60 PRODUCTION 



times/ the pressure of population upon land resources in Argentina 

 is scarcely yet felt. It will be many years at the present rate of 

 increase before the country is field in the sense that the United 

 States are. There is at present, in fact, a recurring shortage of 

 labour in the agricultural districts that impedes progress. It is 

 quite possible that an increased population, if distributed over the 

 agricultural regions, would make an increased export-surplus of 

 animal produce (and cereals) possible. 2 



The resources of the country for animal industries are great. 

 Land suitable for settlement is not yet limited in the same way as 

 in the United States, even though the existence of a semi-arid belt 

 running north and south parallel with the Andes and adjoining 

 them, sets a limit to the westward migration of farming and even 

 of grazing under ordinary conditions. 3 The area of Argentina is 

 about 730 million acres, of which at least one half is productive. 

 In 1912 there were 57 million acres of agricultural land cultivated 

 (including 15 million acres under alfalfa). There are, therefore, 

 308 million acres of available agricultural land, of which 75 million 

 acres are said to be suitable for wheat. 4 



With the extension of railways there has been a great increase 

 in cereal cultivation during the last two decades, as shown by the 

 increase in the exports, which for all cereals, including linseed, 

 rose from an average of 1-73 million tons in 1895-7, to that of 4-13 

 million tons in 1902-4, and to that of 6-06 million tons in 1910-12. 



The further extension of all forms of agriculture (including animal 

 industries) in Argentina, depends upon a number of conditions, 

 chief among which is improvements in the means of transport, 

 including railways, roads and port facilities. The present system 

 of large holdings is hostile to progress 5 and efforts are being made 

 to bring about closer settlement. 6 The methods of production are 

 often primitive, especially in cereal cultivation. 7 In the stock- 

 raising industries scarcely any provision is made for sheltering 

 animals, and very little is done in the direction of growing fodder 

 crops to tide over periods of drought. Agriculture suffers from 

 the evils of the tenancy system whereby large landowners let part 



1 The estimated population of Argentina was 4-8 million in 1901 and 7-1 

 millions in 1911. The increase was therefore nearly 50% for the decade. 



2 For discussion of the optimum population in new countries for export- 

 surplus, see Chap, x., pp. 153-156. be'ow, 



3 The northern parts of the country are tropical in climate and are largely 

 covered with dense forests. Even when developed and cleared this section 

 (about of the whole area) will not be suitable for ordinary animal industries. 

 Its future lies in tropical products (sugar, etc.) 



4 Report of British Consul-General, Buenos Aires, for 1912-13 (Cd. 7048- 

 60), 



6 See Report of British Consul at Buenos Aires for the year 1911. See also 

 Bulletin of the American Geog. Society, Sept., 1915, p. 680 : " The greatest 

 obstacle to Argentine progress is the land question." 



6 See figures given in the Argentine Year Book, 1914, pp. 244-5. 



7 See Report of British Consul at Buenos Aires for the year 1907, p. 10 



