ARGENTINA FROM A BRITISH POINT OF VIEW
AND
NOTES ON ARGENTINE LIFE.
With Photographs and Diagrams.
EDITED BY
CAMPBELL P. OGILVIE.
LONDON:
WERTHEIMER, LEA & CO.,
CLIFTON HOUSE, WORSHIP STREET, E.C
1910.
PRINTED BY WERTHEIMER, LEA & CO., CLIFTON HOUSE, WORSHIP STREET, LONDON,
E.C
DEDICATED To _all_ THE SHAREHOLDERS OF THE SANTA FÉ LAND COMPANY,
LIMITED, _who take a real interest in the Company_.
PREFACE.
In May last I was asked to read, towards the end of the year, a paper on
Argentina, before the Royal Society of Arts. The task of compiling that
paper was one of absorbing interest to me; and though I fully realise
how inadequately I have dealt with so interesting a subject, I venture
to think that the facts and figures which the paper contains may be of
interest to some, at any rate, of the Shareholders of the Santa Fé Land
Company. It is upon this supposition that it is published.
Whilst I was obtaining the latest information for the paper (which was
read before the Royal Society of Arts on November 30th, 1910), several
members of the staff of the Santa Fé Land Company aided me by writing
some useful and interesting notes on subjects connected with Argentina,
and also giving various experiences which they had undergone whilst
resident there. I am indebted to the writers for many hints on life in
Argentina, and as I think that others will find the reading of the notes
as engaging as I did, they are now reproduced just as I received them,
and incorporated with my own paper in a book of which they form by no
means the least interesting part.
The final portion of the book--Leaves from a journal entitled "The
Tacuru"--is written in a lighter vein. It describes a trip through some
of the Northern lands of the Santa Fé Land Company, and it is included
because, although frankly humorous, it contains much really useful
information and many capital illustrations, I should, however, mention
that this journal was written by members of the expedition, and was
originally intended solely for their own private edification and
amusement; therefore all the happier phases of the trip are noted; but I
can assure my English readers that the trip, well though it was planned,
was not all luxury.
To the many who have helped me in this work I tender my most sincere
thanks.
CAMPBELL P. OGILVIE.
LAWFORD PLACE,
MANNINGTREE, ESSEX,
_December, 1910_.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
ARGENTINA FROM A BRITISH POINT OF VIEW 1
HISTORY OF THE SANTA FÉ LAND COMPANY, LIMITED 33
THE VALUE OF LAND IN ARGENTINA 45
REMARKS ON STORMS AND THE CLIMATE OF THE ARGENTINE 51
SOME EXPERIENCE OF WORKING ON ESTANCIAS 57
THE SOCIAL SIDE OF CAMP LIFE 69
CARNIVAL IN THE ARGENTINE 75
HORSE-RACING IN THE ARGENTINE 79
SUNDAYS IN CAMP 87
THE SERVANT PROBLEM IN ARGENTINA 91
POLICE OF A BYGONE DAY 97
A VISIT TO THE NORTHERN CHACO 107
WORK IN THE WOODS 119
CACHAPÉS, AND OTHER THINGS 125
MY FRIEND THE AXEMAN 131
DUST AND OTHER STORMS 141
LOCUSTS 147
CONSCRIPT LIFE IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 155
ACROSS THE BOLIVIAN ANDES IN 1901 161
PROGRESS OF THE PORT OF BUENOS AIRES 185
JUST MY LUCK! 193
"THE TACURU" 199
LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS.
FACING PAGE
CATTLE TRAIN ON CENTRAL ARGENTINE RAILWAY,
BRINGING CATTLE TO BARRANCOSA 39
LOADING WHEAT AT ROSARIO FROM THE "BARRANCA" 40
SAN CRISTOBAL ESTANCIA HOUSE 41
WATERING-PLACE AT BARRANCOSA 42
WOOD ON THE COMPANY'S OWN LINE READY FOR LOADING 43
LOADING TIMBER AT WAYSIDE STATION 44
WHEAT READY FOR LOADING AT STATION ON CENTRAL
ARGENTINE RAILWAY 48
THE MAKER OF LAND VALUES 50
TENNIS PARTY AT VERA 73
CARNIVAL AT VERA 77
"A DAY OF REAL ENJOYMENT" 90
SQUARE QUEBRACHO LOGS WORKED BY THE AXEMAN, SHOWING
RESIN OOZING THEREFROM 134
LOADING WHEAT AT THE PORT OF BUENOS AIRES 187
HORSES AWAITING INSPECTION 209
STACKING ALFALFA 210
ALFALFA ELEVATOR AT WORK 211
THE GREEN FIELDS OF ALFALFA 212
HERD OF CATTLE 215
EXPANSE OF ALFALFA 221
DISC-PLOUGH AT WORK 222
ROADMAKER AND RAILROAD BUILDER 223
PLOUGHING VIRGIN CAMP 226
HART-PARR ENGINE, DRAWING ROADMAKER 228
CATTLE LEAVING DIP 233
CROSSING THE SALADO 240
THE EFFECT OF A LONG DROUGHT 241
REFINED CAMPS 242
"RICH BLACK ALLUVIAL SOIL" 251
WATER KNEE-DEEP 265
QUEBRACHO COLORADO TREE 266
SLEEPERS AWAITING TRANSPORT AT VERA 267
TANNIN EXTRACT FACTORY 268
SOME OF THE HORSES 271
"AWFUL FLOOD" 276
ON THE WAY TO OLMOS 277
LIST OF DIAGRAMS.
FACING PAGE
IMMIGRATION RETURNS 2
AGRICULTURAL EXPORTATION 14
CULTIVATED AREA IN HECTARES 15
VALUE IN £ STERLING OF THE TOTAL EXPORTS OF
ARGENTINA, 1900-09 22
ARGENTINA FROM A BRITISH POINT OF VIEW.
Argentina, which does not profess to be a manufacturing country,
exported in 1909 material grown on her own lands to the value of
£79,000,000, and imported goods to the extent of £60,000,000. This fact
arrests our attention, and forces us to recognise that there is a trade
balance of nearly 20 millions sterling in her favour, and to realise the
saving power of the country.
It is not mere curiosity which prompts us to ask: "Are these £79,000,000
worth of exports of any value to us? Do we consume any of them? Do we
manufacture any of them? And do we send any of this same stuff back
again after it has been dealt with by our British artisans?" It would be
difficult to follow definitely any one article, but upon broad lines the
questions are simple and can be easily answered. Amongst the
agricultural exports we find wheat, oats, maize, linseed, and flour. The
value placed upon these in 1908 amounted to £48,000,000, and England
pays for and consumes nearly 42 per cent. of these exports. Other goods,
such as frozen beef, chilled beef, mutton, pork, wool, and articles
which may be justly grouped as the results of the cattle and sheep
industry, amounted to no less a figure than £23,000,000. All these
exports represent foodstuffs or other necessities of life, and are
consumed by those nations which do not produce enough from their own
soil to keep their teeming populations. Another export which is worthy
of particular mention comes from the forests, viz., quebracho, which, in
the form of logs and extract, was exported in 1908 to the value of
£1,200,000. The value of material of all sorts sent from England to
Argentina in 1908 was £16,938,872 (this figure includes such things as
manufactured woollen goods, leather goods, oils, and paints), therefore
it is clear that we have, and must continue to take, a practical and
financial interest in the welfare and prosperity of Argentina.
New countries cannot get on without men willing and ready to exploit
Nature's gifts, and, naturally, we look to the immigration returns when
considering Argentina's progress. To give each year's return for the
last 50 years would be wearisome, but, taking the average figures for
ten-year periods from 1860 to 1909, we have the following interesting
table. (The figures represent the balance of those left in the country
after allowing for emigration):--
Yearly Average.
From 1860 to 1869 (inclusive) ... 15,044
" 1870 " 1879 " ... 29,462
" 1880 " 1889 " ... 84,586
" 1890 " 1899 " ... 43,618
" 1900 " 1909 " ... 100,998
Sixty-five per cent. of the immigrants are agricultural labourers, who
soon find work in the country, and again add their quota to the
increasing quantity and value of materials to be exported. Facing this
page is a diagram of the Immigration Returns from 1857 to 1909.
Nature has been lavish in her gifts to Argentina, and man has taken
great advantage of these gifts. My desire now is to show what has been
done in the way of developing agriculture in this richly-endowed country
during the last fifty years. One name which should never be forgotten in
Argentina is that of William Wheelwright, whose entrance into active
life in Buenos Aires was not particularly dignified; in 1826 he was
shipwrecked at the mouth of the River Plate, and struggled on
barefooted, hatless and starving to the small town of Quilmes.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM OF IMMIGRATION RETURNS.
NOTE:--IN THE YEARS 1888, 1889 & 1890 THE ARGENTINE GOVERNMENT ASSISTED
PASSAGES.]
Mr. Wheelwright was an earnest and far-seeing man, and his knowledge of
railways in the United States helped him to realise their great
possibilities in Argentina; but, strange to say, upon his return to his
native land he could not impress any of those men who afterwards became
such great "Railway Kings" in the U.S.A. Failing to obtain capital for
Argentine railway development in his own country, Wheelwright came to
England, and interested Thomas Brassey, whose name was then a household
word amongst railway pioneers. These two men associated themselves with
Messrs. Ogilvie & Wythes, forming themselves into the firm of Brassey,
Ogilvie, Wythes & Wheelwright, whose first work was the building of a
railway 17,480 kilometres long between Buenos Aires and Quilmes in 1863;
afterwards they built the line from Rosario to Cordova, which is
embodied to-day in the Central Argentine Railway. Other railways were
projected, and this policy of progress and extension of the steel road
still holds good in Argentina.
The year 1857 saw the first railway built, from Buenos Ayres to Flores,
5,879 kilometres long; in 1870 there were 457 miles of railroad; in 1880
the railways had increased their mileage to 1,572; in 1890 Argentina
possessed 5,895 miles of railway, and in 1900 there were 10,352 miles.
The rapid increase in railway mileage during the last nine years is as
follows:--
In 1901 there were 10,565 miles of railway.
" 1902 " " 10,868 " " "
" 1903 " " 11,500 " " "
" 1904 " " 12,140 " " "
" 1905 " " 12,370 " " "
" 1906 " " 12,850 " " "
" 1907 " " 13,829 " " "
" 1908 " " 14,825 " " "
" 1909 " " 15,937[A]" " "
12,000 of which are owned by English companies, representing a capital
investment of £170,000,000.
In other words, for the last forty years Argentina has built railways
at the rate of over a mile a day, and in 1907, 1908, and 1909 her
average rate per day was nearly three miles. This means that owing to
the extension of railways during this last year alone, over a million
more acres of land could have been given up to the plough if suitable
for the cultivation of corn.
When William Wheelwright first visited Argentina it was little more than
an unknown land, whose inhabitants had no ambition, and no desire to
acquire wealth--except at the expense of broken heads. There was a
standard of wealth, but it lay in the number of cattle owned; land was
of little value, save for feeding cattle, and therefore counted for
naught, but cattle could be boiled down for tallow; bones and hides were
also marketable commodities; the man, therefore, who possessed cattle
possessed wealth.
The opening out of the country by railways soon changed the aspect of
affairs. The man who possessed cattle was no longer considered the rich
man; it was he who owned leagues of land upon which wheat could be grown
who became the potentially rich man; he, by cutting up his land and
renting it to the immigrants, who were beginning to flock in in an
endless stream to the country, found that riches were being accumulated
for him without much exertion on his part. He took a risk inasmuch as he
received payment in kind only. Therefore, when the immigrants did well,
so did he, and as many thousands of immigrants have become rich, it
follows that the land proprietors have become immensely so. It was the
railways which created this possibility, and endowed the country by
rendering it practicable to grow corn where cattle only existed before,
but many Argentines to-day forget what they owe to the railway pioneers;
it is the railways, and the railways only, which render the splendid and
yearly increasing exports possible.
In 1858 cattle formed 25 per cent. of the total wealth of Argentina, but
in 1885 cattle only represented 18 per cent. of the total wealth,
railways having made it possible during those thirty years to utilise
lands for other purposes than cattle-feeding. Let it be clearly
understood, the total value of cattle had not decreased; far from that,
the cattle had increased in value during the above period to the extent
of £48,000,000, and to-day cattle, sheep, horses, mules, pigs, goats and
asses represent a value of nearly £130,000,000. The following table
shows how great the improvement has been in Argentine animals:--
Per Head.
Cattle in 1885 were valued at an average of $13[B]
" 1908 " " " 32
Sheep in 1885 " " " 2
" 1908 " " " 4
Horses in 1885 " " " 11
1908 " " " 25
Notwithstanding these increased valuations per head, and the larger
number of animals in the country, the value created by man's labour far
outweighs the increased value of mere breeding animals.
Next to the railways the improvements in shipping have helped the
development of Argentina; the shipping trade of Buenos Aires has
increased at the rate of one million tons per annum for the past few
years, and the entries into the port form an interesting and instructive
table:
The following statement gives the total tonnage that passed through the
port of Buenos Aires from 1880 to 1909, and will more clearly show the
increase and advance made in the last thirty years. These figures
include both steamers and sailing-vessels, and local as well as foreign
trade:--
Tons.
1880 ... 644,750
1881 ... 827,072
1882 ... 995,597
1883 ... 1,207,321
1884 ... 1,782,382
1885 ... 2,200,779
1886 ... 2,408,323
1887 ... 3,369,057
1888 ... 3,396,212
1889 ... 3,804,037
1890 ... 4,507,096
1891 ... 4,546,729
1892 ... 5,475,942
1893 ... 6,177,818
1894 ... 6,686,123
1895 ... 6,894,834
1896 ... 6,115,547
1897 ... 7,365,547
1898 ... 8,051,045
1899 ... 8,741,934
1900 ... 8,047,010
1901 ... 8,661,300
1902 ... 8,902,605
1903 ... 10,269,298
1904 ... 10,424,615
1905 ... 11,467,954
1906 ... 12,448,219
1907 ... 13,335,733
1908 ... 15,465,417
1909 ... 16,993,973
In 1897, out of the total number of steamers that entered Buenos Aires,
viz., 901, with a tonnage of 2,342,391; 519, with a tonnage of
1,327,571, were British. Taking the year 1909 we find that 2,008
steamers and 137 sailing-vessels entered the port of Buenos Aires from
foreign shores with a tonnage of 5,193,542, and 1,978 steamers and 129
sailing-vessels left the port for foreign shores with a tonnage of
5,174,114; out of these, British boats lead with 2,242 steamers and 37
sailing-vessels, or say 53-1/2 per cent. of the total. Germany comes
next with 456 steamers and 2 sailing-vessels, or say 10-3/4 per cent, of
the total. Italy with 307 steamers and 67 sailing-vessels is next, and
then France with 264 steamers. The total number of steamers that entered
and left the port from local and foreign ports is 13,485, with a tonnage
of 14,481,526, and 20,264 sailing-vessels with 2,512,447 tons, which
make up the amount of 16,993,973 tons, as shown above.
In the year 1884 the experiment of freezing beef, killed in Buenos
Aires, and shipping it to Europe was first tried. That was successful,
but an immense improvement was made when the process of chilling became
the common means by which meat could be exported. The frozen beef trade
in Argentina has had a wonderful development; it commenced in 1884, and
the export of chilled meat has progressed steadily at the rate of 25,000
beeves yearly, until, in 1908, it reached the enormous quantity of
573,946 beeves, or 180,000 tons. Frozen mutton has remained
comparatively steady, and has only increased by 38,000 tons in
twenty-two years, or from 2,000,000 sheep frozen in 1886 to 3,297,667 in
1908, whilst "jerked beef," which was mostly sent to Cuba and Brazil,
has fallen from 50,000 tons per annum to 6,651 tons. The value of frozen
and preserved meats exported in 1908 was £5,233,948.
The value of live-stock in Argentina in 1908 was made up as follows:--
Cattle ... ... ... £82,000,000
Sheep ... ... ... 25,000,000
Horses ... ... ... 18,000,000
Mules ... ... ... 2,000,000
Pigs ... ... ... 1,368,000
Goats and Asses ... 1,000,000
A few years ago it was common on an estancia feeding 50,000 or 60,000
cattle to find the household using canned Swiss milk. To-day 425,000
litres of milk are brought into the city of Buenos Aires each day for
consumption, and no less than two tons of butter, one ton of cream, and
three tons of cheese are used there daily. Argentina also exports
butter. This trade has sprung up entirely within the last fourteen
years, and in 1908 she exported 3,549 tons of butter, the value of which
was £283,973.
Until 1876 Argentina imported wheat for home consumption; in that year,
when for many years past agricultural labourers had been arriving at an
average of 25,000 per annum, she began to export wheat with a modest
shipment of 5,000 tons. Thirty years later the export had mounted up to
2,247,988 tons, and in 1908 the wheat exported amounted to 3,636,293
tons, and was valued at £25,768,520. Agricultural colonies had sprung up
everywhere, and cattle became of second-rate importance; to-day the
value of the exports of corn, which term includes wheat, barley, maize,
oats, etc., is more than double that of cattle and cattle products. It
is interesting to follow the evolution wrought by labour, intelligence,
and capital in the prairie lands of Argentina. First, let us note the
developments on those wonderful tracts of splendid prairie lands lying
between the River Plate and the Andes: fifty years ago these lands were
of little account, and only a few cattle were to be found roaming about
them, but upon the advance of the railway they came under the plough,
and, without much attention or care, produced wheat and maize. After a
time improvements in the method of cultivation produced a better return,
and to-day a great deal of attention is paid to the preparing of the
land, and thought and care are given to the seed time, the growing, and
the harvest. When it is found desirable to rest the land after crops of
wheat and maize, etc., alfalfa is grown thereon. Alfalfa is one of the
clover tribe, and has the peculiar property of attaching to itself those
micro-organisms which are able to fix the nitrogen in the air and render
it available for plant food. Every colonist knows the value of alfalfa
for feeding his animals, but it is not every colonist who knows why this
plant occupies such a high place amongst feeding stuffs. Alfalfa is
easily grown, very strong when established, and, provided its roots can
get to water, will go on growing for years. The _raison d'être_ for
growing alfalfa is for the feeding of cattle and preparing them for
market, and for this purpose a league of alfalfa (6,177 acres metric
measurement) will carry on an average 3,500 head. When grown for dry
fodder it produces three or four crops per annum and a fair yield is
from 6 to 8 tons per acre of dry alfalfa for each year. A ton of such
hay is worth about $20 to $30, and after deducting expenses there is a
clear return of about $14 per acre.
The figures supplied by one large company are interesting; they show
that, on an average, cattle, when placed upon alfalfa lands, improve in
value at the rate of $2.00 per head per month, so it is easy to place a
value on its feeding properties. Thus, we will take a camp under alfalfa
capable of carrying 10,000 head of cattle all the year round, where as
the fattened animals are sold off an equal number is bought to replace
them. Such a camp would bring in a clear profit of $200,000 per annum,
and the property should be worth £175,000 sterling. An animal that has
been kept all its life on rough camp, and, when too old for breeding, is
placed for the first time on alfalfa lands, fattens extremely quickly,
and the meat is tender and in quality compares favourably with any other
beef. No business in Argentina of the same importance has shown such
good returns as cattle breeding, and these results have been chiefly
brought about by the introduction of alfalfa, and a knowledge of the
life history of alfalfa is of the greatest importance to the cattle
farmer. All cereal crops take from the soil mineral matter and nitrogen.
Therefore, after continuous cropping the land becomes exhausted and
generally poorer; experience has taught us that rotation of crops is a
necessity to alleviate the strain on the soil, and such an axiom has
this become that in many cases English landlords insist that their
leases shall contain a clause binding the tenants to grow certain stated
crops in rotation.
This system is known in England as the four-course shift. Knowledge
gained by successive generations of observant farmers has given us the
key to what Nature had hitherto kept to herself, and to-day we know why
the plan adopted by our forefathers was right, and why the rotation of
crops was, and is, a necessity. Men of science are devoting their lives
to the systematic study of Nature's hidden secrets, and by means of
Agricultural Colleges, as well as private individual research, these
discoveries are being given to mankind, and long before the soils of
Argentina show any serious loss of nitrogen from continuous cropping,
science will probably have established means of applying in a practical
manner those methods already known of propagating the
nitrogen-collecting bacteria which thrive on alfalfa, clover, peas, soya
beans, and other leguminous plants. Almost every country is now devoting
time, money, and energy to agricultural research work. In 1908 the
Agricultural College at Ontario prepared no less than 474 packages of
Legume Bacteria, and in 309 cases beneficial results followed from the
application thereof to the soil; in 165 cases no improvements in the
crops were noticed, this may, however, have been due to the want of
knowledge of how to manipulate the bacteria, or to lack of experience in
noting effects scientifically, but in any case the experiment must be
considered successful when the results obtained were satisfactory in no
less than 65 per cent. of the trials. No greater factor exists than the
microscope in opening up and hunting out the secrets concealed in the
very soil we are standing on.
If soils were composed of nothing but pure silica sand, nothing would
ever grow; but in Nature we find that soils contain all sorts of mineral
matter, and chief amongst these is lime.
Alfalfa thrives on land which contains lime, and gives but poor results
where this ingredient is deficient. The explanation is simple. There is
a community of interest between the very low microscopic animal life,
known as bacteria, and plant life generally. In every ounce of soil
there are millions of these living germs which have their allotted work
to do, and they thrive best in soils containing lime.
If one digs up with great care a root of alfalfa (it need not be an old
plant, the youngest plant will show the same peculiarity), and care is
taken in exposing the root (perhaps the best method is the washing away
of the surrounding earth by water), some small nodules attached to the
fine, hair-like roots are easily distinguished by the naked eye, and
these nodules are the home of a teeming, microscopical, industrious
population, who perform their allotted work with the silent, persistent
energy so often displayed in Nature. Men of science have been able to
identify at least three classes of these bacteria, and to ascertain the
work accomplished by each. The reason for their existence would seem to
be that one class is able to convert the nitrogen in the air into
ammonia, whilst others work it into nitrite, and the third class so
manipulate it as to form a nitrate which is capable of being used for
plant food.
Now, although one ton of alfalfa removes from the soil 50 lb. of
nitrogen, yet that crop leaves the soil richer in nitrogen, because the
alfalfa has encouraged the multiplication of those factories which
convert some of the thousands of tons of nitrogen floating above the
earth into substance suitable for food for plant life. As a dry fodder
for cattle three tons of alfalfa contains as much nutrition as two tons
of wheat.
The cost of growing alfalfa greatly depends upon the situation of the
land to be dealt with; also upon whether labour is plentiful or not;
but, in order to give some idea of the advantage of growing this cattle
food, we will imagine the intrinsic value of the undeveloped land to be
£4,000, upon which, under existing conditions, it would be possible to
keep 1,000 head of animals, whereas if this same land were under alfalfa
3,000 to 3,500 animals would be fattened thereon, and the land would
have increased in value to £20,000 or £30,000.
Now, if the undeveloped land is to be improved, it becomes necessary
either to work it yourself, with your own men, in which case you must
provide ploughs, horses, bullocks, etc., or to carry out the plan
usually adopted, that of letting the land to colonists who have had some
experience in this class of work. Usually a colonist will undertake to
cultivate from 500 to 600 acres, and agrees to pay to the landowner
anything from 10 per cent. to 30 per cent. of his crops according to the
distance of the land from the railway. The colonist brings his
agricultural tackle along with him, and establishes his house (usually a
most primitive affair), digs his well, and then proceeds to plough. In
this work the whole family joins; the father leads the way, followed by
the eldest child, and all the others in rotation, with the wife bringing
up the rear; she keeps a maternal eye upon the little mite, who with
great gusto and terrific yells manages somehow to cling to the plough
and to do his or her share with the rest. Is it to be wondered at that
work progresses fast under these conditions? There is but one idea
prevalent in the family, namely, that time and opportunity are with
them.
The first crop grown on newly-broken ground is usually maize; the second
year's crop is linseed, and perhaps a third year's crop--probably
wheat--is grown by the colonist before the land is handed back to the
owner ready to be put down in alfalfa. The colonist's cultivation of the
land will have effectually killed off the natural rough grasses which
would otherwise grow up and choke the alfalfa. Sometimes the alfalfa is
sown with the colonist's last crop, and in such cases the landowner
finds the alfalfa seed, and during the sowing of this crop it is very
advisable that either he or his agent should be in constant attendance,
because the after results greatly depend upon the care with which the
seeding has been done. When the colonist's contract is completed he
moves on to another part, and the owner, who has year by year received a
percentage of the crops, takes back his land. Considerable outlay has
now to be made in fences, wells, and buildings; the more there are of
these the better, the land will carry a larger head of cattle and the
control of them is easy when the camp has been properly divided.
The colonists are generally Italians. They are an industrious and kindly
people, hardy and quiet, well content with their surroundings, careful
and frugal in their living, and many thousands could go back to their
own country with wealth which has been acquired by constant and
assiduous attention to the economies of life.
It has often been said that an Englishman will starve where an Italian
will thrive, and in some respects this is true; but it would be better
expressed if it were stated that an Italian can adapt himself to
circumstances better than an Englishman. At the same time, I doubt if an
Italian would come off best were the two placed on a desert island where
instantaneous action, grit, and endurance were called for.
Many things are said of an Englishman, and none fits his character
better than that which gives him the privilege of "grumbling," and this
characteristic becomes more marked when he is able to grumble with one
of his own kith and kin. I have heard Argentines praise Englishmen, who,
they say, manage their estancias far and away beyond all others, but at
the same time they have told me that they would never allow two
Englishmen on their place at once.
It has been said that many of the immigrants do not intend to settle in
the country. Probably this idea has gained ground on account of the
large numbers of the labouring population, who are attracted to
Argentina by the high wages ruling during the harvest time, and then
find it pays them to go home and secure the European harvest, but
generally these men come out again to stay. They have acquired a
knowledge of the country, and often enough have also acquired an
interest in some land, and they return, bringing their families, to
adopt Argentina as their home--for a period at least.
A glance at the statistics prepared by the authorities in Buenos Aires
shows that during the last fifty-two years 4,250,980 persons entered as
immigrants, and out of this number only 1,690,783 returned, leaving in
the country 2,560,197 individuals, or an average of 50,000 workers per
annum. These figures have become even more marked of recent years.
Taking the last five years, the country has received on an average
249,000 immigrants per annum; of these, 103,000 went back. In other
words, 727,670 have made their homes within the borders of Argentina
during the past five years, and of these at least 500,000 were
agriculturists.
It is not to be wondered at, then, that the exports, chiefly made up of
agricultural produce, have shown extraordinary progress. Facing this
page is a diagram showing the agricultural exportation from 1900 to
1908.
[Illustration: AGRICULTURAL EXPORTATION INCLUDING WHEAT, LINSEED, OATS,
MAIZE, ETC.]
[Illustration: CULTIVATED AREA IN HECTARES. (1 HECTARE = 2.471 ACRES)]
Nothing can be more eloquent than the figures shown in this diagram.
This remarkable progress, almost steady in its upward march, is not in
one direction only. Argentina is an ideal country for agriculturists,
and in every branch of that industry progress has been made. Greater
care is being taken to-day in working up the by-products of the cattle
business. More varied crops are being grown, and vegetable by-products
are being economically looked after. The forests of Argentina are also
being worked for the benefit of mankind. The Quebracho Colorado tree
forms a very important item of export. It is sent out of the country
either in the form of logs, of which no less than 254,571 tons were
exported in 1908, or in the form of an extract for tanning purposes;
48,162 tons of this extract were made and exported in 1908, and a small
quantity of the wood was exported in the shape of sawdust. The total
value of Quebracho Colorado exported in various forms in that year was,
as already stated, £1,200,000. This means that the Quebracho forests are
being depleted at the rate of half a million tons per annum for export
purposes alone, in addition to the enormous quantities used for
sleepers, etc., in the country.
The area in acres under cultivation for the year 1908 was 46,174,250, an
increase of 265 per cent, on the land under cultivation in the year
1895.
The diagram facing this page shows the area in hectares cultivated from
1897 to 1908:--
WHEAT--The area under cultivation for wheat shows an increase of 89 per
cent, in ten years from--
8,000,000 acres in cultivation in 1898, to
15,157,750 " " " " 1908
LINSEED--shows an increase of 361 per cent, from--
831,972 acres in cultivation in 1898, to
3,835,750 " " " " 1908
MAIZE--increased by 250 per cent., and other crops, including Oats, 300
per cent. in the same period.
The United Kingdom purchased from Argentina and retained for its own use
(in round figures) during the year 1908--
WHEAT to the value of £13,000,000
MAIZE " " 5,600,000
FROZEN MEAT " " 9,300,000
-----------
Making a total of £27,900,000
-----------
Indeed, we buy from Argentina nearly 25 per cent. of our total food
purchased abroad, and she supplies nearly 29 per cent. of our corn and
grain requirements. These figures again clearly demonstrate that we have
a vital interest in the well-being of our friends across the sea.
In every direction Argentina has progressed, and judging from the past
we may look with confidence to the future; the total area of the
Republic is 776,064,000 acres, and certainly it is within the bounds of
reasonable forecast to consider that 100,000,000 acres of this land will
be, when opened up by railways, and other facilities, available for
corn-growing. To-day only one-fifth of this available area is being
cultivated, and another 43,000,000 acres are being utilised for feeding
purposes; thus, only 63,000,000 out of 776,000,000 acres are being
occupied. The chief reason why more is not utilised is because there is
not sufficient labour available.
Argentina has 5 inhabitants per square mile.
Russia " 18 " "
Canada, Newfoundland, etc. " 1-1/2 " "
Australia " 1-1/3 " "
U. Kingdom " 364 " "
Belgium " 625 " "
Germany " 290 " "
Not only is there an enormous tract of land lying dormant, but the
productive power of land now under cultivation may be vastly increased
if farmers will devote their attention to improving the conditions of
cultivation. 11.3 bushels of wheat per acre is not high-class farming,
yet this is the average production for Argentina. Manitoba in 1908
produced 13-1/2 bushels per acre, Saskatchewan, 17 bushels. In the
fourteenth century England only produced 10 bushels per acre, but we
have improved this yield to 30 bushels, while Roumania has increased her
yield from 15 bushels per acre in 1890, to 23 bushels in 1908. France
has increased her yield from 17 bushels in 1884, to 20 bushels in 1908.
Germany has increased her yield per acre from 20 bushels in 1899, to 30
bushels in 1908. So that we may not only look forward to a greater area
being placed under cultivation, but we may reasonably expect heavier
crops, if land proprietors will bring science to bear on their work of
development. Indeed, with land rising in price, with an increasing
influx of immigrants, and with more intelligent cultivation of the soil,
the land must of necessity give a far larger yield than it has done
heretofore.
The following tables, taken from the Board of Trade returns, show from
whence England draws some of her supplies. They also show how
prominently Argentina figures as a food producer. The first table
includes corn and meat; the second gives corn alone, and the third meat
alone:--
FOOD IMPORTED INTO AND RETAINED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1908.
CORN (including wheat, barley, oats, rye,
buckwheat, peas, beans, maize, wheatmeal,
flour, oatmeal, and offals) £71,103,487
MEAT, fresh and frozen (including animals
for food) 48,704,613
Total £119,808,100
Of this--
£ Per Cent.
Argentina supplied 29,569,773 or 24.68
U.S.A. supplied 38,229,135 or 31.90
Russia supplied 7,394,607 or 6.18
Canada supplied 11,907,203 or 9.94
Australia (including
Tasmania) supplied 4,520,244 or 3.77
Other Colonies and Foreign
Countries supplied 28,187,138 or 23.53
£119,808,100 or 100.00
* * * * *
CORN IMPORTED INTO AND RETAINED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1908.
Argentina. U.S.A. Russia. Canada. Australia
(including
Tasmania).
£ £ £ £ £
Wheat ... ... | 13,096,812 10,779,221 2,286,180 6,335,329 2,402,988
|
Barley ... ... | 22,943 733,446 2,622,005 205,697 --
|
Oats ... ... | 1,463,368 -- 1,144,387 6,441 --
|
Rye ... ... | -- 129,691 93,066 49,009 --
|
Buckwheat ... ... | -- -- 6,677 -- --
|
Peas ... ... | -- 38,545 42,279 105,495 2,345
|
Beans (not fresh, |
other than Haricot|
Beans) ... ... | -- -- 15,094 -- --
|
Maize ... ... | 5,603,463 2,023,576 1,107,858 44,822 --
|
Wheatmeal |
and Flour ... | 50,597 5,407,119 80 809,479 119,440
|
Oatmeal and |
Rolled Oats ... | -- 183,334 -- 207,516 --
|
Farinaceous sub- |
stances (except |
Starch, Farina, |
Dextrine, and |
Potato Flour) | -- 99,112 -- 59,302 --
|
Bran and Pollard | 11,932 -- -- -- --
|
Sharps and |
Middlings | 35,113 -- -- -- --
|
Maize Meal | -- 129,543 -- -- --
----+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------+-----------
£ 20,284,228 | 19,523,587 | 7,317,626 | 7,823,090 | 2,524,773
----------------+------------+-----------+-----------+-----------
Percentage 28.53% | 27.46% | 10.29% | 11.00% | 3.56%
----------------+------------+-----------+-----------+-----------
* * * * *
Other
Colonies and
Foreign Total.
Countries.
£ £
13,630,183[C] 71,103,487
---------------+-------------+
13,630,183 | 71,103,487 |
---------------+-------------+
19.16% | = 100% |
---------------+-------------+
* * * * *
MEAT, including animals for food, and fresh, chilled, frozen and tinned,
imported into and retained by the United Kingdom in 1908:
£ Per Cent.
Argentina supplied 9,285,545 or 19.07
U.S.A. " 18,705,548 " 38.41
Russia " 76,981 " 0.16
Canada " 4,084,113 " 8.38
Australia (including Tasmania)
supplied 1,995,471 " 4.10
Other Colonies and Foreign
Countries supplied[D] 14,556,955 " 29.88
48,704,613 " 100.00
The lesson shown here is one worthy of attention. We see that Argentina
supplies England with one-fourth of her imported food, and U.S.A.
supplies nearly one-third. Therefore it behoves both England and
Argentina to see that America does not so manipulate things that she
acquires the control over our meat and food supplies.
Argentine authorities should not only exercise the law sanctioned
February 4th, 1907, concerning the inspection of factories, but they
should enforce greater care in seeing that all Argentine saladeros and
packing-houses are manipulated with intense care, and cleanliness should
be insisted upon; it would be a bad day for Argentina should ever such
an outcry be raised against her saladeros as that which a few years ago
was directed against the North American packing houses and for a time
ruined the canning industry of the United States, and yet we find
American methods being introduced into Argentina without let or
hindrance. If our soldiers and sailors are to be fed upon canned meats,
let those who are responsible for purchasing the food, at least see that
the food is prepared under healthy and sanitary conditions.
The corn-growing industry of the Argentine Republic is an intensely
interesting subject. Before railways and steamships brought the foreign
producer into close competition with our own farmers, Argentina did not
produce enough grain to supply her home consumption, and cattle were
bred only for their hides, tallow and bones. In the course of time, when
steamers superseded sailing-ships and the world's carrying capacity
thus became enormously increased, Argentina saw her opportunity of
becoming a keen competitor in the food market. Corn-growing became a
highly remunerative business, although much still remains to be learned
concerning the handling of wheat. Both in the States and Canada grain is
handled in a cheaper and more expeditious manner than in Argentina. An
enormous amount of grain is dealt with in the Wheat Exchange of
Winnipeg, but a further big impetus will be given to this industry when
the wheat-fields of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are connected
with a deep-sea port on Hudson Bay; this will be an accomplished fact in
1915, and as this route means a thousand miles less haulage by land, and
eight hundred less by sea to the chief European ports than by any
existing route, it is bound to become the popular one; the chief factor,
however, in making it a useful wheat outlet is the established fact that
Hudson Bay, although many miles north of Lake Superior, remains free
from ice for a period of one month after Lake Superior is tightly frozen
up.
Argentina may look forward to keen competition with Canada and Siberia
for many years to come; on the other hand, the U.S.A. will steadily show
a smaller quantity of wheat available for exportation, and the following
table throws some light upon the wheat position:--
Argentina and Uruguay have increased
the area of their wheat-growing
land brought under the plough in
the last ten years by 124 per cent.
Canada in the last ten years by 120 per cent.
Russia in the last ten years by 27 per cent.
United States in the last ten years by 14 per cent.
No country in the world has shown such wonderful capabilities for
growing linseed as the Argentine, and her average production for the
following five-year periods show this expansion:--
Years. Production in Tons.
1894-1898 193,000
1899-1903 382,000
1904-1908 839,000
In ten years she increased her production by 335 per cent. In the same
period India increased her production by 3.8 per cent., and North
America by 105 per cent., whilst Russia was unable to keep up her
supply.
The world's total linseed production for 1908 was made up as follows:--
Argentina produced 1,101,000 tons.
North America produced 694,000 tons.
Russia produced 470,000 tons.
India produced 360,000 tons.
Here again we find Argentina leading. Moreover, she exported nearly the
whole of her production, whilst North America, Russia, and India
exported less than half a million tons between them.
It is more than probable that by 1920 Argentina will be able to export,
as the result of agricultural work, more than £100,000,000 worth of
produce per annum. It is interesting to note that, as the present
figures reveal, allowing for a population of 6,500,000 and an
agricultural produce export of £48,335,432, each individual in Argentina
has sent abroad, after producing enough from the land to keep himself,
goods to the value of nearly £8.
The diagram facing this page shows what has been accomplished by
Argentina in the last ten years.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM OF VALUE IN £ STERLING OF THE TOTAL EXPORTS OF
ARGENTINA 1900-1909.]
In actual money value the exportation of wheat, linseed, oats, maize,
other grain, flour, bran, and middlings is, in round figures, as
follows:--
1900 £15,485,000
1901 14,319,000
1902 13,634,000
1903 21,050,000
1904 30,065,000
1905 34,047,000
1906 31,530,000
1907 32,818,000
1908 48,335,000
1909 46,100,000
CATTLE.
The value derived from the cattle industry and its allied produce is of
great importance to the Argentine Republic. The exports from this
industry may be divided into four heads, namely:--
LIVE ANIMALS;
RAW PRODUCTS;
MANUFACTURED OR PARTLY MANUFACTURED MATERIAL AND BY-PRODUCTS.
Since the closing of English ports in 1901 to the importation of live
cattle from Argentina, the trade in the export of live stock has fallen
off considerably; the total value did not in 1908 amount to more than
£568,966; Belgium took 65,224 sheep, Chili took 45,114 cattle and 14,394
sheep, Bolivia took 3,383 head of cattle and 10,676 sheep, and 16,000
asses and mules, while horses were imported into England, Africa,
Portugal, Brazil, Uruguay, Chili, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
Exports of raw products, which include frozen and chilled beef and
mutton, hides, sheepskins, wool, and such things as horsehair, tallow,
jerked beef, etc., represented a value of £19,549,231 in 1908.
Manufactured or partly manufactured material, including prepared tallow,
meat extracts, meat, butter, cheese, lard, dressed leather, etc.,
represented £2,454,760, whilst the by-products, including bones, dried
blood, guano, waste fats, etc., were valued at £430,734. Thus,
Argentina's total export from the cattle industry (after supplying her
own needs) was over £23,000,000.
Argentina's live stock on hand when the last census was taken in May,
1908, was as follows:--
Cattle ... ... ... 29,116,625
Sheep ... ... ... 67,211,758
Horses ... ... ... 7,531,376
Mules, swine,
goats, and asses 6,098,802
representing in value £129,369,628.
The favourite breed of cattle is the Shorthorn, and they comprise 84 per
cent, of the classified breeding cows; the Herefords only figure out as
6 per cent., but, undoubtedly, a more careful and complete
classification will lead to modifications in these figures, for at the
present time no less than five and a-half million cows are returned as
Criollo cattle, in other words, unimproved stock.
Not until the year 1885, when it became possible to send frozen meat to
Europe, did estancieros pay serious attention to growing cattle for meat
production, and now, with an ever-increasing quantity of land being
placed under alfalfa, the Argentine Republic is fast becoming the
leading factor in the production of meat to satisfy the world's
consumption.
Cattle on the outside fringe of occupied lands are still very coarse and
rough, with a distinct strain of the Hereford about them; they are,
however, a useful herd and most suitable for the districts they occupy,
where they often have to undergo the hardships of shortage of pasture
owing to drought, and little or no water, indeed, it is a marvel how
these animals exist at times; and assuredly no refined breed of cattle
could live where the Criollos not only manage to thrive, but generally
to return a satisfactory result to their owners. The cattle on ranches
which are nearer to the seaports, manufacturing centres, or railway
stations show distinct improvements. Greater care is bestowed upon them,
and the main consideration is never lost sight of--it is the ambition of
every estanciero to have his cattle graded up so that they are looked
upon as "freezers," which means that they are good enough to be
purchased by one or other of the refrigerating companies, who take
nothing but the best.
In 1888 cattle running the northern camps (which then represented the
extreme outlying posts) were only valued at $6 per head.
In 1890 the value had risen to $10 per head.
" 1900 " " " 15 "
" 1908 " " " 28 "
" 1910 " " " 40 "
The question of stock raising and the object to be obtained must rest
with the owners: they must decide whether the land is to be utilised for
fattening cattle or for breeding the high-class animals for which there
is an ever-ready market. To show the enormous value of animals and the
high standard to which agricultural lands can be brought, mention must
be made of two estancias near Buenos Aires, viz., those belonging to
Messrs. Cobo and Messrs. Bell, where splendid stock is always to be
found. To give some idea of the high price paid for first-class pedigree
animals, it may be mentioned that £3,800 was paid for a prize Durham
bull which was sold to Argentina!
At the cattle show at Buenos Aires held in July, 1910, Herefords for
killing realized from £850 to £1,000 per animal! These latter high
prices were, however, evidently paid by the agents of Cold Storage
Companies for advertising purposes. One representative explained that
the freezing Companies desired to encourage breeders, and that his
Company paid the high prices mentioned above so as to let the breeders
know that they would always be paid high prices for first-class cattle.
When we consider the really important position which Argentina takes as
a food producer, it appears incredible that the English nation (business
men and the general public alike) is so extremely ignorant, as a rule,
of prevailing conditions. I do not refer to those who have invested
their money in the many channels known to the River Plate circle. But
men holding high official positions speak of our commercial interests in
Argentina as "something between a hundred and a hundred and fifty
millions," and then in a whispered side-speech indicate the dangers of
revolution.
Often it is suggested that the chances of death from small-pox, yellow
fever, and even from murder are a serious drawback to what might
otherwise be a country possible to live in. It makes one very indignant
to hear these statements from the lips of those who probably have never
left their own country. Let me assure you they may be swept aside, and
were it not for their frequent reiteration it would be unnecessary to
say that there is not one grain of truth in these suggestions as applied
to the state of things to-day.
Nearly one-fifth of the population of Argentina is centred in and around
Buenos Aires. It is a city of 1,200,000 inhabitants, many of whom are
millionaires; but at the same time there exists much poverty within its
precincts--poverty caused in no small degree by the viciousness of the
rich, but to a far greater extent by the rooted objection of certain
classes to go out to the camps where, during the harvest time at least,
wages are high and labour is anxiously awaited.