342 THE BOOK OF CORN 



this failure to secure corn dry enough for commercial 

 handling is due to careless and ineifectual methods of 

 farm handling after harvest, but even where the great- 

 est possible care is exercised the unfavorable climatic 

 conditions will remain as a severe handicap. 



During the past few years, while the acreage de- 

 voted to wheat and flax has increased very rapidly, the 

 importance of the corn crop has changed but little, fur- 

 nishing ground for the opinion that Argentina is not 

 likely to become in the near future a very important 

 factor in the world's corn crop. Argentina agricultural 

 statistics are scanty, and even when given as official 

 are very unsatisfactory. No data of corn acreage by 

 provinces later than 1895 are available, this being as 

 follows : 



ACREAGE UNDER CORN IN ARGENTINA 



The acreage of the crop of 1900, not given sepa- 

 rately by provinces, aggregated only 3,074,374 acres, 

 showing an increase in five years past of only 102,371 

 acres, or three per cent. The consumption of corn in 

 Argentina is largely as human food, comparatively 

 little being used as animal feed. This domestic use 

 being about the same from year to year, the amount 

 exported for a series of years will show with reason- 

 able accuracy the varying production. The exports 

 1891 to 1901 were as follows : 



