169 

 ij 



Droughts, excessive rains, sudden falls of tempera- 

 ture, and insect plagues are natural to all "limes, but in 

 the Argentine Republic, one has to .struggle besides 

 against factors which in other lands have been reduced to 

 a minimum or eliminated altogether. 



These are primarily : 



AY ant of capital and commercial credit for the rural 

 labourer; 



Absence of modern methods for the good pre- 

 sentation of the cereals, and, 



Scarcity of competition among buyers in the sale 

 markets . 



The system of elevators eliminates all these adverse 

 factors . 



The farmer lacking capital and commercial credit 

 is obliged to throw his crops on the already overloaded 

 market, to exceed the possibilities of railway transport, 

 and to bring about the congestion of maritime transport. 



All this is so notorious that it is not necessary to 

 insist on, but it is worth while noting that none the less 

 it has been reduced and organised methodically in the 

 United States and Canada, and other countries are fol- 

 lowing iii their steps. 



In the United States it is a question of a harvest of 

 17,000,000 tons of wheat and of 70,000,000 tons of maize, 

 and its transport, storing, placing for consumption and 

 financing generally is done in such a manner that this 

 colossa 1 movement is effected with but a slight enhancing 

 in the value of money. 



The elevator and the grain granery, wnich >are the 

 principal agents in this regime, are the elaboration of 

 prolonged experience ifhder .similar conditions to those 

 ruling here, but on a much vaster scale. 



The functions of the elevator are multiplied, similar 

 in character to those of public service, such as the rail- 

 ways, artificial ports, etc., but confined strictly to 

 cereal production. 



The elevator receives the grain direct from the pro- 

 ducer, classifies it immediately if its commercial quality 

 does not demand previous treatment, and emits there and 

 then a certificate or warrant which serves the producer 

 as a negotiable document . 



If the state of the grain requires it, the elevator pre- 

 viously proceeds to clean it, dry it, or grade it, all or 

 whichever it may be, and then to emit the warrant which 

 enumerates the quantity of grain, of a certain commer- 

 cial quality, and guarantees its delivery, on the respon- 

 sibility of the Elevator owners. This certificate or war- 



