Amazon valley. Many inquiries have
recently been made by Americans seek
ing information regarding lands available
for cattle raising, grain growing, and min
erals, which indicates an awakening in
terest in the United States in regard to
1 Ti4e Amazota country. 49, $50
According te dir Fleming the most en-
co,:raging sign noted on the trip was the
increase in the production of foodstuffs
of all kinds Aandioca corn. sugar-cane
rice, beans. bananas, melons. fruits OF
many species. and occasionally tobacco
and cotton, have been planted in small
atehes along the river banks near the
towns and settlements Before the wal
practically all ioodstuffs had to be i'm
ported as the wages paid rubber gatherers
was so high as to make labor unavailable
FOR agricultural work Most of this plant
ing is done on the low-lying banks o
rivers, and at least two crops of corn
beans. mandioea. etc, are gathered be
tween floods
One OF the staple products most affect
| I'd by the rubber boom was cacao. VIE,
labor was attracted by the lure of higl
wages, most OF the large cacao plantation
Lad to be abandoned: today they are beini
cleaned and restored and new trees arr
being nlanted.
Local cotton men are optimistic as t
he future of the Amazon cotton. which
is said to be OF excellent quality and loni
staple There are large, immense areas o
the Amazon valley suitable for cotton
growing, and in many places, notabl,
Iauitos PERM. Santarem. Monte Allegro
this is now being produced in increasin
/ Quantities. Last year was the first tina
any concerted effort was made to grow
cotton. but the idea seems to have takel
on with many landowners
The Amazon valley is said to be tn
Greatest undeveloped region III the worl
today, on every side there are natura
resources OF immense value. with commes
eial possibilities. which are as vet ur
4 touched The soil is said To be extraord
narilv fertile The forests oFer woods !
{ inexhaustible variety, many of them cab
? net woods of rare value. OF vegotahl
G oil n,ts. n tenth mart only is known to th
e outside world. Raisins. gums sniees. M
J. slicinal plants. fbres abound. IN mint
o variety Kapok grows along the bank
/, ri the main rivers but not ponrd Of
: is exnorted to the United States. althouq
America imported 7000.00o pounds las
> wear from FAR away Java There are nil
erali2ed areas said to contain COAL iror