UfiUGUAY. 



EfiSUMfi. 



623 



lu proportion to the population the number of live stock is enormous. 

 According to the tax returns for 1883 there were in the Eepublic the 

 following : Horned cattle, 5,967,634 ; oxen, 92,767. 



SLAUGHTER OP CATTLE AND EXPORT OF BEEP. 



The inquiry very naturally suggests itself, What becomes of the in- 

 crease of such immense herds and flocks of cattle and sheep (8,000,000 

 cattle, 20,000,000 sheep) in a country containing only 700,000 inhabit- 

 ants? 



The greater part of it is thus accounted for : 



Of homed cattJe (home meat supply), in which is included the beef fur- 

 nished to the respective naval squadrons in Montevidean waters . . head . . 502, 000 



Live cattle exported per annum - 102, 000 



Killed in aaladeroa (slaughter-houses) per annum 704, 000 



Total 1,308,000 



The exportation in 1883 showed as follows : 



Jerked beef or dried meat ' -- -pounds. . 76, 706, 770 



Pressed meat do.... 3,326,751 



f~xtractofmeat do 1,099,630 

 rease do.-.. 37,601,739 

 allow-skins do.... 11, 547, .W 



Artificial guano (refuse meat, bones. &c. ) do 9, 000, 000 



Hair s e do.... 3,250,102 



Cow-hides ^ number.. 1,638,730 



Living sheep do 142,000 



These saladeros (literally, salting places) are peculiar to the river Plate, 

 especially to Uruguay and the Argentine Eepublic. In the vicinity of 

 Montevideo there are nine saladeros, the principal one being that at the 

 "Cerro" (little mount), across the bay from the city, where, according to 

 Mulhall, 200,000 head of cattle are killed annually, and he states that 

 " when the wind comes from that quarter the smell in Montevideo is 

 disagreeable." I must say that I have not as yet experienced this dis- 

 agreeable smell, nor can I find any one who has. 



On the river Uruguay there are a dozen or more of these sal T,deros, 

 including the famous Liebig Extract of Meat Company. There are 

 from 600,000 to 700,000 head of cattle slaughtered at these saladeros 

 every season, besides a vast number of sheep, and from 50,000 to 80,000 

 mares. "The hides, tallow, grease, and other products of these estab- 

 lishments," says a recent writer, " involve the turning over annually of 

 ^52,500,000 to ^3,000,000," 



