The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-06-26
ARGENTINA CATTLE RAISING
Great Opportunities for Enter.
prising Americans Who Have
"A Sufficient Capital.
By HERBERT W. MUMFoRD,
University OF Illinois.

Generally speaking but few cltizena
of tic United States appreciate the inn
portance of Argentine as cattlc-rais-
ing country. 1t is not to be wondered
at tnat North Americans, with vas,
areas of fertile soil only partially oc.
cupied and developed, have failed to
study conditions in the southern repub-
lie. and consequently have almost uni.
Yersally lost sight of the great oppor-
tunities which have been presented
there for beef production.
The ranches, or "cstancias." as thew
arc called. arc extensive. Some idea
can be gathered from the fact that In
the province of Santa Fe 81 per cent
of the area is owned in tracts OF 12,SoO
acres or more.
Twenty to forty thousand acre.
owned by one man is by no means un
usual. This. of course. means that cat
tic production is carried on on an ex-
tensivc scale.
All parts of Argentina are, of course.
not equally well adapted to cattle rails.
ing. both on account of temperature|
and products Of the land. 1t may be
said. however. that there is no grain
feeding of cattle in Argentina. even
bred cattle intended for the export
trade. The native grasses. together
with alfalfa. arc the mainstay of the
beef producer.
Tho best cattle country is located on
the best arabic land in the part Of
Argentina located in the temperate
zone. This includes the province OF
Buenos Aires. the southern half Of
ni1
provinces of Corrientes and Entire Rios
The southern part of the republic
moro frequently spoken of as Pata-
gonia. is for the most part a dry. cold
country. in many parts of which the
soil is far from fertile. while the north
ern end OF Argentina lies in the tropics
and the climate is too hot for the sue
cessful rearing Of well-bred cattle
Toward the west the country Ia
mountainous and areas suitable for
either agriculture or cattle raising are
not large.
The number of beef cattle In Ar
Sentina at the present time Is variously
estimated at twenty-five to thirty mil
lion, while the sheep population is from
seventy to hundred million.
The entire area of the Argentine Re-
public is about one third of the area
of the United States. exclusive OF
Alaska The cattle live out of doors
throughout the year and are strangers
to barns or even open sheds.
1t would be a surprise to many cattle
men in the United States to see largo
numbers of grass-fat bullocks going to
market which are as well bred as any
to be found in the United States
The ranchmen, or "eStancleros," who
for the most part, are very wealthy,
have bought the best breeding cattle
which Great Britain has produced in
large numbers during tho
past few years to have materially raised
the standard Of the general stock of
the country. Naturally in some of
the newer and more frontier locations
the old "criollo" stock still predomi-
mates.
There are In Argentina approximate
" 2i0,000.000 acres OF arabic land.
fourths of which is a vast plain,
a very large part OF which is very
fertile. There are ten or eleven million
acres in the Argentine Republic which
are capable Of irrigation. Some very
extensive irrigation plants are already
IN operation.
The small population of Argentina,
being only five and one-half millions.
and the very large production of beef
and mutton. make ii necessary TO give
attention to the export
trade. The mutton is all exported in a
frozen state, while the beef goes as
either chilled or frozen beef