The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-12

making EstabliShment-Life and
business i'm Western Argentina
Forests and Gardens in the Midst Of
the Desert.
Copyrighted, 1914, by Frank G.. Car
penter.)
Mendoza, Argentine.
AfsndoZa promises to be one of the
nief winter fruit gardens OF the
,-uitcd States. 1t is now experiment.
ing in sending carloads of fruit from
here to the Atlantic and thence to
New York. The fruit is sent In re-
frigerator cars and in refrigerator
steamers, and so far it has been land
I'd in perfect condition. Several car
loads Of grapes were sent last year,
and they netted the growers some
hing like 20 centS a pound, w
standing the fact that you can now
nuv millions of pounds here OIL the
ines at less than 2 cents. These
rrapes were equal TO the finest We
imported from Spain or California,
and they reached New York in the
heart of winter.
The seasons here are the direct op-
oosite OF ours. When we have sum-
uer these eastern slopes of the An
les are covered with snow, and when
tho billiards. blow through New York
she vines and orchards of the pro-
vince OF Mendoza are loaded with the
most luscious fruit.
The fruit tina went to New York
rrossed the Argentine pampas a dis
lance OF 654 miles TO BuenoS Aires. Ii
was there transferred from the cars
10 the steamers, and it had a voyage On
The Atlantic ocean Of tWenty-three
days before it entered the harbor OF
New York. Now that the Panama
,anal is completed much of the ship
Ding will be via the Pacific. This town
is only 250 miles by railroad from the
port OF Valparaiso, and from there
fast fruit steamers Will be able tC
take their cargoes TO our ports in iii
ieen days. They will probably GU
down the present time of transit fully
TWO weeks, and the exporting will b.
combined with thai of the Chilean
fruit growers and with the United
fruit and other companies who ar
now investigating the possibilities 0
flooding our cities with the Soutl
American fruits.
Mendoza is one of the fruit region
of the world. 1t IS q little garden o
Eden in the heart Of a desert. /
lies at the foot Of the high Ande
mountains. on the railroad hat crosse
from Buenos Aires 10 the Pacific. |
the Atlantic, and there are train
AitANP " Nt,Th tAii oo ~ ~
mountains to the opposite side Of tn
continent. The town is in the cente
of the great fruit valley OF the Men
doHa river. The lands are compose
u the rich silt which that river =
brought down from the Andes, an
they rely upon it for their irrigation
I saw this stream shortly after l al
rived on the eastern side of the AL
les. 1t is a rushing food of water g
tnl1k as np1 Snnn &c tho Cninr +
chocolate. and it carries so much fel
Hll@lng material along its course ths
whenever II meets an obstruction
Guilds up "A Sandbar or island. II
iced, 1t is said that if a man ca
and a patch OF stones anywhere ovt
when the current ran be turned, !
VIII within q year nave a coating
t"o or three feet of soil hat Wi
adise almost anything under the su
me river carries so much silt that
frequently changes it's course, own
20 the islands built up by it I sa
SANDS that We're three feet above IL
ever Of the water, their banks beil
almost perpendicular.
Al Of the available water OF ii
mehdpHa is now used for irrigatio
there are frequent dams to direct IL
stream over The fields, and here al
mere you see canals leading off in
mem. Some of these are large Wi
many latcrals. The river narrows al
"iuehS iii its course. 1t is lined wi
"liows, but it is not an attract
''ohlhS stream, although its sands a
S'iden Tor the people of Mendoza. T.
water fertilizes everything it touch'
generating this valley year aft
yeaF as the Nile does Egypt, and cat
nnS II to produce enormous Gro
Nthout nitrates or p~hosphates.
me soil thus made has been fou
- be especially fitted for grapes a
,"uay the whole valley has be
'ulned into Vineyards. Farther ba
"a me country are hundreds of tho
audS of acres devoted to grain
"ut mere every square yard is in vi
I"lua ana they are now product
59inething like 800, 900, 900 quarts
rr",'ooo 900 gallons of wine every We
- vines grow SO we'll hat vinegar
az bearing are worth three thousa
Sol1 oilar and upwards per &C
ana bare 11nd NTH tn r,ot.r r.;r