El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-01-09

EENDOGAf Argentine Jan. -
NJ Mendoza promises to be o-e Of
l. = the chief winter fruit gardens
Of the United States It is now exc
porimenting in sendinL carloads of
fruit from here to the Atlantic and
thence to New York. The fruit is sent
in refrigerator cars and in refrigerator
steamers, and so far 1t has been landed
in perfect condition. Several carloads
OF grapes were sent last year, and
they netteG the growers something
like 25 cents a pound, Notwithstanding
the fact that you can buy millions or
pounds here on the vines at less than
2 cents These grapes were equal to
the finest we imported from Spain or
California, and they reached New YORK
in the heart of winter.
Seasons Opposite Ours.
The seasons here are the direct OPP
posite of ours. When we have sum-
mer these eastern slopes Of the Andes
are covered with snow, and when the
billiards. blow through New York the
vines and orchards of the province OF
Mendoza are loaded with the most lus-
The fruit that went to New York
crossed the Argentine pampas dis
lance Of 654 miles to Buenos Ayres. II
was there transferred from the cars 10
the steamers, and it had voyage on
~
entered the harbOr of New York. NOW
that the Panama canal is completed
much of the shipping will be oy way OF
the Pacific.
This town is only $50 miles By rail-
road from the port Of Valparaiso, ana
from there fast fruit steamers Will De
able to take their cargoes to our ports
in IS days They viii probably CUT
down the present time of transit fully
two weeks and the exporting VIII pc
combined with that Of the Chilean truit
growers and with The United FRUIT
and other companies who are now IN
vestigating the possibilities OF IIoou
ing our cities with South American
fruits.
Mendoza is one of the fruit regions
o. the world. 1t is a little garden OF
Eden in the heart Of a desert 1t lies
at the foot of che ligh Andes noun
fains on the railroad that crosses from
.Ruenos Avres to the Pacific. 1t mas
good railroad connections with the AT
lantic and there are trains lhIee tlIiSs
a week that go over the mou mountains u
the opposite side of the continent
The town is in the center OF the
great fruit valley Of the MenuoZa
river. The lands are composed OF m
rich silt which that river mas DIousr.
down from the Andes, ana they tSty
mon II for Their irrigation saw TINS
UHT
side of the Andes. 1t is a rusn-
inc flood of water as thick as pea SOUP
r. ie tbe color of chocolate, and 1t car
ries so much fertilizting material aIOHs
its course that wherever X meets a.
bstr1ction IL builds up sand par OF
.l,s 81 ~ ~ T-I5ead If is said that If
-,7aT can find a patch of stones any
where over which the current Cdt
t,,-Tad he will within a year nave q
coatiug of two or three rect OF sot-
that will raise almost any thlhB uIl -St
49,. SIM The river carries so muCH
ne +Ia+ II frequently changes It's
Course. owing to the islands oulII up
- ~ 7 saw islands that were lnIee
80 sboI,e the level of the water thelI
hanks being almost perpendicular
water FertfIizes Every thing.
All of the available water u u ; IN
MENDOZA is now used for lrIlsdO l IN
1T5-e,sa are FREQUENT dams to dlrct tnS
80 u, over the fields and mere ~
fbare Won see canals Leading OF - -
them. the water fertilizes every -lIiil55
II touches. regeneratlng lIla ma 7S----Df
1-aar after year as the Nile does EsyPL
"a causing it to produce enormous
IONS without nitrates or phosphatttes.
me- soil thus made has been IouIl9
to he especially fitted LOT grapes -
TODAY the whole valley has peen iuit ~
: IT., vinevards. Farther back IN Ihe
are hundreds Of thousands OF
sCres devoted to grazing; Dut heIS
eS,a~1, square yard is in vineyards ana
ttsv are now producing someLnln5
1iire AGO 100000 quarts or t5'OUV'UUU
-eIIons of wine every year. Ihe vines
80, So well that vineyards IN pear
{np are worth three thousand soIu
Joi1ars and upwards per acre and pare
land with the water rights Will prlhs
$1,000 and more. 100 -
one vineyard Pays $1,000 Year.
one little vineyard of seventy acres
nets $4,000 a year and am told
mat the average vineyard VIII pay an
lie expenses and give Is per cent OF
clear profit year in and year out Mneh
Inc season is good and grapes are hlgn
IL will yield more, but when tne Dau
seasons come it yi6lds less although the
average is as high as IS per cent.
This season the vineyards are ioaceo'
hut the grapes will not net more Ihan (
one cent per pound on the vines the {
purchaser doing the picking and carry
ing them to market. One reason Ior TINS
is the big crop, and another as the 1act
thar the wine market is glutted owing
to the great supply held over from last
wear caused by the hard times Of the
Argentine Still another cause is the
hard times brought about by the war
SpeciaI Fruit Trains to Buencs Aires.
AS it is now more than z,OUUOOu
mounds of grapes are being shipped to
Buenos Aires every day in special
fruit train. This train has forty cars,