MALT AND BEER IN SPANISH AMERICA. 345 



sario, Cordoba, Gualaguichu and other centers of population in the Ar- 

 gentine Republic. In former years these breweries had to depend al- 

 most entirely upon foreign countries for the barley they required; but, 

 with the progress of agriculture, no inconsiderable amount of that in- 

 dispensable grain is now raised here at home. It is evident, however, 

 that not enough is yet produced to meet the demand, as the custom- 

 house returns still show large importations, both of barley and barlt\v- 

 malt. The following table gives the importations of barley for 1887 : 



Imports of barley for 1887. 



The importations of barley for the year 1888 were as follows : 



Imports of barley for 1888. 



IMPORTS OF MAL.T. 



The importations of malt in 1886 were 1,517,290 kilograms, valued at 

 $185,657. In 1887 they were 1,703,421 kilograms, valued at $204,410; 

 and in 1888 they were 2,840,315 kilograms, valued at $284,032, about 

 two-thirds of which is imported through the house of Aischmann & 

 Co. Except a very small proportion, which is credited to Belgium, 

 France, and Great Britain, all the malt brought to the Argentine Re- 

 public comes from Germany or Austria. 



The customs house returns for 1889 have not yet been published, so 

 that for the last year I am not able to give the importations either of 

 malt or barley, but they are in excess of those of previous years. 



NO HOPS IN THE COUNTRY THEIR IMPORTATION. 



While barley has now become one of the regular crops of the coun- 

 try, and the breadth of land put down in this cereal is every year be- 

 coming larger, nothing as yet has been done towa*?ds the cultivation of 



