Life in La Plata 227 



aborigines. ' In speaking of the matter to one of my 

 friends he informed me that the advent of these thistles 

 is not altogether to be regarded as having been a curse. 

 "If it had not been for the thistles," he said, ;< a few 

 years ago, when we had a terrible drought, a great deal 

 more of the live stock would have been lost than actually 

 was the case. The cattle, which ordinarily refuse to 

 eat the leaves, took to them, and their lives were 

 saved. ' 



I was astonished to see the hemlock (Conium macu- 

 latum), recalling the tragic death of Socrates, growing 

 everywhere in the rankest profusion. As this plant is 

 said to be fatal to philosophers and cattle, though it 

 may be eaten by asses and goats, I was surprised to see 

 thickets of it springing up on the grazing lands on which 

 is kept some of the finest blooded stock in Argentina. 

 Various European grasses are common. The white 

 clover (Trifolium repens) is found everywhere as with 

 us, and so are various other species of the same genus, 

 all adventitious from southern Europe. Chickweed, 

 bed-straw, purslane, shepherd's-purse, and ragweed 

 were found growing by the road. I was impressed by 

 the fact that not only these, but scores of other Euro- 

 pean and North American weeds, the 'tramps" of the 

 vegetable world, have found congenial soil in these lands 

 of the South Temperate Zone, and are apparently 

 slowly replacing the native flora. Just as the people 

 of Europe have exterminated the aborigines, so the weeds 

 of Europe are exterminating the lowly plants of the 

 region, and are surely taking possession of the soil. 



As I have already remarked elsewhere the inhabitants 

 of Argentina manifest a preference for the eucalyptus 

 as a shade-tree, and it appears about almost all farm- 

 houses. The Araucaria is also frequently planted. 



