The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-11

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it was sl0,0OO,O0O pounds. and in 1897 472,-
O0O, 900 pounds, or more than 10 pounds for
each man, woman and child in the repub-
lie. The product per sheep is also steadily
growing and the average fleece Of to-day
is one-third again as large as it was in
1860. The Argentine not only surpasses US
in the number of sheep, but it promises TO
surpass us in time in the quality of the
wool and mutton. At present our average
fleece per sheep is higher. but the Argen-
tines are steadily improving their breeds
by crossing them with the best rams that
be imported. Every day or so there
is an auction sale of imported rams in
Buenos Ayres, and not long ago fine Cali
fornia merino sold for 1000 in gold. I have
visited some of the auctions, and 1 am sur
prised at the fine quality of the animals.
They are superior to anything L have ever
seen in the United States, the most Of them
coming from famous farms and well-known
breeders of England am told that ship
ments OF so-caled fine stock from the
United States to the Argentine have usual
ly resulted in losses to our shippers, as the
stock was not up to the grade demanded by
the Argentine buyers.
TRADE IN LIVE STOCK.
The wool Of the Argentine is changing.
For long time there was only coarse wool,
but now all kinds of fine woods are pro-
duced, and the Argentine merinos are con-
sidered fine as any in the markets. The
merino sheep are, however, comparatively
few. The chief breeds are the Leicesters,
Romney Marsh, Black-faced Downs, Ok
fords and Cheviots. There is a cross OF the
Leicesters and the Merino which gives such
excellent wool that at the last Paris eX-
position the Argentine stood first as wool
exhibitor, receiving 102 prizes, of which
twenty-three were gold medals.
In addition to the meat which is frozen
for export, the Argentine Republic is stead
lily increasing in it's shipments of live stock.
At the Buenos Ayres docks there are large
cattle and sheep yards, and the animals are
transferred from them to the steamers. l
saw a number of ships loading during a
visit there one day. The cattle are put in
open pens, made of American pine, rudely
knocked up on the decks Of the steamers.
Each animal has just enough space to lie
down, and is so tied that its head is away
from the sea. The voyage is such warm
one that no boarding is done, and the cattle
are to all purposes out of doors. Above the
cattle stalls, roofing them, as it were, are
the open pens in which the sheep are car
/,
and the sheep are packed in so closely that
there is scarcely room for them to move
about. From 1900 to 1000 sheep and from
200 to 500 cattle are taken in a single steam
er, the result of the overcrowding often be-
ing a considerable loss. One of the ships l
saw loaded for London had 800 steers and
1850 sheep, and another was loading a cargo
Of 500 steers and 200 wethers. Ir che first
six months of this wear $50 600 shee nd 81 =
900 steers were exported alive to rope.
and last year about quarter of / million
cattle and hail. million sheep were sold in
this way
The Argentines are now raising cattle for
milk and for export, and they are improving
their cattle as we'll as their sheep. There
are several bulls in the country which cost
over $1,000 gold, and during the past year as
many as 1,6O0 bulls were imported. No steer
is accepted for shipment which weighs less
than 1920 pounds and not few are shipped
which weigh 1,600. The average price paid
by the shipper is about $40 gold.
The wild cattle of the Argentine pampas
of which you have read in your biographies
have long since disappeared, and questions
about them create considerable laughter. A
| few months ago an American resident of
| BuenOs Ayres received a letter from pro-
fessor of one of our leading American col
| leges stating that he expected to take a
hunting trip to the Argentines and would
| like to know If he could shoot the wild cat
| tie near Buenos Ayres without a license -
The man evidently had not learned that ev-
| cry beast in this country has an owner and
that the stock is now as carefully watched
as our stock at home.
FRANK G.. CARPENTER