ARGENTINA 75 



the rainfall is between 20 and 25 in. ; if as close as 6 ft., and not 

 more than 40 ft., below the roots of the wiry pampa grass the 

 water conies in strata, brackish, and in some parts undrinkably 

 bitter by reason of the lime-impregnated soil through which it 

 has filtered; if, finally, there is no rock, nor pebble, nor any 

 vestige of the stone age larger than a grain of sand — by all these 

 tokens we may know that we are in the true alfalfa land. 



''Twenty-five years ago alfalfa was only grown on the more 

 progressive estancias, and even then in paddocks rarely exceed- 

 ing 10 to 20 acres. The crop was set aside for imported stock, 

 and for the benefit of such home-grown animals as were deemed 

 good enough to send up to the annual sales at the capital. It 

 was stated that grazing killed out the plant, and, in view of the 

 high cost of establishing it, estancieros wasted year after year 

 in cropping a worn-out and unprofitable patch. The necessity 

 of finding a drought-resisting forage in the warmer, sandier 

 backblocks, where the summer rainfall was too scanty to keep 

 up tender grasses, induced a more enlightened farmer to give 

 the plant a trial. From the result of that successful experiment 

 we may date the opening up of the central pampas. 



"These plains in the natural state will support on their sun- 

 burnt tufts of grass a maximum of 500 head of cattle or 2000 

 sheep per square league (6400 acres). The same ground laid 

 down in four or five paddocks of alfalfa will maintain all the 

 year round, and turn off in good shape 2000 head of cattle, in 

 addition to 5000 sheep. That is to say, the introduction of this 

 unequalled forage plant has raised the possible production of 

 these pampas from 5,000,000 cattle, or 20,000,000 sheep, to 

 20,000,000 cattle and 100,000,000 sheep— an increase of 800 per 

 cent. 



"The yield of an acre of alfalfa if cropped may be safely placed 

 at two tons of hay, or 20 tons of ensilage, per annum. The 

 process of making ensilage is as yet very little practised in 

 Argentina in spite of the excellent results it yields. Large 

 fields cut for hay, which might be utilised in this manner, are 

 left to rot owing to an unexpected shower. If the two opera- 

 tions were carried on side by side, it is safe to say that the 

 summer yield of two tons would be augmented by at least five 

 tons ensilage per acre. The total yield for one league (which 

 does not by any means represent the maximum yield in a good 

 season) then becomes 12,000 tons hay and 30,000 tons ensilage 

 per square league. There is left a sufficiency of short feed 

 to support two sheep to the acre during the six remaining winter 

 months. 



