The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1897-10-28
ABOUT CHEAP WHEAT
PRODUCT OF ARGENTINA
GROWN BY PEON LABOR.
Primitive Methods OF Italian Farmers
Favorable soil and Seasons, Cheap
Labor aud Long Hours-Factors That
Regulate Market Prices.

crop, to be harvested about December
next,it is interesting to study the meth
DDS OF cultivation there. The South
American wheat farms are mostly held
by Italians who use peon labor. Their
methods are primitive and OF the
cheapest character, and their expenses
are very small.
That portion Of the Argentine repub-
lie at present devoted to wheat culture
includes the provinces of Santa Fee,
Buenos Ayres and Entire Rios, with the
south portion of the province of Cor
doba (the province corresponding 10
the state" in the United States), and
the total area of this stretch of country
is about equal to the combined areas OF
England and France. Only about one
third Of the land within convenient
distance of railways already construct
ed being as yet under cultivation, it is
obvious that there is room for consid
cradle development even under the
present conditions of transportation.
The surface of this great section of
country is level and free from stones,
having rich soil, a temperate climate
(average summer temperature "a de-
grees F., and average winter tcmpera-
ture 81 degrees F., and usually plen-
tiful rainfall. also during the spring
| months constantly recurring night
| dews.
The general character Of the soil is
N oil
what in fertility according to the near
ness to or remoteness from the great
river Parana or the estuary known as
| River Plate. The soil is composed Of a
loose vegetable layer Of black loan of
to 80 inches in depth. and under this
layer Is usually found a deep subsoil
of clayey, sandy character, and, lower
still, hard clay. This last named STRAIT
UNI holds the rainfall enabling the
ground to stand a long drought without
seriously affecting the roots of the
wheat plant.
1t can be safely stated that an aver
age OF favorable seasons may be looked
for, and that a serious failure of the
crop, as in tho year 1889, when, owing
to damage by rain, the export surplus
only amounted to 100000 quarters, is
/ unlikely TO recur, because the wheat
growing area has extended to such an
extent that il measures some $50 miles
from north to south, and $50 miles east
and west, with somewhat different eli
mates, and including districts as far
apart as London and Madrid. or Min
nesota and Louisiana.
The earliest settlers we're Swiss, and
colonists Of that nationality are today
among the best farmers in the country,
living well in every way and proving
themselves successful agricultursts
The small farmers throughout the
country are almost always Italians, who
originally came from Piedmont or The
plains of Lombardy, very few having
either previous knowledge of agricul-
ture or any capital TO start with. but
they are keen for money, and work
hard in their own way, having quite
enough sense to learn from experience
by slow degrees the best way to grow
wheat, although they are desperately
mean in any expenditure. and have a
strong inclination always to increase
their acreage and trust TO a favora BILE
season.
By working fifteen or sixteen hours
one man can pillow two or two and a
half acres per diem with single pillow,
or four or five acres on broken land
with double pillow, and il provided
with sufficient bullocks, and urged to
do so by good condition of the land and
suitable weather. will keep up this
work for considerable time.
At very few of the 200 to 800 railway
stations where wheat is shipped are
found more than the most necessary
buildings, such as one or two general
stores, bakeries and smithies, and,
very much to the disappointment Of he
buyers Cf station lots, there seems no
disposition to build country towns or
create any local industries. except for
the making of simple agricultural i'm
PIGMENTS. and there are no loca CEN
ters or markets.
Land being very plentiful, and very
easy to work in the Argentine Replb-
lie, family usually take up from $50
to 400 acres, and cultivates as mucn
as they can. The land is bought some
times for cash. or more usually 20 be
paid for by installments spread Gver
four to seven years; or Is rented by
yearly tenancy; but under very gen.
eral and most convenient arrangement;
land owners are almost always willing
20 have their land worked by any de-
cent colonist ION shares" receiving
from 8 up to so per cent OF the prod
uct of every crop according to the ia
ci;ities given to the tenant. AID this
system of working on shares Is by far