Diario las Américas., 1958-01-23
Know thy
NeighhorI
Bv ANTONIO RUIZ

ARGENTINA - The "Pampa,
the seemingly illimitable central
plain, known as the wild West
of Argentina, was, and still is, a
source of tremendous wealth. For
centuries the pampa, more than a
quarter of a million square miles
of space" was a %forbidding sea
of tall, billowing bunch grass,
where nomadic Indians hunted the
guanaco, armadillo, and ostrich,
and where the only landmarks were
solitary "ombu" trees.
The early settlers turned their
backs on this unpromising" land
and sailed up the Parana in search
of gold an siyer. Five year after
the landing of Pedro de Mendoza's
expedition and the founding Of
Buenos Aires the only traces re-
naming of either were the horses
brought from Spain, which had
run wild on the pampa and multi
piled rapidly, being the progenit-
ors of the famous Argentine hor-.
ses of today.
This was the beginning of the
'country's basic pastoral economy.
Until the middle of the 10th cen
fury, before a pillow had cut the
rich sod and wire fences and wind
mills were known on the grass
land, stock raising was the PAM
pas only industry. Because of the
Indian menace, which was not end
ed until the end of the 18th. cen
fury the majority of the ranches
in the pampa were located fairly
close to the colonial cities and to a
chain of forts along the Indian
frontier, which extended westward
across the pampa to Mendoza.
Country stores and bars, few and
far between, marked the slow con-
quest and settlement of the plains
by the hardy pioneers and gau-
chos.
Flying from Buenos Aires to Ro-
sario, Cordoba, Mendoza OF Bahia
Blanca today, a vast mosaic of
grain fields and green pastures
can be seen, dotted by windmills
and. criss-crossed by railroads and
highways, which fan out in all d.
rectlons from the cities. Extend
ing from Rio de la Plata, south to
Bahia Blanca, west to the arid
mountain region, and northwest
to the hills of Cordoba, the pampa
has an agricultural pattern mark
ed by four or five distinct zones of
production. Dairy, fruit and truck
farming are concentrated in a fan
shaped zone around Buenos AIRES.
The major part of Argentina's al
most so million head of cattle
grazes in the livestock zone OF the
north and south of Buenos Aires.
from Mesopotamia to Mar del
PLATA; yearling steers come prin-
cipally from the southeastern Bue-
nos Aires Province.
Corn and flax production is cen
tered In the northern section of the
pampas, around Rosario on the
Parana River, where ocean-going
freighters load the largest export
corn crops in the world. To the
West and South of the corn coun.
try is the alfalfa zone, bordered
on the West by Argentina's fam
Gus wheat belt, which extends
north and south some 900 miles
from Mar Chiquita to the Colora.
do River. From this bountiful
bread basket comes an annual
wheat crop ranging from five to
six million metric tons.
In the flight over the pampas,
the traveller can see at intervals
tiny spots of green, which appear
like GASES amid oceans of grain,
These are groves of poplars, will.
lows and pine trees which sur.
round the residence and build.
ings of the huge agricultural es'
adjustments called "estancias,"
some of them covering ten square
miles. Farming is big business in
Argentina and the nation's' estan.
cieros' are among the wealthiest
farmers in the world. Their ran
ches frequently resemble small
country clubs, with palatial homes,
swimming pools, tennis courts and
polo fields
Continued tomorrow
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