The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-11-02
WHEAT rsMpsa or sFlsE:NTINE.
Sa>t GRASSY Plains Are Producing
EnhrrahnSl9.

t.*nat;a az: Australia: : r:fs:; r.U.t-
-ut >cr,tsc snr sc.r - an. :
armies. a.G with Americas cco:pct
rt.narn:nGias ract..I c.;taS. tha sTsS
~ 80. cireS t.fn toward Argentina
which ranks SIKH among tns VIZ At
growing countries os tha Wnr,t,
E:ai!y Wills. n e cor2napn;cat:oc. tn
80 National Geographic snciatv. tells
II tns vast agricultural wealth nf
this country. The society has issued
= part Of Mr. W:l!fss articles as tas
following bt!Istin:
The sol! and tas climate nf the
parap pas. which cover al. arsa cs zbl.-
900 square miles. give tha Argsrtias
republic It's high rank among ths
wheat and corn growing countries rf
tbs world 'Ens soil IS an ancient a.
luviun. the Sns sediment carried bg
,la rivers far out from the noun
tainS. Ike ths deposit row being
made ~ ths Paraguay and It's tribu-
tariss. an island delta in ths interior
Of the continent. The sediment is
very fine. and mingled With it is a
large proportion Of fms volcanic dust
blown from the volcanoes Of the An
lss. Like the renowned Iosss soils
Of China. it is exceedingly fertile
and. being very porous. absorbs the
rain waters. which rise again by
evaporation and supply the surface
soil constantly with plant food.
A Vast Grassy Plain.
The pampas are vast grassy
plain. IS there anything more to be
said? As an Englishman put it..
what can you say about q bally bill
lard table except that it is s, bally
billiard table," Yet the plain Of the
parnpas is not like tbs great Western
plains Of the United States. The
latter are broken by gullies. furrow-
ed by streams. travsrsed by rivsF val
lsys. The pampas are not.
Among all tho landscapes Of the
world there is none more meadow
like than the fiat pampa. with the
cattle grazing in the rich grass. but
the meadow grass hides no meander-
ing brook. Hour after hour and day
after day you may ride without cross
ing stream You will. however. en-
counter many shallow pools and lake
lets.
The pampa looks so fiat. so fea-
turslsss' But is it, Watch the
horsemsn galloping away toward the
horizon. toward which he rises sill
housttsd against the sky. Soon he
sinks and drops out Of sight. having
apparently ridden over the edge Of
the world: but an hour later he may
rise again. topping more distant
swell Of ths vast grassy ocean sur
face. North. east. south. and west
it is the same-a bilowy plain. hol-
lowed and nodded by the wind. the
frse=flowing air. which in place of
running water has sculptured the i'm
menss expanss Of fine brown earth.
Irrigation Problem.
In former days it mattered nothing
to the world at large and compare
lively little to the Argentine himself
whether the season was favorable
one for wheat or not: but now. when
millions beyond her confines look to
Argentina for bread and when Ar
gsntine prosperity is regulated by the
wheat she sells. it matters much.
The time will come. probably.
when plentiful rains or drought will
matter less than now: for at present
agriculture in Argentina Is in that
elementary state when it is most OK
posed to injury by the vicissitudes Of
climate. Great fields are cultivated
by few hands. The poorly prepared
soil. the shallow plowing. the neglect
of cultivation. all invite losses in any
but favorable year. In the east
rainfall usually is abundant or ex-
cessive. There are areas Of Buenos
Aires province which are inundated
by heavy rains. and great drainage
works have been undertaken by the
government ut the instance Of the
landowners. From east to west the
rainfall diminishes till it becomes in
sufficient for agriculture in the aver
age year. and farming can prosper
only where irrigation is practicable.
Thus the pampas. Of which We may
think as q monot0nous plain. exhibit
great diversity Of aspect. Portions Of
them may he flooded while other dis
tant regions of the same plain are
drying up. Portions are suited to
the growing OF wheat. others to cat
tie raising. and still others in the
warmer. rainy zone about Rosario