Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-06-10
FINE FRUITS IN
SOUTH AMERICA
Grapes Have Been Known to
Sell at S4.2o a Cluster and
Apples at % Cents Each.

When the Panama canal opens reg
ularly for business many industries
which have hitherto been more or less
dormant in South America will be
stimulated into activity. The United
States furnishes a profitable market
for many products of the southern con-
tinent, and with easy and rapid trans
portation facilities supplied this mar
ket will extend to perishable as well
as the more stable products. One or
the most profitable Industries for
which some of the South American
countries are specially well adapted is
that of fruit growing. In a recent ar
ticIe in the Monthly Bulletin of the
Pan American Union w. F. Wright of
the United States department of Agri-
culture writes:
South America probably has a
range of climate and variety of condi-
tions that will admit of the success
full cultivation of every known fruit.
Very nearly all of present Importance
have been introduced into one locality
or another. In the tropical or sub-trop-
ical regions are those adapted to such
a climate, namely, the sapodilla, NAM
NEE apple, mango, breadfruit, banana,
tamarinde, pomegranite, avocado, To-
uat, olive, fig, orange and lemon, In
addition to those native. In temper
ate regions nearly all of the deciduous
fruits grown in the United States have
been introduced"
In Argentina the grape is the fruit
which has attained the greatest COM
mercial importance and the Mendoza
seems to lead all other sec
tons. According to Mr.. Wright unde-
veloped land in the vicinity of Men,
doza country seems to lead all other
sections. According to Mr.. Wright I'M
developed land in the vicinity of Men
doza is considered worth from $40 to
$3.50 per acre Planted in vines it is
valued at $3.50 to $1,000 per acre. One
growth, a native Argentine, stated |
that table grapes trained on an over |
head trellis yielded him a net profit |
Of $40 to $1,000 per acre, and that
he had received as high as 1920 for |
single clusters in Buenos Aires. The |
area in vines for the whole of Argen- |
tina is stated at 259,000 acres in 1910, |
and the production of wines as 92,674,-
Jul gallons, Ndluou ct ulOT6 tHdu 20 |
million dollars. In the same year Cali |
'ornia produced nearly 100000 gal
ons, valued at a little more than 49,
million dollars.
Leaving Mendoza and passing over
he barren heights of the Andes at an
altitude of more than 10000 feet the
raveler arrives in Chile. One seems
o have reached another California,
,ut with a climate possibly even more
mild. There are in fact many similar
ties. and all of the fruits grown in
California are produced in Chile, prob
IDLY in equal perfection, but with far
ess care, and the industry has not de-
Teloped as in North America. Here,
90, the grape is the most important
ruit, the annual production being
bout 100000 gallons of excellent
vine. The section about Valdivia is
.lso noted for it's fine apples, those
rom one well-known grower having
frequently sold in Suenos Aires for
1880 box of 40 apples, while indi-
idual fine speciments have retailed
ven in Santiago for % cents each.
Leaving Chill and going northward
D Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, one
caches countries that lie wholly
'ithin the tropics, and yet in conse-
uence of the high altitude of some
ections they present a range of CHM
tie as great as that OF any country
n the continent and as well suited for
he cultivation of deciduous fruits. In
hese regions apricots ripen from De-
ember to February; cherries from
November to February; peaches from
'ecember to March; plums from jan
airy to March; pears from February