MINERAL IZEsouncEs. Brazil is probably the richest country in minerals in the world: but scarcity of population and en pit al together with restrictive mining legislation. are in the way of an active development of the country's possi bilities. It is estimated that no less than $600. 000,000 worth of gold had been exported from Brazil prior to 1320, one-half of which came trom the State of Minas Genies, which is to Brazil more than California and Pennsylvania together are to the United States. Formerly there were extensive surface diggings of gold and diamonds, but they have been mostly ex hausted. At present gold-mining is carried on to a limited extent in the States of Minas I :ernes and Bahia, mostly with the aid of Brit ish capital. The production, which is steadily increasing, reached $2,500,000 in 1900. The same two States yield alumni 40,000 carats of diamonds a year. The total production since their discovery in 1723 is estimated at 12,000, 000 carats, valued at $100,000,000.
Gold and diamonds do not by any means ex haust the mining wealth of the country. The less precious minerals, such as iron, lead, cop per, zinc, manganese, and quicksilver, also abound; hut the mining of these metals is im peded by lack of cheap fuel and labor. Several attempt, have been made in recent years, not only to mine iron and other ores, but to smelt them and even convert them into the finer manufac tured products; but most of the smelting-wo•ks, blast-furnaces, and rolling-mills had to shut down on account of the difficulties mentioned. Some bituminous coal is mined in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catharina. and lignite in some of the other States; but neither the quality nor the quantity is such as to encourage mining on a large scale. _larble and other valuable building stones are found in abundance. Rock salt, phos phate of lime, kaolin. and hot mineral springs add to the natural mineral wealth of the country.
Only a small portion of the surface of Brazil is under cultivation. This is in great measure due to the unfertile character of the country as a whole, large tracts being wholly unproductive or subject to long-continued droughts. Again the agricultural population is small, as a rule. and the farms and planta tions are tilled in a very primitive manner. In many parts the gathering of forest products is preferred. The must profitable crops—coffee and sugar—naturally have the largest areas -devoted to them, tobacco and cotton coming next. The coffee-plant is most extensively grown in the States of Rio (le Janeiro, Geraes, and Silo Paulo. but can be grown in nearly every part of Brazil. The annual yield increased from 1,600,000 bags (of 132 pounds each) in 1590 to 11.000.000 in 1900. Nearly all the coffee used in the United States comes from Brazil. which is the largest coffee-producer in the world. The Atlan tic States yield the supply, especially Bahia and Pernambuco. Cotton of excellent quality is
produced in every State, but Pernambuco and :Nlaranhao are said to he best fitted for it. The tobacco is inferior to that of the West Indies. The greater part of the tobacco exported is grown in Bahia. iNlaize is one of the leading products of Geraes and S5o Paulo, but not enough is raised for home consumption ; and the same is true of rice. The small grains do not flourish. Among the more common food products are sweet potatoes, yams, beans, and the farina prepared front the root of the manioc or cassava (q.v.). Cacao is grown in northeastern Brazil. and the holly, or ilex, which yields the mate (q.v.), or Paraguay tea, is cultivated to some extent in the extreme southern States, where it is in digenous. Pumpkins, squashes, cabbages, okra, tomatoes, onions. cucumbers. and other vege tables are raised. The raising of cattle and the breeding of horses give occupation to many in the southern State of Rio Grande do Sul. Although Brazil has many kinds of durable woods, timber for making railroad-cars is im ported from India. Large quantities of salt fish are brought from the United States, when Brazil might easily supply her needs by improving her own fisheries.
Long occupying a subordi nate place as compared with agriculture, min ing, and the collecting of forest products, manu factures are becoming more important. They are taking the natural course of development, those industries thriving most which are de voted to the manufacture of goods from the nat ural agricultural and mining products of the country. Thus, the textile industry is the most important, cotton spinning and weaving taking first rank, followed by woolen manufactures. There were more than 150 cotton-factories at the end of the century, scattered all over the coun try, the majority and most important of them being located in the States of Rio de Janeiro, Geraes. and Sao Paulo. The same is prac tically true of the location of the woolen-nulls, whose number, however. is small. Sugar-relin ing is the next industry in importance. In the States of Bahia and Pernambuco and else where the refining of sugar is extensively car ried on by the diffusion process, and in remote districts by somewhat primitive methods. Sev eral kinds of rum are distilled in the sugar dis tricts. and cigar-making is an important indus try. The smelting of metals, the manufacture 01 steam-engines and agricultural tools, the tan ning of leather and working of hides, and the manufacture of salt. straw hats, soap, and can dles employ many hands, and within recent years the list of artificial products has been length ened by the addition of paper, calicoes, powder and dynamite, glass, wines, beer, cotton-seed oil, castor-oil, wax matches, and sulphuric acid. Ship building is carried on in several parts.