From: Lins, Brazil
29 March 1928

Honored Editor Brandt!

Since the 4 March, I have been receiving the Staats-Anzeiger on a regular basis. It keeps me up to date. It became a dear friend of mine, whom I do not want to be without. Tuesday evening Alexius Fenrich brought me an edition of the Staats-Anzeiger that I read with great joy that my brother Rochus Ternes, near Raleigh, N. D. had paid for a whole year’s subscription for me. For that I am most grateful.

Since 8 January, we have the rainy season here and it rains daily. But before this time, there was a long period of drought, so that the early beans and rice dried up. This is also the reason that the price for a sack of beans rose from 20 to 180 mill and for rice from 600 milreis up to one mill. The rapid rise in value for these products points to the fact that there is no surplus of these items. It is not possible to store them because of various varmints and pests. The husks of the Welsh corn are not peeled as in the Northern States, so that the insects cannot readily damage the kernels.

Now I would like to write a few words about the various types of ants. They constitute the biggest pest here and cause much damage. Especially damaging is the kind that piles up big heaps of soil that settle after a rain and form big holes in the ground. Then there is the migrating type of ants. They move across the ground like a stream and also come into people’s homes. I have had them in the house twice. Usually, after two hours they leave again. One may not disturb them, or they get worse. They also shred clothes and carry the pieces into the holes. One tries various ways to exterminate them, but with little success. There are anteaters here, which feed on the ants. The ants also render the land useless.

While I was writing these lines, a neighbor dropped by and brought me my newspaper from the post office and a nice calendar from Editor Brandt, for which I sincerely thank him.

From the reports I read in the Staats-Anzeiger, one can conclude that the people in North America live better than the people here.

Recently I also read the report by Mr. Friederich Strohmaier from Akkerman, Bessarabia, in which he writes that the women there partake in a crazy fashion too. In that respect it is not any better here. The powder puff and the lipstick find ample application by the fairer sex.

On 8 January, I planted Welsh corn. On 25 March, we were roasting new corn and also feeding the hogs with it. As a result of ample rain, the Welsh corn grows fast in the sandy soil, but so do the weeds.

In May of 1927, twenty families arrived here from Lithuania and found employment on our plantation. These people wore heavy, warm winter clothes and boots, even during the summer. People here were amazed about their healthy appearance and strong physique. You do not find this type of people in Brazil.

Right after the coffee harvest they moved away from here. Our manager did not want them to leave and threatened them with a revolver. They were not the least bit afraid and told him that they had seen bigger revolvers before. They moved to the city to seek employment in the factories.

My neighbor, Jakob Gruber, is waiting for a free ticket from his brothers in Canada, going on seven months now. He does not understand why they let him wait so long. They should write their brother about this in detail.

Further, I would like to ask readers who know the address of Mathias Winter to forward it to the Staats-Anzeiger.

In closing, I greet my brother and family, all friends, and the valued editorship.

Heinrich Ternes