82 THE WORLD'S MEAT FUTURE 



cap of modern alluvium, save for a strip along the banks of the 

 Uruguay, where the red foothills come down as far as the bar 

 of Concordia, before mentioned. 



"Although it is only the north of Corrientes that crosses the 

 line of the tropics, life in this province frankly crosses the 

 semi-tropical stage. This is due to its low general altitude, 

 combined with the near presence of large bodies of fresh water, 

 which convert it during the summer months into a gigantic 

 forcing house. The climate at this season is one of enervating 

 humidity. Maize, sweet potatoes, bananas, and mandioca solve 

 the eas3^ problem of existence for a shiftless lower class. Those 

 who have higher ambitions may undertake the cultivation of a 

 tobacco patch, selling a poor quality product at equivalent prices. 

 Orange groves are numerous ; the difficulty lies in procuring 

 suitable labour to harvest and convey the golden fruit to market. 

 Peanuts will produce abundantly, and the crop is readily bought 

 up by the various oil mills established on the banks of the 

 Parana. 



"The real Corrientes industry (the word is somewhat mislead- 

 ing) is stock-raising, and that of a most primitive kind. Sheep 

 are relegated to a second place. The dependence of the 

 estanciero is on his cattle — the red-coloured, long-horned kine, 

 that have become as famous as their brothers of early Texas, 

 and meet with as little favour in the eyes of the city butcher. 

 They have won their place on the principle of tlie survival of 

 the fittest, for they live and flourish in places where orthodox 

 breeds die of redwater, Texas fever, and similar weaknesses. 

 They may be taken on forced marches through drought-stricken 

 regions, and their skeletons will still survive. They can wander 

 belly-deep into the great leechy morasses, and browse contentedly 

 on the floating water-grass. Herdsmen freely admit that their 

 bloated appearance after such a diet is not the sign of a firm 

 fatness, but hitherto that has been deemed of but little moment. 

 For at the long last the merit of the Correntino cattle lies in 

 their numbers; they are found on the savannahs of Paraguay, 

 on the uplands of Brazil and Rio Grande. From all points 

 they converge to where, on the lower reaches of the big rivers, 

 the factories (over a dozen in number") lie in wait for them. Tn 

 Southern Entre Rios, across the river in the "Banda Oriental" 

 — to give to the Republic of Uruguay its old Portuguese title — 

 wherever the carcases are there the saladeros are gathered 

 together. In them the steers are chopped into jerked meat for 

 Brazil and Cuba, discriminated into Paysandu tongues, or boiled 



