El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-03-13

, many others where the crop had been
cut and put up in huge stacks.
Feed Out Of Doors All Year.
The cattle OF Argentine are al
lowed to feed out of doors all the year
round. and when the stock IS taken
off the native grasses and put on
alfalfa TO fatten II IS turned INTO one
OF the great fenced enclosures and al
lowed TO feed at an alfalfa stack Just
as our cattle are fed upon straw
In this way large number OF head
can be cared for by very Few men,
and the cost Of stock farming is re-
duced TO the minimum As il is now
the best lands are forced with wire,
and the cattle feed in these great
fields without need Of barns or sheds
The winters are so mild that there IS
plenty of grass all the year round.
Alfalfa Area Is Increasing.
The value of alfalfa in the making
OF beef has grown upon the ArgentinOs,
and the alfalfa area is increasing
enormously. AS soon as the land is
in alfalfa it jumps in value. Steers
raised on that grass can be marketed
a year younger than II grown on the
native grasses. and the use Of alfalfa
doubles the carrying capacity Of the
estancia- In southern Cordoba and
Santa Pc three thousand cattle are
now being fed all the year round to
every square league Of alfalfa This
means about one head to every two
acres. and 1t is said that another
thousand could be added If all were
breeding cattle.
Finely bred stock does not thrive on
the native grasses, and there are many
millions Of acres in Argentina that
viii have to be put into alfalfa in
order 10 have il yield its full value
Lands which have been CARRYING 5000
sheep TO the leasue-that is. one sheep
10 two acres-are now carrying double
as many. Tt is estimated that one
animal feeding on the native grasses 1
requires as much as eight acres and it
viii be thus seen that alfalfa makes
the land seven or eight times as val
liable
Moreover. the alfalfa keeps on pro-
dUcing year after year. and il Yields
nay for fattening or piecing out the
other crops in case Of a drouth. All
ala grown for hay gives 100 percent
profit II is easy to raise and il en-
riches the land, each ton OF hay con-
tanning fifty pounds Of nitrogen When
grown for dry fodder il gives three or
four crops a year, and Yields seven or
eight tons Of hay to the acre a ton
Of such haytls worth $50. and the land
is better after the crop is taken Off
than II was before it was planted.
the alfalfa farmers are the best stock
farmers, and nearly all who have gone
into the business have made money
Much of the wheat land after being
TO alfalfa. and 1t is upon this crop
that depends the great meat supply
of the future.
Jealous Of American Packing Houses.
l find a great deal Of jealousy IN
Buenos Aires regarding the advances
our american firms are making in the I
packing house business -Four or five
years ago all the killing. freezing and
shipping was i'm the hands Of ArEen-
unos ana the British. Now the bulk {
IT he uhF
american frigenficOss and they are /
steadily increasing in capacity. With Z
IN the past year the ArmOurS have
erected an enormous additional plant !
ar La Plata, and the Swifts are kill /
ing more beeVes than ever before /.
They have used American methods in I
extending their trade, and have been
ready TO pay better prices than the I
British and Argentiuos
As q result they have had the best
ANNALS and the others had TO paw the
price or take what was left. Since the 3
americans have entered the field the
value Of the live stock all over Argeu-
una mas risen, and in that way the .
American packers have been Of great .
benefit to the country.
Today the Americans own three OF /
the biggest packing companies of the
republic. and two other companies in
l rusuay are under United States
ownership They are now exporting I
more meat TO Europe and to the United
states than all Of the other companies
combined and, if I am rightly in
ormed, their shipments have already .
amounted to the grand total Of $500
J0e cattle and sheep
The new Armour plant viii be in
operation early in the summer and
when completed it will have a daily
capacity Of 2f0O cattle, 60O0 sheep and
i-oV hogs The La Plata Cold Storage
company, belonging TO the Swifts. is
being so enlarged that its daily ca
lacltE viii DE 200 cattle and 5000
5heep' Whlle each company Will employ
several thousand additional men
II these two American concerns !
-outd De run at fun capacity through
PUT a whole year they would SLAUGHTER
turing that time more than a million
md half of cattle. more than g 200. 600
sheep and about 100000 hogs and
ii the aYeraSe prices OF today the
inlmals would DE worth somewhere
about Sl"o.00o.000. In addition to
mem are the other frigerificos. so that