328 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



Passing now to the rise and development of the pastoral trade : 

 In 1878 there were exported 230,000,000 pounds of wool, and a con- 

 siderable quantity of hides (I have not been able to ascertain the 

 exact amount); in 1902 Argentina's production of 511,521,920 

 pounds of wool was almost one-quarter of the total world's produc- 

 tion, which is calculated at 2,231,000,000 pounds; and 103,306 tons 

 of all descriptions of hides, together with 417,823 mares hides were 

 exported. The freezing establishments first started an export busi- 

 ness in 1883 with 17,165 wethers; thirteen years subsequently — in 

 1896 — 1,768,206 wethers and 7,092 steers were despatched; and in 

 1902 the total reached 3,429,275 wethers, and 207,755 steers. Of 

 the frozen meat consumed in England, Argentina supplied 59^50 per 

 cent., Australia 21.60, and New Zealand 18.90 per cent. 



The live stock trade, at first confined to Brazil and the West 

 Indies, was augmented in 1891 by shipments to Europe, and in 1892 

 figured at 40,000 sheep and 125,458 cattle. The advance from that 

 date has been truly phenomenal, the numbers in 1898 being 577,813 

 sheep and 359,296 cattle. The appearance of the " Foot and 

 Mouth " disease in March, 1900, caused a sensible decrease in the 

 exportation for 1900 and 1901, which, however, was partially com- 

 pensated for by an increase in the amount of frozen meat, jerked 

 beef, and preserved meats ; the two latter items accounting for 

 454,000 tons in 1902, when the live stock trade made an effort to 

 regain its lost prestige with a total of 112,501 sheep and 118,303 

 cattle. The last item I shall refer to is one of great interest, 

 namely, butter, of which 8,765,625 pounds were exported in 1902. 



Figures of such magnitude contain not only visible evidence of 

 the great increase in wealth, but they also point to some titanic 

 propelling force that has assisted Argentina to outstrip all competitors 

 in pastoral exports, and this leads up to my main contention that 

 alfalfa is the fundamental element supporting and giving activitv to 

 the pastoral industry. The explanation becomes still more intelli- 

 gible when the meat trade is dealt with under its three primary 

 divisions of live stock, frozen meat, and conserved meats. Of these 

 three sub-headings the live stock trade is incomparably the most 

 important, inasmuch as the animals exported must be of the highest 

 quality, and able to compare favourably with the cattle received from 

 the United States, Canada, and other countries, where every art and 

 scientific method is made use of to produce a thoroughly finished 

 animal and the first grade of beef. What farmers in those countries 

 are accomplishing by the aid of artificial foods and stall feeding, the 

 Argentine farmer is doing in the open with alfalfa. Moreover, an 

 all-the-year round trade would be impossible if the old system of 

 grazing had not undergone a distinct change, in that the most enter- 

 prising estancieros, possessing suitable lands, had these laid down 

 under alfalfa, and by this means elevated their businesses from that 

 of mere cattle raising to fattening and dairying establishments. 



For freezing purposes the ordinary, rough Argentine " mestizo " 

 (half-breed), of which a large majority of the stock of export cattle 



