to store fruits anci grapes. This section leads 

 in the prociuction of wine, plums, and prunes 

 and in the canning of deciduous fruits, par- 

 ticularly peaches. Two major areas exist in 



the Province, one at San Rafael and the other 

 in the vicinity of the City of Mendoza. These 

 areas are irrigated by rivers carrying run- 

 off water from the Andes Mountains. The 



TASLi 11. — Apples and pears: Average packing costs, Rio *fegro Valley, 1958 season 



^ples 



Ifete rials : 



Box, asseBibled 



Labels aad glue 



Corrugated cardboard, paper liners, and wraps 



Nails for lid 



Galvanized wire 



Losses in naterials during packing, broken shook, etc.^ 



Labor : Cirading 3ad packing 



Local transportation: 



Truck, packing sbed to rail car 



Transfer f ran truck to car 



i^ies : Fruit export tax 



Total cost per box packed and loaded for rail shipment frcsn Rio N'egro 



Pesos per 



packed box 



12.70 



.25 



5.212 



.08 



.37 



.296 



.50 

 .20 



Doltars per 

 packed box 

 0.334 

 .007 

 .137 

 .002 

 .010 

 .008 



.224 



.013 

 .005 



Peso per 

 packed box 

 11.70 

 .25 

 5.212 

 .08 

 .37 

 .282 



.50 

 .20 



Oallars per 

 packed box 



0.308 

 .007 

 .137 

 .002 

 .010 

 .007 



.224 



.013 

 .005 



- Estimated at 1 percent of box cost and 3 percent of other material costs. 



region between rivers is desert, supporting 

 only cactus and arid land scrub growth. An- 

 nual rainfall is about 5-6 inches. 



San Rafael is about 450 air nniles due north 

 of the Rio Negro Valley and the City of Men- 

 doza is about 200 miles further north. Thus, 

 both of these areas have warmer climates. 

 Apples and pears of good quality are grown 

 around San Rafael and packed for export but 

 this area is not as well adapted climatically 

 to these fruits as is the Rio Negro. Because 

 of the warmer climate, varieties tend to be 

 sonnewhat atypical in shape and do not color 

 as well as the same variety grown in the Rio 

 Negro. Red Delicious, for example, tends to 

 be less elongated and very similar to this 

 variety when grown in the Appalachian area 

 of the United States, while the same apple 

 grown in the Rio Negro is practically identical 

 to those produced in our Pacific Northwest, 



TABLE 12.— Rio Negro Valley: Total rail ship- 

 ments, by kinds, 1954- 56-'- 



Season 



Apples 



Pears 



Peaches 



PlimiR 



195^ 



1955 



1956 



Tons 

 2^0,754 

 169,528 

 296,384 



Tons 

 50,498 

 47,250 

 63,656 



Tons 



2,UY1 



2,219 



253 



Tons 

 528 

 556 

 486 



Year beginning January 1, 



The same good fertilization and spraying 

 practices are used in the fruit areas of Men- 

 doza Province as in the Rio Negro Valley, 

 Materials used are the same and rates of 

 application are very sinnilar. 



Fruit producing areas in Mendoza Province 

 are rather widely separated and situated on 



the rivers. Other crops than fruit are pro- 

 duced in Mendoza. However, in the sections 

 where fruit is grown, farmers are commer- 

 cial fruit growers and do not generally engage 

 in other agricultural activities. 



In the area of Mendoza City the most im- 

 portant fruit industry is, by far, the produc- 

 tion of grapes for wine. Other deciduous fruits 

 are grown and shipped but are of much less 

 innportance, San Rafael, on the other hand, 

 ■while producing grapes, has greater diversi- 

 fication of crops and grows apples, pears, 

 and stone fruits. Apples and pears are packed 

 fresh for export and domestic markets, peaches 

 are grown chiefly for canning, and plums are 

 shipped both fresh and dried, San Rafael is 

 the most important area in the processing of 

 Argentine deciduous fruits. 



Mendoza Province is not subject to the high 

 winds prevalent in the Rio Negro; therefore 

 the poplar windbreaks are not Used to the same 

 extent, and plantations are generally much 

 larger (averaging 100-150 acres) and much 

 more diversified. One plantation visited had a 

 total area of about 90 acres, and good-sized 

 plantings of apples, pears, plums, peaches, 

 and grapes were observed. Orchard roads 

 were bordered with olive trees. 



The entire Province is considered by many 

 to be a marginal fruit area. Because of its 

 somewhat higher altitude and nearness to the 

 Andes, Mendoza is much more subject to frost 

 and hail in the early spring than is Rio Negro. 

 One or the other of these factors causes vary- 

 ing degrees of damage almost every year. De- 

 spite this situation, stone fruit production con- 

 tinues to increase and canning, particularly of 

 peaches, is also expanding. 



Irrigation . --The water supply for irrigation 

 in Mendoza is somewhat of a problem, in that 

 no surplus normally exists. Irrigation water is 



