PART II.

THE ARGENTINE AS AN AGRICULTURAL COUNTRY.

I. AGRICULTURE 125

NATURAL CONDITIONS——THE CONSTITUTION OF PROPERTY——The three principal agricultural districts——The northern, central, and southern districts——The division of crops and their varieties.

The constitution of rural property——The division of property——The great estates, called “estancias,” and their size.

The drawbacks of large properties——The necessity of a better subdivision of the public lands——The division into lots of large tracts of land, in order to encourage colonisation——The system of exploiting property.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION——The progress realised in last seventeen years——Comparative yield of the chief products, wheat, flax, and maize——Lucerne; the importance of the crop and the excellent results obtained.

Increase of the area under seed——The total area cultivated in the agricultural years 1908-1909——The great agricultural belts.

The Province of Buenos Ayres, its agricultural development and its crops——The Province of Santa Fé——The Province of Córdoba—— The Territory of the Central Pampa.

Agricultural machinery, its importation from abroad, and especially from the United States.

THE AGRICULTURAL YIELD——The yield of the soil in the different Provinces——Exceptional results in certain districts——Detailed calculation of the yield of a wheat farm——Two instances of great wealth realised by immigrants to the Argentine.

II. THE PRODUCTION OF WHEAT IN THE ARGENTINE COMPARED WITH THE YIELD OF OTHER EXPORTING COUNTRIES 154

The world’s wheat-harvest——Comparison between the statistics of consumption——The conditions of production in Russia and in the Argentine——Comparison with the United States, India and Canada——The prospects of the Argentine export trade in wheat.

III. STOCK-RAISING 162

The transformation of the old “estancia”——The principal stock-raising establishments; description, extent, number of heads of cattle and favourite breeds——The great “estancias” of the South and Patagonia.

Approximate area of the soil devoted to cattle and sheep; general estimate of the numbers of cattle and sheep——Results of the census of 1908.——The capital represented by Argentine stock-raising.

IV. THE VALUE OF THE SOIL 174

Difficulties in estimating this value——Principal factors of valuation——Examples taken from lucerne fields and the forests of quebracho——Despite adverse circumstances, and with a few exceptions, there has always been a tendency for the price of land to rise——Alienation of lands acquired by conquest from the Indians; their enormous present value——The rise of value dates from 1902, and has hitherto continued without relapse—— The causes of this rise, and its rational principles, according to an authoritative opinion.

Examples of valuation drawn from the sales of public lands——The rise of prices in the Provinces of Buenos Ayres, Córdoba, Santa Fé, and the Pampa, with figures indicating the prices realised in some large recent transactions.

V. AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES 187

SUGAR-CANE——Area of plantations——Statistics of production—— Legislation affecting sugar——Consumption.

VINES——Area of vineyards planted——Production, consumption—— Imperfect quality——Competition of foreign imports.

TOBACCO——Area of plantations——Value of the product——Defective preparation.

THE MULBERRY——The culture of the silk-worm might be established in the Argentine, but at present exists only in an experimental condition.

MATÉ——Large consumption of this product.——Statistics of foreign importation——Districts suitable for its growth.

COTTON——Physical conditions proper to its growth——The first favourable results in the Argentine——Its introduction into Chaco——Lack of manual labour for the development of this industry.

RUBBER——Existence of rubber plants in the Argentine——An unexploited source of wealth.

ARBORICULTURE——On account of the diversity of the climate, all fruit-trees can be grown in the Argentine——The various fruits cultivated in different regions——Amelioration of the products. The trade in fruit——Its development possible on account of the inversion of seasons as compared with Europe—— Refrigeration applied to the transport of fruit——Regions particularly suitable for fruit-growing.