68 THE WORLD'S MEAT FUTURE 



like the native cattle of South Africa. They are great walkers, 

 and can walk as fast as an ordinary horse: it is no nncommon 

 feat for a moh of these cattle to be driven 150 miles in three 

 days. As is to be expected, they are ill-shapen animals, and 

 never attain much weight, of all colours, and with a great growth 

 of horn. Latterly, they have been in great demand for canning 

 purposes, as the flesh has very little fat. These cattle are chiefly 

 run on unimproved camps, and are very roughly treatinl in every 

 way. 



Beef-making in Argentina is almost exclusively a grazing 

 business, but it is no longer on the open range basis v(says 

 Mr. C". F. Curtis in The Breeders' Gazette, Chicago). ' '''it 

 is more of a farm pasture business, but the pastures are 

 very large. Few of the cattle seen at the packing plants 

 have ever tasted grain. The greater part of the cattle 



as they come to market are of uniform quality, showing good 

 breeding, and carrying plenty of flesh for good export beef. 

 They show better breeding than either the farm cattle or the 

 range stock cf any other country that is producing beef on a 

 large scale. ^lost of the cattle from the large estancias are 

 bought direct by the packers or frigorificos, as they are called. A 

 representative of the packing-house visits the estancias, inspects 

 the saleable stock, and reports to his firm on the number of 

 animals, condition, and feed, and sends an estimate of the 

 average number of pounds of dressed beef per bullock. The 

 cattle are bought on the basis of this estimate. The frigorifico 

 managers deal frankly with the estancia owner, and tell him just 

 how much beef liis cattle made. The same buyer sticks to the 

 one estancia for a life-time." 



Shorthorns. 



Shorthorns have been found ideal for most conditions existing 

 in Argentina. The proportion of cattle that have been improved 

 by grading are 75 per cent. Shorthorns, 15 per cent. Herefords, 

 and still fewer Angus. Of registered Shorthorns, between 

 75,000 and 80,000 pedigrees have been inscribed in their herd- 

 book. ]\rany breeders are not registering their inferior pedigree 

 animals, placing such in their gi-ade herds and using them only 

 for commercial purposes, so that many collections of Short- 

 horns are to be seen that are pure-bred or showing a predomin- 

 ance of characteristics of the breed where the quality is of high 

 order. The leading live-stock exhibition is held aninuiUy in 



