Argentine and Its Chaco. 411 



per acre. A curious fact is that within these tracts of timber are 

 found large grassy flats or pampas. The many varieties (as 

 many as 30 merchantable woods) occur in spots or bunches 

 called islands, which are rarely very large. According to their 

 nature some seek the highlands, like urendey, and others the low 

 lands; mora, lapacho and cedro like damp lands near water, but 

 this law of distribution often fails. All the trees grow to large 

 sizes. Trees measuring six feet in diameter and thirty to forty 

 feet to limbs clear are common, in fact almost the rule. Que- 

 bracho, urendel, cedro, quina, cevil, mora and others are sound 

 while growing, having few if any defects, on the other hand 

 palo amarillo and palo bianco are rotten when large or overgrown. 

 Some forests do not contain an old tree of any kind. Wind falls 

 are always the best lumber when of quebracho, urendel, mora, 

 guayacan and lapacho, for they never seem to rot. One never 

 hears of forest fires, for the woods are always green. In this 

 region it is the custom to fell the timber from two to four years 

 before hauling in order to season it somewhat, but even then in 

 many the crown remains still green, while roble will even sprout 

 again. The fact that only cedro floats, makes the numerous 

 streams useless for logging purposes ; therefore, all logging 

 propositions are for railroad. A German firm, the Arthur Kop- 

 pel Co., of Berlin, with a branch office in Buenos Ayres furnish 

 practically all the rails and locomotives, and make a good steel 

 logging car. In connection with the railroad the most primeval 

 methods of logging are in existence. In many places they still 

 load the cars by hand, a few by oxen. The main logging is by 

 oxen and a cart on two wheels, especially a structure of this sec- 

 tion. This method is slow and expensive but not knowing that 

 there was any other method loggers were contented until the- 

 Lidgerwood Mfg. Co. of New York entered the field, and now 

 the advantages of steam logging are being seen. 



The woods are full of very heavy underbrush and, as is usual 

 in all semi-tropical countries, vines of great size and number are 

 very abundant. These vines so hold trees together that 8 or 10 

 have to be cut before any fall and when they do fall there is a 

 mess. The oxen are of a good breed and there are plenty of 

 them, but mules are small, not much larger than burros. The 

 laborers are of Spanish and Indian descent. In most parts they 

 are what their employers make them, but a very strong, firm hand 



