Live Stock Breeders' Association. 243 



America, the West Indies, and South America, for cattle, hogs, 

 horses and sheep ; China and Japan for horses, cattle and hogs ; and 

 South Africa and Australia, for sheep. From the standpoint of 

 location, the parts of the world to which American breeders should 

 logically look for the disposition of their surplus, are countries of 

 the western hemisphere, south of the United States. In those 

 countries there is a growing demand for improved blood, and stock- 

 men are ready to spend money freely for animals of the right sort 

 to improve their stock. In considering the subject we can afford 

 to devote our time almost exclusively to conditions and possibilities 

 as they obtain there. 



OBSTACLES IN THE WAY OF FOREIGN TRADE — INADEQUATE MEANS OF 



COMMUNICATION. 



The greatest drawback to the development of trade with coun- 

 tries south of us, especially those in South America, is the absence 

 of good means of communication. There are few steamship lines 

 running direct from New York or other ports of the United States 

 to the great South American ports like Rio Janeiro and Buenos 

 Ayres. One might almost say that there are no good ones. It is 

 said that if a man wishes to get to either of those cities in the 

 shortest possible time he can best go first to England by a fast 

 Trans-Atlantic boat and trans-ship there to South America. Natu- 

 rally the same is true of fast mail transportation. It is also said 

 to be true that in Eastern South America banks sell exchange to 

 the United States, not direct on New York, but via London. There- 

 fore, if your South American buyer, when dealing with the United 

 States, must have his animals shipped on slow boats, with inferior 

 accommodations, and must pay for them by exchange on London, 

 it is more than probable that he will discriminate against Ameri- 

 can animals as long as such conditions obtain. At best, crossing 

 the Equator is a trying ordeal for live stock, and one which should 

 be made as short as possible. Likewise, it is more convenient to 

 buy exchange direct than in a roundabout way. Trade conditions 

 are, therefore, decidedly against the American breeder. 



This condition is one which has received a great deal of atten- 

 tion lately, as it is the principal drawback to United States trade 

 of every kind with South American countries. Theoretically and 

 sentimentally, the countries of South America should be our 

 best customers; actually, they are not by any means. It is doubt- 



