Cattle-raising was
once a flourishing industry on the island of Marajo, at the mouth of
the Amazon, and it is followed to some extent at Alemquer and other
points along the Amazon, but the cattle are small, and commonly in bad
condition. In southern Bahia the industry has been nearly extinguished
through increasing aridity and droughts, but in the state of Rio de
Janeiro the planters are increasing their herds. Minas Geraes produces
cheese, butter and milk, as well as beef cattle for neighbouring
cities. Matto Grosso classifies cattle-raising as a principal
industry, but under present conditions the accessible markets are too
small for any large development. In Rio Grande do Sul, where it has
attained its greatest development, about 400,000 beeves are
slaughtered annually for the manufacture of jerked beef (_xarque_),
beef extract, &c. Little attention has been given to sheep in Brazil
except in the southern states, and even there the flocks are small.
They were to be found in Ceara and Piauhy in colonial times, and small
flocks are still to be seen in the latter state, but no use is made of
their wool, and the market for mutton is extremely limited because of
popular prejudices. Woollen manufactures have been established in Rio
de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. The exportation of wool
amounted to 1,130,160 lb. in 1906. Goats have been found highly
profitable in many of the middle Atlantic states, where the long dry
seasons render the campos unsuitable for cattle pasturage. The export
of goat skins from these states is large. Swine do well in all parts
of the country, especially in Minas Geraes, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro,
Parana and Rio Grande do Sul, and domestic pork and lard are slowly
supplanting the heavily-taxed foreign products.

Although the coast and river fisheries of Brazil are numerous and
valuable, cured fish is one of the staple imports, and foreign
products are to be found even along the Amazon. In the Amazon valley
fish is a principal article of food, and large quantities of
_pirarucu_ (_Sudis gigas_) are caught during the season of low water
and prepared for storage or market by drying in the sun. This and the
collection of turtle eggs for their oil, or butter, are chiefly Indian
industries, and contribute largely to the support of the native
population of that region. Along the coast the best known fisheries
are among t