The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-07-29


industry has never since been so f1ourishing
These natural cattle lands comprise about
l70,OO0,OOO acres and could easily carry $780,,
100000 beef cattle and not be overstocked.
In the past the industry has been much
hampered in both Columbia and Venezuela by
government restrictions, monopolies and taxa
ton. and the estimates as to the cost of cattle
production in consequence vary much. Under
the same favorable conditions as exist in Mex
leo, Argentina and Uruguay the llanos Of
Colombia and Venezuela produce cattle
ready for slaughter at a cost which ought not
to exceed 81 gold per head.
In the valley of the Amazon there are no
such great prairie lands as exist on the Oro-
noco, yet on the whole there is as much or
even more first-class cattle country, consid-
cradle part of which is in easy deep-water
connection with the worlds markets.
The Amazon basin comprises one-eighth OF
the habitable earth and one-half of the most
fertile portion thereof. In territory so large
as this it would be unreasonable not to expect
to find many varieties of soil and soil cover, and
such is the fact. Between the rivers tributary to
the great river and back from the bottoms are
here and there large tracts Of open land SINH
lar to that found on the Gulf coast of Mexico.
in the prairie lands of Louisiana and in Hon
duras and in Guatemala. This is all fine cattle
country; there could be no better.
Near the headwaters of the great rivers
that flow down to make the mighty Amazon,
on the eastern slope of the Andes, are mil
lions of acres of fine grass lands in Colombia,
Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, well as in Bra
zil, that are more Immediately available for
cattle raising than are the lands farther east
in the great basin.
The third great river basin of South
America is that of the Plate river, with which
must be included the southern half of Argen-
tina, whose rivers drain directly into the At
lantic. Any account of the cattle industry
of Argentina must of necessity be less story
of what can be done than of what has been
done. Included in the Plate basin in addition
to Argentina are uruguay, Paraguay and
southern Brazil. The cattle conditions are
similar over all this area
Argentina ranks third in the world as
cattle-producing country. Russia and the Uni
ted States alone lead it; but Argentina has
only about 100000 inhabitants to feed, which
accounts for the fact that it is the leading
country In beef exports. Russia and the Uni
ted States must consume most of what they
raise; Argentina ships the greater proportion
of what 1t raises, not only beef cattle, but
horses sheep, wool, corn, wheat and 1axseed.
At the last census, taken about two years
ago, there were 29,116620 cattle in Argentina
and about 100000 in Uruguay. This is nearly
all grade stock of the best English blood
shorthorn, Hereford and Aberdeen-Angus. Ar
gent1na and Uruguay cattle are reared under
conditions somewhat peculiar to the locality.
They are not range cattle nor yet exactly farm
cattle, and but little or no grain is fed, yet
the export steers of Buenos Aires or Monte
video are fully equal in size and will cut as
much prime beef and as little waste as the
best steers of Kansas, Pennsylvania or south
west Virginia.
In the central provinces Of Buenos Aires,
Cordoba, Santa Fe, Entire Rios and Corrientes
the native grasses are better and more alfalfa
is grown. These five are the principal cattle