loo To the River Plate and Back 



are little better than unploughed grazing land full of 

 swampy pools. Here and there attempts have been 

 made to throw up the soil in the middle in the form of a 

 ridge and to dig alongside of this channels through which 

 the water may be drained away. But the era of good 

 roads has not as yet arrived in Argentina. Though 

 there are thousands of automobiles in the capital, I 

 suspect it would be rather a doleful undertaking at 

 the present time to make an automobile tour through 

 the country districts. 



We passed through several large towns on the way to 

 La Plata. The most important is Quilmes, where is 

 located an important brewing establishment, said to be 

 one of the largest breweries in the world. Quilmes beer 

 is sold everywhere throughout Argentina and Uruguay. 

 In the southeastern suburbs of the same town, near 

 the railway, is a large glass-factory, engaged princi- 

 pally in making beer-bottles, hundreds of thousands 

 of which, piled up in the yards, covered acres of the 

 surface. The materials of manufacture are largely 

 imported from Europe. 



The night fell quickly over the landscape. We 

 reached La Plata without having made a stop. On 

 alighting from the train I was struck with the grandiose 

 proportions of the railway terminal. It recalled Char- 

 ing Cross or Waterloo. I said to Professor Roth: 



; The blood of a great many beeves must have paid for 

 this structure.' He laughingly assented, and said: 



'Yes; everything in this country is made of 'beef or 

 'wheat/ We stepped out of the depot upon a bril- 

 liantly lighted avenue. The carriage of the good doctor 

 was awaiting us, and we were quickly conveyed to his 

 residence, where from his charming family we received 

 a welcome full of Teutonic warmth, and presently sat 



