Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-18

those of the Arge milne or Uruguay, and
the money made is not through careful
management nor good breeding, but pure
ly on account of the rich lands and fine
climate I am tod that the natural in
crease of the stock is from % to 35 per cent
annually as to the number of animals, and
from 50 to 30 per cent as 10 the number OF
cows. Cattle are HOW worth in the neigh
l. borhood of so a head, although good fat
beeves will bring more at the markets. 1t
is estimated that the country Will support
eight times many cattle as 1t now has.
The estimate is that square mule OF pas
ture will maintan 2G0 cattle and that a
square league will feed 1,5oo grown beevcs.
How Land IL Sold I'm Paraguay.
Land in Paraguay is sold by the square
league. A Paraguayan league contains 800
acres, or almost 900 acres less than a
square league of the Argentine Republic.
Land sells all the way from 800 gold up
ward per league. There is little good land
that can be had at the lowest price, for at
that it would bring less than cents an acre
But I have seen what I told is fair
grazing land sold at 500 a league, and there
are times when you can buy fairly good
pasture for less than this. Such Land re-
quires only fencing to make ii uSable- The
cattle upon it might be herded without
fencing, but this would throw it open to
all and is not considered advisable.
would say, however, that no purchases
should be made by our people without
personal investigation. The man who
thinks of putting his money in Para
quay should come here and study the con-
ditions He should not buy without see
ing the land, as there are large swannps in
some parts of the country and the rainy
season covers such lands with water.
The Forests Of Paraguay.
The forests OF Paraguay are fun of fine
woods. I believe they offer good chances
for investment, but still the wheels of Dame
Fortunes lumber cars in South America
are ciogged with natural difficulties, which
can only be understood by those upon the
ground. There is a big demand for lum-
Der in all the South American countries.
l 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
5000 miles by ship to the Buenos Ayres
markets. Here in Paraguay the forests are
right on the river with a water communi-
cation good that of the Mississippi
between them and the markets, and the
distance from here to Buenos Ayres is only
LIS miles. You would think that all the
lumber of the Rio de la Plata basin would
come from Paraguay. Still 1t does not
Why? Because 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 hog on the
water 1t 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 out Of the business. Labor IS
low as far as daily wages are concerned,
but measured by results 1T Is high. The
men are lazy and inefficient. 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 Impossible to get a straight
log
And sfiIl some kinds of the woods are
wonderfully beautiful Quebraeho 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 what Is known as the Para
guayan Chace> This wood IS also used for
railroad ties. 1t brings about 81 gold tie
in Buenes Ayres. and this. I am told,
leaves a profit Of 33 cents tie.
Weed Which Win Hreak an An.
Another very hard wood Is the lepaeho.
which Is also used for railroad PURPOSES
1t is so hard that it viii turn the edge of
steel AK. This Is a very sound wood not
prone to crack and OF great strength It
is of greendsh yellow color. and some
varieties Of It have a curl ia It ike the
birds eye maple. 1t brings good prices
Lepaeho 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 fer years underground
and IN the water. and are exceedingly hard
should think that an American f,lrutture
factory established In Paraguay would nav
well. The country row imports It's furui-
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 ehings
are remarkably high saw America,
school desks being landed from q ship q.
one of the towns Of lower Paraguay. Amer
lean desks and chairs are IN demand ali
over South America. hut owing to their
high prices are not generally used.
Paraguay has a very good cedar, much
like that of our cigar boxes, which could be
used for making furniture. A sim