Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-05

are known as the Argentine Mesopotamia
They are very rich and their soil is OF won
, derful fertility. Each is of about the size
of South Carolina. Entire Rios Is growing
very fast. 1t now has about 250.000 people,
but upon its pastures 100000 cows and
| about 100000 sheep are feeding. This is
an average of twenty sheep and fifteen cows
for every man, woman and child in the
province At five to the family this would
be 100 sheep and seventy-five COWS per
family. Suppose we had a state every fam
lily of which possessed 100 sheep and sew
enty-fiVe COWS. 1t would be the banner
state of the union. The stock, however is
not equally divided and much Of it ls in the
hands OF large holders.
The Scenery of the Parana.
The Parana Is one of the grandest rivers
OF the world. Its beauties increase as you
travel up it and the calm, quiet picturesque
ness of Its surroundings grow upon you.
The sunsets are gorgeous, painting the
clouds In every color and shade OF rosy pink
and red and often make a great golden can
opy over the dark blue parana. The morn
ing sun strikes the dew drops upon the
fresh green fields and feathery grasses and
gives you shower of diamonds on an
emerald field, while at night the heavens
and earth are clad In the gorgeous glorles
Of the semi tropics You pick out the
Southern Cross from among the stars and
wonder at the tropical brilliancy OF the
Milky Way.
AS you travel toward the equator the veg
citation changes. The trees are larger, the
| grasses more luXuriant and the islands have
great punches OF feathery green and ferny
! bamboo The country grows wilder. Now
! you see a white farm house cut out of the
| forest, and now stop at little town con-
| sisting of thatched huts, one-story brick
buildings, rooted with red tiles, with al
ways a church spire rising over the low
roofs, After three days journey you reach
Corrientes, and then leave the Parana for
the River Paraguay.
The Paraguay is not so wide as the
Parana. Between Corrientes and Asuncion,
| distance of between 200 and 800 miles, the
banks are not wider, judge, than those of
the Mississippi above st. Louis, but the
waters are equally deep. The river seems
perfectly navigable. You often go so close
TO the bank that you can see the birds of
brilliant plumage which inhablt the woods,
There are plenty of crocodiles. and you now
| and then get shot at one as 1t scuds
through the water to swim out OF the way of
| the boat. There Is good shooting. Flocks
| OF wild ducks rise from the bends of the
| river and the lagoons at every few miles,
and curious birds fly about the steamer,
Along the left bank of the river, in what Is
known as the Chaco, there is little else than
virgin forests and you are told that these
are inhabited by jaguars and that you couio
not travel mile or so back from the coast
without meeting tapirs, pecarys, monkeys
and wild hogs. The Paraguay side is also
wild save that here and there you pass lit
tie towns, at some of which the ships stop
to load and unload freight. You now get
your first signt of the Paraguayan people, of
whom you meet more and more as you sail
onward, and finally come to anchor In the
Bay OF Asuncion, at the wharves of the cap
ital of Paraguay.
FRANK e. CARPENTER.