ALFALFA IN SOUTH AMERICA. 351 



whea mown. On the other hand, close feeding and 

 hard seasons will destroy its value in about three or 

 four years. Native grasses come up in it and ulti- 

 mately weaken it. In some colonies, notable upper 

 Santa Fe, it is more permanent. There at the Jewish 

 colony there are fields 15 years old yet in fine con- 

 dition. The climate there is hot, with dry summers. 



It is a curious commentary on the absurd rela- 

 tion between what the farmer gets and the consumer 

 pays that in Buenos Aires alfalfa hay retails at 

 about $10 to $15 per ton, the freight, baling, haul- 

 ing and commissions absorbing the difference be- 

 tween that and the $2.40 that the rancher receives. 



Corn also is being increasingly grown and fed in 

 Argentine. The beef is all killed and frozen there, 

 exported then mostly to England. Good steers are 

 worth around $30 to $60 each. Feeders, about two 

 years old, are bought for from $8 to $12 per head, 

 very thin in flesh, and placed on alfalfa pasture for 

 six to ten months or sometimes a little longer. 



Cattle Carrying Capacity. — Alfalfa never does 

 less than double the capacity of pastures however 

 rich they may be. Often it multiplies the capacity 

 of the pasture from three to six times. In some 

 parts 3,000 cattle are being fattened on one league 

 (6,672 acres) of land, and another thousand or more 

 might be added if breeding cattle were carried. Once 

 these camps would carry only about 800 cattle to the 

 league. 



It is found impossible to cut as much alfalfa aS 



