The Indianapolis journal., 1899-02-19

III all the markets OF the SOutn American
countries than fresh meat, and it is the only
kind of meat that viii keep. Beef treated
in the ordinary way spoils after a day, and
the regulations for many of the markets are
such that it must be thrown away. Dried
beef or jerked beef is used for stews 1t is
cooked with rice potatoes and mandioca,
and every one uses it.
So far there has been no business of this
kind to speak of in Paraguay. The coun-
tries of Uruguay and the Argentine make
fortunes by shipping dried meat to Brazil
and the West India islands Here the money
comes chiefly from the sale of cattle on foot
and from their hides. About 100000 hides
are exported from Paraguay every year.
They are sent down the river to Buenos
Ayres and thence many of them are shipped
to the United States.
AS to stock farms, the most of them are
large, but so far the cattle upon them are
of a low grade. They do not compare with
those of the Argentine or Uruguay, and the
money made is not through careful manage
ment nor good breeding, but purely on ac-
count of the rich lands and fine climate.
am told that the natural increase of the
stock is from % to 50 per cent annually as
to the number of animals, and from so to 80
per cent. as to the number of COWS. Cattle
are now worth in the neighborhood of $40
head, although good fat beeves will bring
more at the markets. It is estimated that
the country will support eight times as
many cattle as it now has. The estimate is
that a square mile Of pasture will maintain
260 cattle and that square league will feed
1,500 grown beeves.
LANDS AND FORESTS.
Land in Paraguay is sold by the square
league. A Paraguayan league contains 500
acres, or almost 1,000 acres less than q
square league of the Argentine Republic.
Land sells all the way from $1G0 gold up
ward per league. There is little good land
that can be had at the lowest figure for at
that it would bring less than cents an
acre. But 1 have seen what 1 am told is
fair grazing land sold at 500 league, and
there are times when you can buy fairly
good pasture for less than this. Such land
requires only fencing to make it usable.
The cattle upon it might be herded without
fencing, but this would throw it open to
all, and is not considered advisable.
l would say, however, that no purchases
should be made by our people without per-
sonal investigation. The man who thinks of
putting his money in Paraguay should come
here and study the conditions. He should
not buy without seeing the land, as there
are large swamps in some parts of the
country and the rainy season covers such
lands with water
The forests Of Paraguay are full of fine
woods. 1 believe they offer good chances
for investment, but still the wheels Of Dame
Fortunes lumber cars in South America
are clogged with natural difficulties, which
can only be understood by those upon the
ground. There is a big demand for lumber
in all the South American countries found
Oregon pine at all the ports Of the west
coast and our Maine pine comes to Brazil
Uruguay, the Argentine and goes even
around through the Strait Of Magellan This
pine is carried a distance of more than G.0O0
miles by ship to the Buenos Ayres markets.
Here in Paraguay the forests are right on
the river with water communication as
good as that Of the Mississippi between
them and the markets, and the distance
from here to Buenos Ayres is only LIE
miles. You would think that all the lumber
of the Rio de la Plata basin would come
from Paraguay. Still it does not Why? Be
cause it costs too much to get the woods
down the river. These woods are almost all
hard. They are as heavy as iron and when
you put log the water it sinks to the
bottom There is no means of getting them
from the interior to the river except upon
the railroad, where freights are high, or
upon carts or on boats on the little streams
which are tributaries of the Paraguay
Lumber carriage is all paid for by the
pound, and the freights cut the profits Of
the business. Labor is low as far as daily
wages are concerned, but as measured bv
results it is high. The men are lazy and Nm
efficient. There is no machinery. The logs
are sawed out by hand, one man standing
on top and another below. The most of the
trees are crooked, and it is almost impos-
sible to get a straight log.
WOODS WHICH ARE EXPORTED.
And still some kinds of the woods are
wonderfully beautiful. Quebracho Colorado
is as red as the dark moss rose. 1t is
used for dye wood and tanning, and there
is German firm that is shipping a large
amount Of it to the United States. The best
! of it comes from the west bank of the Para
quay river, in which is known as the Para
guayan Chaco. This wood is also used for
railroad ties. 1t brings about 81 gold a tie
in Buenos Ayres, and this, 1 am told. leaves
a profit of 81 cents a tie.
Another very hard wood is the lepacho.
which is also used for railroad purposes.
1t is so hard that it will turn the edge OF
steel ak. This is very sound wood, not
prone to crack and of great strength II
is of greenish yellow color and some
varieties of it have a curl in it like the
bird's-eye maple. 1t brings good prices.
Lepacho would make very good furniture
wood, and so would many of the other hard
woods of Paraguay.
The black and red palms, for instance.
would be valuable for veneering for they
take high polish and are wonderfully dur
able. They will last for years under ground
and in the water, and are exceedingly hard.
l should think that an American furniture
factory established in Paraguay would paw
well. The country now imports its furni-
ture from Germany, Austria and the United
States. Both Uruguay and Paraguay get
the most of their furniture from the same
sources, and the prices of all such things
are remarkably high l saw American
school desks being landed from a shin at
one of the towns of lower Paraguay. Amer
lean desks and chairs are in demand all
over South America, but owing to their
high prices are not generally used.
Paraguay has very good cedar much
like that of our cigar boxes which could be
used for the making of furniture. A sim
liar wood is the timbo found in South
Paraguay 1t has a grain much like the
cedar and grows to great height. 1t is
very light, the Indians using it for trougbs
and canoes.
AMERICAN TRADE.