Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-03
HORSES IN ABUNDANCE.
A Land Where They are Given Away
and Killed when too Numerous.

From the American Agriculturist for January.
Nobody has thought of this southern country
(Buenos Ayres) as one from which there may
spring rival in wheat growing effort that may
effect the market of the United States As a
matter Of fact the thing is accomplished. and
from the district where write wheat in grain
and in -four is already starting its remunera-
tive journey from the pampas. and has brought
back its value from Brazil. Chill and the Latin
states OF Europe. Encouraged by these results,
the area Of planting is increasing. The acreage
OF the increase, as a fact. is pitiful. and the
amount of land under cultivation is to the
Yankee mind contemplate; but the pos
sibllities of wheat are greater than
those Minnesota knew in 1860, or Dakota and
her sister territories enjoy to-day. A climate
that knows no frost, a soil virgin to
the pillow but enriched by centuries of grasses
blown into the land and fortified by innumer-
able cattle, whose movement over its area has
known generations of death as well as the con-
tribution of their life, has made a land fit for
the gardeners spade. Its generic character is,
OF course, alluvial. but time beyond memory
this land east of the Andes has known no curse
except that of man, whose misuse of its offer
lngs has brought forth a race whose character,
until within ten years. has been that of nom
producers. hopeful from the efforts of every
enterprise except their own. speculative upon
any 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 gar
nered whence they had not sown.
Let me give some practical illustrations of
values here. L went to visit an ''estancia'
(ranch) of twelve leagues of land "a league is
nearly 5000 acres). / was met at the railway
station on cold winters morning in July by
a four-in-hand. The driver was peon; the
vehicle one under which the two forward
wheels turned easily. and its body behind the
seats was covered with the home-dressed hides
of horses. Its seats were cushioned with pad
ded horsehides. the harnesses were raw horse
hide, the whip was braided horsehide, and the
pace was rum no trotting horse is known.
Over the pampas, 80 miles in 100 minutes. the
only skill of the coachmen called upon was to
avoid the cattle wallows. 1t was pace for ex-
perience. Arriving at the estancia the horses
were brought up all standing, the harness
dragged off and the animals sent adrift on the
pampas. l asked the superintendent OF the
farm what became of those horses. Il don't
know" he replied. What are they worth?''
about three nationals each" CA 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
skinning dead but still steaming horse. An
inquiry revealed that it was one of the four
that galloped thirty-two miles in the morning.
Il knew the driving was too hard" said;
''the horse was killed" why, bless your in
nocent heart" said the superintendent, ''we
shoot fifty or sixty horses or mares a week
Tomorrow l will show you a round up"
And he did; and they killed "a horses, took
their hides boiled down their fat, stripped the
hair from their names and tails, and counted
1t profit and left the carcasses on the pampas
for the waiting scavenger of South America,
the condor. What is that Carlyle says about
the stored-up energy which constitutes ma
tion's wealth? There was lot of energy re-
leased that day.
1t must seem incredible to our Yankee and
prairie farmers that horses could be SO used
but 1t Is a calm fact that more than 7000 900
were slaughtered in the Argentine Republic
last year, shown by the raw hides sold in
market. Horses grow wild, and worse horses
1t Is impossible to conceive. A horse is cheaper
than a coat mean horse broken to ride or
drive. Beggars (and in this country there are
many ride from house to house to solicit aims
and refuse horse from an almoner from whom
they expect a richer gift, for horse is the
cheapest thing he can give.
Judged by our ideas of economy, this all
seems mad extravaganza. They excuse it in
ways not satisfactory to me, for it is extrava-
gance, say what they will No distance of mar
ket can compensate for the waste of pure
strength easily realized upon. in 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 / saw of this
class out of 10 900 landing in Buenos Ayres in
JULY