m FOREIGN FIELDS 979 



account of their poor development and form they 

 were no better than the ordinary native cattle. With 

 these 2,000 head as a base they gave, in the first 

 instance, as a result steers which at three and a half 

 years old were sold for the freezing establishment 

 at the same price as Durham steers of the same age 

 and fleshiness, but which had better blood on 

 account of their mestizacion. I am certain that this 

 result could not have been obtained with purebred 

 Durham bulls and cows in the conditions of de- 

 velopment and mestizacion to which I have just 

 made reference. 



"One point of great importance in the use of 

 Hereford cattle is their rapid increase; for, com- 

 paring the annual increase of the Hereford cattle 

 which I possesfe now with that of the Durhams 

 which I had, I can aifirm without fear of mistake 

 that said increase is from 18 -to 20 per cent more. 

 I have also noted that in the case of this breed a 

 breeder can with impunity, by means of crossing, 

 produce an animal of pure blood without the least 

 fear of losing in the smallest degree any of the 

 strength and rusticity which belong to the breed, 

 and which in my experience with the Durham can- 

 not be obtained, because this animal once arrived 

 at the grade of pure blood becomes exceedingly 

 weak and unable to resist our system of rearing 

 cattle in the open air, especially during the win- 

 ters of the southern parts of Buenos Aires. If, for 

 example, during the last winter I had in my estab- 

 lishment the Durham cows which I formerly had, 

 I am quite sure that more than three-fourths of 

 them would have died (as happened with my 

 neighbors) whilst I only lost an insignificant part 

 of my Herefords. You may be almost certain that 

 a red native cow served by a pure Hereford bull 

 will produce an animal with hair, short legs and 



