The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-01-13
BUENOS AYREs.
A Land Where Horses are Given
Away. ar

A Land Where Horses are Given
Away.
Nobody has though Of this southern
country (Buenos Ayres) as ono from
which there may spring rival in wheat
growing effort that may affect the
market of the United States. AS
matter of fact the thing is accom-
pIished, and from the district where l
write wheat in grain and in -four is
already starting its remunsrative
journey from the pampas, and has
brought back its value from Brazil,
Chile, and the Latin states of Europe.
Encouraged by these results, the area
of planting is increasing. The acreage
of the increase, as fact, is pitiful, and
the amount of land under cultivation is
to the Yam kee mind contemptible; but
the possibilities of wheat are greater
than those Minnesota knew in
1860, or, Dakota and her isis.
Ter territories enjoy to-day. De A
climate that knows notfrost, aesoil
virgin to the pillow but enricheds by
centuries of grasses blown into the
| land and fertilized by innumerRble
cattle whose movement over its area
has known generations of death, as
well as the contribution of their life,
has made land fit for the gardeners
spade. It's generic character is of course
alluvial, but time beyond memory this
land east of the Andes has known no
course except that. of man, whose misuse
of its offerings has brought forth a race
| whose character, until within ten years,
| has been that of non-producsrs, hopeful
from the efforts of every enterprise eX-
foreign energy, and ready and anxious
to enjoy the fruits of every industry so
long as they could profit by either, or
hold the harvest reaped where they had
not planted, and garnered whence they
had not sown.
Let me give some practical illustra-
tons of values here. L went to visit an
"estapcla" (ranch) of twelve leagues of
land "a league is nearly 900 acres). l
was met at the railway station on cold
winters morning in July by a fourin
hand. The driver was q peon; the
vehicle onSunder which the two for
ward wheels turned easily, and its body
| behind the seats was covered with the
home-dressed hides of horses. Its seats
| were cushioned with padded horsehides,
the harnesses were raw horsehide, the
whip was braided horsehide, and the
pace was run; 10 trotting horse is
known. Over the pampas, thirty-two
miles IN 100 minutes, the only skill of
the coachmen called upon was to avoid
experience, Arriving at the estancia
the horses were brought up all standing
the harness dragged off and the animals
were sent adrift on the pampas. l
asked the superintendent of the farm
what became of those horses. II don't
know" he replied. "What are they
worth ?""About three nationals EACH"
{ A national is dollar; in the present
deprecated condition of currency,
about 81 cents.) That afternoon, with
new four, the superintendent and
were driving and came up with some
poems skinUing dead but still steaming
horse, An inquiry revealed that it was
one OF the four that galloped thirty-two
miles in the morning. 81 knew the
driving was too hard" / said; 1.-THE
horse was killed" Why, bless your
innocent heart" said the superinren-
dent, I'VE shoot fifty or sixty horses
or mares week. To morrow | will show
u
they killed seventy-tour horses, took
their hides. boiled down their fat, strip |
ped the hair from their names and
tails, and counted it profit and left the
csrcasses on the pampas for the waiting
scayenger of South America, the con-
DOR. What is If that Carlyle says about
the stored up energy which constitutes
pstion's wealth? There was lot of
energy released that day.
1t must seem increditable tn our
Yankee and prairie farmers that horses
could be so used. but it is calm fact
that more than 100 600 were slaughtered
in the Argentine Republic last year. as
shown by the raw hides sold in market.
Horses grow wild, and worse horses it
is impossible to corrective. a horse is
cheaper than a coat-I mean horse
broken to ride or drive. Beggars (and in
this country there are many ride from
house to house to solicit aims, and re-
fuse a horse from an almoner from
whom they expect richer gift, for a
horse is the cheapest thing he can give.
Judged by our ideas of economy, this
all seems mad extravaganza. They ex-
cuse it in ways not satisfactory to me,
for it is extravaganza, say what they
will. No distance of market can COM
pensate for the waste of pure strength
easily realized upon, in q land where a
premium of $50 per capita is paid for
every immigrant, howsoever poor, who
comes to settle and work. Bad as the
horses are. one of them is worth any
| four immigrants I saw of this class out
of 10000 landing in BuenOs Ayres in
July-A0eTicnn 40ricultMrnLSt for Jam