Brazil, a field rich in possibilities for the cattle industry, has been a cattle country, although not a meat exporting one, since early colonial times. For the past year the new meat export business has received the special attention of Brazilian officials, business men, and economists. The only existing census of the herds in the republic sets their total at 30,000,000, but the number is undoubtedly larger than that. It is thought that not only the rolling plains of southern Brazil, which border upon Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, but also a vastly more extensive central and tropical highland region, may prove in time to be valuable cattle ranges. In these states are vast lands still undevoted to agriculture. Frost is practically unknown there. A special pasture adapted to the Brazilian soil and climate grows there all the year round and keeps the cattle constantly in fit condition.

The administration revenue bill, designed to raise $350,000,000 through special taxes and bond issues, passed the United States Senate by a vote of 47 to 33, and was signed by President Wilson. The bill provides that $175,000,000 of the taxes collected under it, and under the revenue bill of last year, shall "constitute a special preparedness fund" to be used in army, navy, and fortifications expenditure. Strong objection was made to the excess profits tax feature of the bill, which placed a tax of 8 per cent on the net profits of corporations and joint stock companies when they exceed $5000 a year and are more than 8 per cent of the capital invested. A second important feature will increase the present tax on estates 50 per cent. This tax will range from 1½ per cent on net estates over $50,000 to 15 per cent on estates over $5,000,000.

Colombia has worked out a comprehensive road system intended to facilitate highway traffic and to connect interior points with railways, ports, and commercial centers. Much interest in road construction has also been shown recently in the neighboring countries of Venezuela and Peru, and there is a certain similarity between the completeness of the Peruvian plan and that of the project passed by the Colombian Congress. The extension of roads will cover practically the whole of Colombia. The best routes have been selected, and their maintenance provided for. To provide a special fund for this road construction a surtax of 5 per cent will be levied on all imports. In addition to this fund the toll tax, which has been collected on certain roads, will continue. Other assistance may be granted by legislative bodies to petitioners for roads when requests are accompanied by satisfactory details and estimates.

Congress has passed, and Secretary Lane has recommended to President Wilson that he approve, the act under which surplus lands in Indian reservations will become subject to settlement and entry, notwithstanding that they may be withdrawn as coal lands or may be valuable for coal deposits. These lands heretofore have not been subject to agricultural entry for the reason that there was no law under which entrymen might acquire title to the surface thereof with reservation of the coal deposits to the Government. The present act provides for such agricultural entries and for the issuance of patents to entrymen with reservation of the coal, and the right to mine the same, to the Government. This act will open to entry several hundred thousand acres of land in Indian reservations.

Since colonial times Boston and New York have been linked by the Boston post road. Up to the introduction of the railroad, it was the only means of land communication between New England and New York. Automobile associations and others are interested in urging that it be reconstructed into a concrete road, as concrete has proven both satisfactory and economical for use as a road-bed. The plan now urged to effect this object is the formation of an Interstate Commission comprised of state officials of New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, as well as auxiliary members from boards of trade of the cities traversed by the road.

A company has recently been formed in New Zealand, with a capital of £70,000, for the purpose of producing iron and steel from magnetic and titaniferous iron sand, of which there is a large deposit on the coast of Taranaki, near New Plymouth, North Island. Works are being erected at this place. The present intention is to install a furnace capable of dealing with seventy tons of iron sand weekly, but plans have been drawn for the installation later of an additional furnace capable of dealing with 200 tons weekly. The production of steel is also contemplated.

Income tax collections in the second or down town district of New York, N. Y., are expected to amount to $66,000,000 for this year. The collections for the same district last year were less than $24,000,000; the year before about $15,000,000, and in 1914 less than $14,000,000. It is calculated that when the time for filing returns closes, 55,000 individuals and 29,000 corporations will have presented their statements. The large increase in revenue from this source over previous years is accounted for in pat by the fact that the rate has been increased.

A state wide tree planting campaign has been started in Kansas, in which the State Agricultural College and the state forester will cooperate. A series of meetings to encourage the planting of trees will be held at various community centers over the state. Care will be taken to advise the residents of the different localities to plant only trees which are able to grow best there. A second series of meetings will be held early in April, when the actual tree planting is to be done.

There was more fog during 1916 than in any previous year for which records have been kept, according to figures compiled at the various signal stations for the United States Bureau of Lighthouses. The greatest fog was at the San Francisco light vessel, where there was a murk for 2221 hours during the year, more than one quarter of the time. The highest record on the Atlantic coast was at Egg Rock, Maine, where 2043 hours of fog were recorded, equivalent to about 23 per cent of the year.

After eight years of investigation, the United States Department of Agriculture says it has discovered the secret of making Roquefort cheese. Instead of limestone caves in which French Roquefort cheese is ripened, department experts are using ordinary refrigerators, and for the expensive goat's milk used in the French process they are substituting cow's milk. After further experiment at the department station at Grove City, Pa., the process will be turned over to American cheese makers.

The first meteorological station in Ecuador was established in October, 1915, at the Quinta Normal (Agricultural School) near Ambato. Substations are now established at twelve other places, and all are in charge of the director of the Quinta Normal, where the data are computed and reduced to tables each month. Twenty-five more substations are to be installed and equipped.

Out of the total of approximately seventyfive thousand adult males in Arizona, thirty thousand are employed directly in mining and ore reduction, says the Tucson Citizen, and many thousands of additional men are employed in the industries for which mining is directly responsible. Almost forty million dollars is paid annually in wages to the men employed underground.

The Peruvian Government has adopted new provisions for agricultural loans, Congress having passed a law on this subject which provides for loans to farmers and stock raisers on agricultural implements, sawmills, live stock, meat and dairy products, fruits growing or harvested, timber and lumber.

The Standard Oil Company of the United States, it is reported, will seek indemnity for the destruction of its oil properties in Rumania at the time of the German invasion of that country.

The two principal items invoiced at the American Consulate at Basel, Switzerland, for the United States during 1916 were aniline colors and schappe (spun silk), their values being $2,046,990 and $2,031,462 respectively.

The third forecast of the cotton crop in Burma for the season of 1916-17 gives 212,007 acres under cotton in the ten districts that make regular returns. The total yield for the province is estimated at 43,504 bales.

During 1916 there were 17,358,144 coconuts, valued at $697,763, invoiced at the American Consulate at Colon, Panama, for the United States.

The exports of ball bearings from the Goteborg (Sweden) consular district for the United States for 1916 were invoiced at $1,367,761.

Approximately 95,000 tons of sulphur were produced in Japan during 1916, of which 75,000 tons were exported.

The so-called Chinese rice paper is made from the pith of a tree growing in Formosa.