Piece goods form the bulk of the cotton, manufactures imported, and most of these are classed as colored goods, which include both goods made with dyed yarn, usually known as colored goods and piece-dyed goods. Other piece-good imports, in the order of their value, are printed, bleached, and gray goods, espe cially of cotton and wool mixed cloths for trousering, Women's skirts, etc. In addition to piece goods the other chief imports of cotton manufactures are cotton yarn, hosiery, lace handkerchiefs, bed covers, blankets, cotton flour bags, haberdashery, duck and canvas, ready-made clothing, ribbons and tapes, and towels. Heretofore the trade of the United States was confined chiefly to cotton flour bags, yarn, duck and canvas, with a small amount of ready-made clothes, gray drills, madapollams and candle wicks. But since the beginning of the European War this country has made extraordinary gains, especially in the exports -of bleached, unbleached arid colored cloths, knit goods and yarns. The increase in the value of each of this class of goods in 1915 16 as compared with 1914-15 is as follows: bleached cloths from $11,612 to $225,716;• un bleached cloths, $178,179 to $578,663; colored cloths, $14,344 to $796,786; knit goods, $169,572 to $1,686,512; yarns, $475,528 to $2,183,809, while the total of all cotton goods increased from $1,064,265 in 1914-15 to $6,495,724 in 1915-16. This shows a gain in one year of $5,431,459, or 510 per cent.
There is considerable land in Paraguay very productive and well adapted to cotton raising, but the lack of labor, the lack of a home market, high freight rates abroad and the fact that other crops pay better have tended to restrict cotton production. What little cotton there is made is grown partly from the indigenous tree cotton, which bears for sev eral years without replanting and yields a strong fibre about one and one-fourth inches in length, and partly from imported Ameri can seed which gives a fibre one and three sixteenths inches long and is whiter in color than the indigenous cotton. Prior to 1870 about 43,000 acres were cultivated in cot ton. Since that date, as a result of the war in which the country had been engaged, cotton culture has been neglected. In 1905, 18,893 pounds were exported; in 1906, 13,018 pounds, and in 1907, 19,092. The total crop during these years averaged about 51,000 pounds. Ex periments during 1915 were carried on with American seed and under the direction of an experienced American planter, the results being very satisfactory. There are no cotton manu factures in Paraguay and prior to 1914 the cotton goods trade was divided between Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and France, the rank of each being in the order named.
Cotton is not grown in Uruguay, and there are only two or three small cotton weaving mills with some 300 looms. There is also a small but increasing number of knitting machines for making hosiery. The products of the weaving mills consist of plaid flannelets, known as tartan, a good grade of khaki, Turk ish towels, common strips and checks and a small amount of fancy goods. There are no available statistics of the imports of cotton goods or the origin of the same, but a recent report of the United States Department of Commerce shows that the imports of cotton goods for the first six months of 1916 were valued at $967,933. The value of cotton goods
exported to Uruguay in 1914-15 from the United States amounted to $126,054, and in 1915-16 to $870,613, an increase in value of $744,559, or 590 per cent. The value of bleached, unbleached and colored goods in creased from $20,279 to $145,307; knit goods from $25,609 to $377,810; and yarns from $14, 444 to $133,067.
Brazil.— It has been estimated that there are sufficient and available lands in Brazil to pro duce 40,000,000 bales of cotton; and yet, com pared with such possibilities, it contributes a very small share to the cotton commerce of the world. The crops fluctuate from year to year, but in spite of the increasing demand for home consumption, and high protection, production shows little tendency to increase. The tariff on Imported raw cotton, 7.27 cents a pound, is the highest in the world, the next highest beIng Russia with 7.22 cents a pound, Peru with cents and Mexico with 1.74 cents.
The unprogressive state of cotton culture is said to be due to the fact that cotton is grown in small patches by small farmers, who till the lands by the most primitive methods, and who have neither the money nor the knowledge to adopt more advanced systems; also, to the lack of transportation facilities. Again, another drawback is the uncertain and irregular rain fall, which is often excessive at the fruiting period and at other times fails entirely, result ing in prolonged drought. •Cotton can be raised practically in all parts of the country, but the states producing the largest crops (in the northeastern section) are, in the order of their importance, about as follows: Pernam buco, Parahyba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceara, Alagoas, Maranhao, Sergipe, Sao Paulo, Minas Geraes and Bahia. The Pernambuco cottons are in general of long staple, and the arboreous Peruvian varieties predominate. The varieties most cultivated are known locally as quebra dinho, creoulo, caiana and governo, especially the first two, both of which are tree-cotton. The crop of this state ranges from 150,000 to 250,000 bales. The states of Parahyba and Rio Grande do Norte are ranked after Pernambuco in cotton production. The tree cotton of these states gives the largest yield and will bear six to eight years. Sea-island cotton also gives good results. The Maranhao cotton ranks second only to the famous sea-island. The varieties most cultivated are the Peruvian and some varieties of herbaceous; the creoulo, que bradinho and the governo being mostly es teemed. The highlands produce cotton trees that bear for 8 or 10 years, and are often 20 feet or more in height. The sandy lands of the state of Ceara produce an excellent cotton, the fibre of which is strong, flexible and silky; the salt marshes produce the acclimated sea-island, and also tree cottons that bear regularly for periods up to 10 years. The herbaceous varie ties produce cotton in three to four months. The small state of AlagOas in proportion to its size produces more cotton than most of the other states. In the state of Sergipe the her baceous cottons predominate, but there are also some of the longer-staples grown. The herba ceous cottons take six months and the tree cot tons nine months to bear.