DEPARTMENTS, CLIMATE, AND NATURAL HISTORY
The nineteen divisions of Uruguay--Their populations, areas,
towns, and industries--Canelones--Florida--San
José--Durazno--Flores--Colonia--Soriano--Rio
Negro--Paysandú--Salto--Artigas--Tacuarembó--Rivera--Cerro
Largo--Treinta y
Tres--Rocha--Maldonado--Montevideo--Climate--Favourable
conditions throughout the Republic--The Atlantic coast line--The
summer season--Pleasantly tempered heat--A land of cool
breezes--Its attractions as a pleasure resort--Climates of the
interior and of the north--Draught--Locusts--Comparative immunity
of a pastoral country--Uruguayan fauna--Some common creatures of
the Campo--Bird life--The ostrich--Its value as a commercial
asset--The trade in ostrich feathers--Measures for the protection
of the birds.
A list of the nineteen departments of Uruguay with their more salient
features will go far towards explaining in detail the various areas,
populations, and resources of the Republic.
Canelones, situated in the midst of the departments of Montevideo, San
José, Florida, Minas, and Maldonado, with a coast-line upon the River
Plate, possesses an area of 4,751 square kilometres. It is one of the
most populous departments, containing over ninety thousand
inhabitants. Three railway-lines connect the district with Montevideo.
Its chief towns are Guadeloupe, Santa Lucia, Pando, and Las Piedras,
each of which contains some eight thousand inhabitants. Canelones is
mainly devoted to pasture, agriculture, viticulture, and general
fruit-growing.
Florida is situated directly to the north of Canelones. Its area is
12,107 square kilometres and its population fifty thousand. Two lines
of railway connect it with Montevideo. The chief town is Florida, the
capital of the department, a city of ten thousand inhabitants. Until
recent years Florida has been almost altogether given up to the
pastoral industry; but of late agriculture has made great strides.
San José is situated to the west of Canelones, and likewise possesses
a coast-line on the River Plate. Its area is 6,932 square kilometres;
population about fifty thousand. The department is connected with
Montevideo by two railway lines. The principal town is San José de
Mayo, with a population of just over twelve thousand inhabitants.
Rather more than half the department is made up of rich pasture-lands,
although the agricultural districts are increasing. In addition to
fruit-growing and viticulture, the timber industry of San José is
important, consisting of wood both for building purposes and for fuel.
Durazno, to the north of Florida, is the most central department in
the Republic, and contains a population of fifty thousand inhabitants.
It is connected by a railway line with Montevideo, and its chief city
is San Pedro del Durazno, whose inhabitants number eleven thousand.
The department is essentially a pastoral one, and is especially well
watered, being served by the Rivers Negro and Yi, and by countless
tributaries and smaller streams.
Flores, situated to the west of Durazno, contains twenty thousand
inhabitants. Almost half this number are residents of the capital,
Trinidad. Flores is not yet served by a railway, and it is probably
for this reason that so many of its districts, admirably adapted for
agriculture, still remain essentially pastoral. In Flores is a very
curious grotto, sustained by natural arches and columns, that has
been the source of much geological controversy.
Colonia is the richest and most important department of all in the
Republic. Lying to the west of San José, it has the advantage not only
of railways but of a lengthy coast-line on the River Plate.
Agriculture here has attained to a high pitch of development, and
dairy-farming constitutes one of the most important industries of the
department. Fruit culture and viticulture are in an equally advanced
condition, while the quarrying of building stone is now being
energetically carried on. In Colonia is situated the Swiss Colony, the
inhabitants of which apply themselves to agriculture and
dairy-farming.
Soriano lies to the north of Colonia, and its western boundary is
likewise washed by the waters of the river--no longer the River Plate,
but the Uruguay. The area of the department is 9,223 kilometres, and
its population rather exceeds forty thousand. Soriano is connected by
railway with Montevideo. Its chief town is Mercedes, the population of
which amounts to ten thousand inhabitants. The principal industry is
pasture, although agriculture and general fruit-growing is carried on
to a certain extent. Timber, charcoal-burning, and stone-quarrying are
responsible for a certain amount of labour. A fair quantity of
minerals such as iron, silver, copper, and lead is met with here.
Rio Negro is situated on the Uruguay River to the north of Colonia.
Its area is 8,470 kilometres and its population twenty thousand. The
department is now in the act of being linked up with the main centres
by railway. Its capital is Fray Bentos, a town celebrated as one of
the chief centres of the manufacture of meat extract, with a
population of seven thousand inhabitants. Rio Negro is essentially a
pastoral province, and is the chief centre in the Republic for the
breeding of live stock, which attains here to an exceptionally high
grade of quality. Rio Negro is one of the most favourably situated
departments as regards water communication. In addition to its 120
kilometres of coast-line on the Uruguay it possesses 200 kilometres of
river frontage on the River Negro.
Paysandú bounds Rio Negro to the north, with a lengthy frontage on the
Uruguay River. Its population is forty thousand, of which twenty-one
thousand inhabit the capital, Paysandú, the second town of importance
in Uruguay. The area of the department is about 14,000 square
kilometres. Paysandú is connected by railway both with the capital and
the northern centres. Its industries are chiefly pastoral and
agricultural, and a number of meat-curing establishments exist.
Salto is the neighbouring province to the north upon the River
Uruguay. It contains an area of 12,500 square kilometres and a
population of rather over fifty thousand. Its chief town is Salto,
that in actual size is said to exceed that of Paysandú, numbering as
it does rather over twenty-two thousand inhabitants. The department is
served by railway. The principal industry is that of pasture. The
department, moreover, is one of the chief wine-producing centres of
the Republic. Salto is rich in minerals, and quartz and precious
stones are met with in fair quantities here.
Artigas is the northernmost province on the Uruguay as well as in the
Republic. Its area is 11,300 square kilometres, its population thirty
thousand. Its capital is San Eugenio, situated on the Brazilian
frontier, a town of nine thousand inhabitants. The railway runs as far
as this point, and thus serves the length of the province. Artigas
contains many districts notable for minerals, and is well endowed
with precious stones such as the amethyst and topaz. Owing to the
northern situation of the department grazing and agriculture are
carried on to a lesser extent than in the majority of others. The
variety of timber is important here, hard woods being found as well as
the softer varieties.
Tacuarembó is situated in the northern centre of the Republic. That is
to say, its frontiers extend from the centre to within a comparatively
short distance of the Brazilian frontier. The department is the
largest in Uruguay, its territories extending over more than
twenty-one thousand square kilometres. Its population, however, does
not exceed fifty thousand, and it is thus the most sparsely inhabited
department of the country. It is served by a railway. The principal
town is San Fructuoso, which possesses eight thousand inhabitants.
Tacuarembó is for the most part devoted to agriculture. Tobacco
flourishes in the province, and recent experimental rice plantations
have met with a fair amount of success. Gold and manganese are met
with in various districts.
Rivera is bounded on the south by Tacuarembó and on the north by
Brazil. It is a fairly extensive department containing comparatively
few inhabitants, but the precise figures of neither the one nor the
other seem available. The chief town of the department is Rivera, a
city situated on the Brazilian frontier that has a population of ten
thousand. The industries of Rivera are similar to those of Tacuarembó.
The gold mines here are of considerable importance, and are in active
working. The department is served by railway, Rivera being the
northernmost Uruguayan point of the line from Montevideo.
Cerro Largo is situated on the south-east of Rivera, and is bounded on
the north-east by Brazil. The area of the department is nearly fifteen
thousand square kilometres; population about forty-five thousand. Its
capital is Melo, a town of fourteen thousand inhabitants. It is the
terminus of a recently constructed railway-line, the entry of which
into the country has had the effect of benefiting local commerce to a
considerable extent. The principal industry is pastoral, but, in
addition, a certain amount of agriculture is carried on.
Treinta y Tres, which lies to the south of Cerro Largo, possesses an
area of 9,550 square kilometres and a population of thirty thousand.
It has not the advantage of being served by any railway, although this
will shortly occur. The principal town is Treinta y Tres, whose
inhabitants are about eight thousand in number. Up to the present time
the pastoral industry predominates here, that of agriculture being
scarcely known. It is anticipated, however, that the coming
development of the province will alter this condition of affairs. The
department is well wooded, and the timber industry here is an
important one. Treinta y Tres is bounded on the east wholly by the
great Lake of Merin, upon the further shore of which lies Brazil.
Rocha, to the south of Treinta y Tres, is also bounded for the great
part of its eastern frontier by Lake Merin, although a small portion
of Brazil and a long stretch of Atlantic Ocean complete its boundaries
in this direction. The department contains an area of eleven thousand
kilometres and a population of forty thousand. It is not traversed by
a railroad. Its chief industry is grazing; but in some districts
viticulture is in an advanced state. The seal fishery affords an
important revenue, and the mineral products of the country are
considerable. Copper, gypsum, alabaster, marble, and jasper obtain in
considerable quantities. The chief town is Rocha, a centre of
unimportant size.
Maldonado is situated on the Atlantic Ocean, to the west of Rocha.
Its extent and population are not officially given. In a short while
the department will be adequately served by the railway, which has
already entered its frontiers. Like the great majority of the
departments it is principally devoted to pasture. A certain amount of
agriculture and wine-growing obtains, and in the southern districts
much timber has been planted. The seal fishery in the neighbourhood of
Lobos Island, off its coast, is important. The capital of the
department is Maldonado, a small coastal town.
Minas, to the north of Maldonado, has a population of about sixty
thousand. In addition to its pasture and agriculture, the department
is exceptionally well endowed with minerals. The capital is Minas, a
city of fourteen thousand inhabitants, that forms the terminus of the
railway-line from Montevideo.
The department of Montevideo constitutes the small extent of territory
in the neighbourhood of the capital itself, a considerable portion of
which is taken up by the outer suburbs of the main town. The country
in the neighbourhood here is very fertile and highly cultivated.
There is probably no climate in South America that offers greater
attractions than that of Uruguay. Throughout the Republic the
conditions are favourable; but it stands to reason that those which
obtain upon the coast-line facing the Atlantic are the most ideal of
all. The climate in these neighbourhoods is essentially temperate, and
may be likened to that of the Riviera of France, without, however,
suffering from the occasional winter frosts and intense summer heat
that characterise this latter seaboard. Nevertheless the winter
temperature of the Uruguayan littoral when a southern wind is blowing
can be quite as keen as is compatible with comfort.
As is the case in the majority of temperate countries, there is no
accurately defined rainy or dry reason, although the rains are wont to
be far more abundant in the winter months. The heat of summer in the
south-eastern provinces is very seldom oppressive; indeed, one of the
most striking characteristics of the warm season is the continuance of
the refreshing and bracing airs that temper the heat, and that render
midsummer itself as enjoyable as the delightful spring months. The
climate of Buenos Aires is distinctly pleasant, but, so far as the
summer season is concerned, the difference between that of the
capitals of Argentina and Uruguay is curiously marked, when it is
taken into consideration that not more than 120 miles of water
separate the two. The exceptionally pleasant conditions that prevail
on this portion of the Oriental coast are acknowledged by none more
readily than by the Argentines, who flock there in great numbers for
the purposes of bathing and general climatic refreshment in January
and February.
The wind-swept uplands of the interior are favoured in a similar
degree when compared with the districts of the other countries in
corresponding latitudes. In the northern provinces upon the Brazilian
frontier the increase in the normal temperature is, of course, very
distinctly perceptible, and for the first time the vegetation gives
undoubted evidence of an approach to the tropics.
[Illustration: STREAM ON THE SAN JUAN ESTANCIA.
To face p. 272.]
In consequence of this temperate climate that it enjoys the natural
plagues of the Banda Oriental are few. Drought, although it occurs
from time to time, cannot be looked upon as a genuinely characteristic
chastening influence of the land. The visitations of locusts
constitute a more serious matter. These, as in the case of the
neighbouring countries, occur in cycles, and the periods marked by the
presence of the small winged creatures with the insatiable
appetites are unpleasant enough for the agriculturalist. Owing to the
great pastoral predominance in Uruguay, however, the country in
general suffers far less than one more devoted to the production of
cereals. With the spread of agriculture that is now in progress the
question is likely to become more serious. But by the time that a
reasonable proportion of the Republic has been brought under
cultivation it is possible that one of the many plans that are
continually being brought forward for the extermination of the locust
curse may have taken effect. Nevertheless, too much reliance is not to
be placed upon this very desirable consummation.
The great majority of Uruguayan fauna are identical with those of the
River Plate countries in general. The animals most commonly to be met
with in a journey through the Campo are the carpincho, a large,
tailless water-hog; the nutria, a creature that closely resembles a
gigantic rat, although its hind feet are webbed; the skunk, the
opossum, the iguana, and the armadillo.
In the region of bird life the larger varieties most in evidence are
the carancho, a cross between a vulture and a hawk; the chimangu, a
smaller carrion-hawk, and a kestrel-hawk with brown body and bright
grey wings. Far rarer are the large grey eagle, and the cuerbo, or
black vulture. Heron of various species are very plentiful.
Of the smaller birds the teru-tero, a variety of crested plover, is by
far the most numerous, although certain districts exist in which the
duck and teal run them a close second in point of numbers, while
partridge and martineta are to be met with in abundance in others.
Amongst the more gorgeous winged specimens of the country are the
flamingo, parrot, woodpecker, humming-bird, and the little black
pecho colorado with its brilliant scarlet breast. Both the scissor
bird and the _viuda_ (window) bird are aptly named. The former
rejoices in a very long, divided tail; the latter is of a pure white
colour with a well-defined black border to its wings. The "bien te
veo, bicho feo" is a mocking-bird whose call closely resembles the
phrase by which it is known, and the ornero, or oven bird, is so
called from the curious structure of its mud nest. The small owl, too,
is a notable inhabitant of the Campo, as are the dainty miniature
doves. But to enter fully into the animal life of the Banda Oriental
would require a book in itself; therefore it is necessary to be
content with a list of the varieties most commonly to be met with.
In dealing with the category of birds I have purposely left the
ostrich to the last, as that particular biped stands, as it were, in a
class of its own. The _Rhea Americana_ represents a commercial asset
of no little importance, and the grey companies of these rather
awkward-looking creatures are carefully watched now as they strut
solemnly to and fro over the pastures. The feathers, it is true,
cannot as a rule rival in quality those of the African bird, although
occasionally some very fine specimens are to be met with. Indeed, it
is said that the large, specially selected feathers are sold at prices
that range from fifteen dollars to twenty-five dollars the kilo. The
great majority of the coarser feathers are of little value, and are
employed for dusting brushes and such similar purposes.
That the commerce in these ostrich feathers is of no little importance
becomes evident when the shipments of the article are considered. In
1908 the exports of these to France, the United States, Spain, and
Germany amounted to fifteen thousand kilos, while in 1909 they had
increased to twenty-five thousand kilos. The numbers of the ostriches
themselves, however, have tended to decrease of late years, and it is
estimated that at the present time there are not more than fifty
thousand in the country. Realising the danger incurred by this
diminution, the Government is now taking measures towards the
protection of these very useful birds, and there is no doubt that
judicious legislation will cause their number to increase once more.