The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-07-20
Argentine Pampas, Great Grazing
Lands, Basis Of Huge Cattle Industry

Probably never before in history
have the people of the world been as
meat conscious" as they seem to be
during this second World War. Now
that a good juicy steak has become a
thing one dreams about, now, indeed,
is the time to stop for a while and
examine the meat production of the
Americas, an industry important thru
out the continent, especially in the
temperate zones.
The first cattle seem to have been
brought to America by Columbus him
self as early as 1893, at the time of
his second voyage to the New World,
while quarter of century later
Cortes brought the first horses to the
Western Hemisphere.
The animals brought by Columbus
and Cortes were distributed mainly
among the islands and on the main
land of North America.
Then in 1885 the Spaniards brought
in horses, cattle and later a few sheep.
The first cattle was probably taken
to Asuncion Paraguay by Portu-
guese. In 1896 for thousand head of
cattle were distributed along the re-
gions of the Rio de la Plate.
Let free on the Pampas and wild
plains of southeastern South Ameri-
ca, these animals reproduced and
eventually grew into helds of wild
cattle that were to be hunted princi-
pally by the gauchos or Argentine
cow boys.
During the first quarter of the nine
teenth century quite large conting-
ent of men was regularly engaged in
hunting cattle, altho these were lean
bony specimens, good only for the
production of hides and of tallow and
jerked beef. However the South
American people, especially those of
the Argentine, began to realize the
importance of the cattle industry be-
cause of their amiable climate and
great grassy plains.
The Pampas are probably the great
est grazing lands of all the world.
The Argentines realized that cattle to
be profitable must be grown for meat
as we'll as their hides and this re-
quired a better type of cattle. Con-
sequently, about the year 1860, the
importation of high grade European
cattle began in small way.
At the turn of the century, cattle
breeding in South America had be-
come an important industry and in
1907 the value of livestock imported
into Argentine alone was of more
than two million dollars. Further.
more, pastures were fenced and the
proper herbage was grown to feed the
animals in scientific way.
With the betterment of conditions
for the rearing of cattle a number oi
| large estates and plants to take care
of the livestock business sprung up il
Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay anc
Brazil, four countries which are today
together with Canada and the United
States, the major producers of meat
hides, wool and dairy products of the
Western Hemisphere.
The first World War, while intesi.
flying the need for meat, cut off some
of its sources of production and thus
stimulate its export by cattle rails.
ing South American countries. The
perfecting at that time of methods oi
conservation, further encouraged the
production by South America of froz
EN- meats for expectation. A new fielc
was opened to the cattle raisers of the
continent.
In 1889 the second World Wa
brought about situation similar t.
that of 1914-1918 and once more stim
ulated meat production Throughout
the Western Hemisphere.