734 



Agriculture in Argentina. [march, 



wheat and linseed are of excellent quality. It is estimated 

 that the wheat crop will be some 4,000,000 tons and 

 the linseed 800,000 tons. The area planted with maize is 

 probably somewhat less than that planted with wheat, and 

 as this crop is more exposed to attacks of locusts, it is not so 

 popular. As the railways extend the area put under cultivation 

 increases. 



The United Kingdom is the market for wheat and maize, 

 Brazil for flour, and Germany for linseed. 



Methods of Agriculture. — The system of agriculture is of an 

 unscientific type ; there is no rotation of crops and no manure 

 or fertilisers are used. The ploughing as a rule is very shallow, 

 and is done with ordinary or disc ploughs ; it is no unusual 

 thing to see half-a-dozen horses to a plough going over the 

 ground at a trot. The soil is not worked more than is absolutely 

 necessary to get the seed in. Reapers, binders, headers and 

 strippers are all used in harvesting. The straw is seldom 

 made use of even when cut. The grain is threshed in the field 

 by travelling threshers, and the chaff and straw are burnt. 

 Lately a fair number of Australian and Canadian harvesters 

 have been used, which cut, thresh and bag the grain in one 

 operation. The bagged grain is stored either in the field or 

 at a railway station in piles, resting on boards and more or less 

 covered with tarpaulins. 1 The farmer has no barns nor are 

 there any country elevators. The seasons are somewhat as 

 follows : September-November, sheep shearing ; December- 

 February, wheat, linseed and oat harvest ; and February- 

 April, maize harvest. 



The wheats grown are Barletta, Russian, Hungarian, Tusella, 

 French, and a flinty wheat used for macaroni called Candeal. 



There is no immediate prospect of any change likely to affect 

 the production or export of agricultural produce, with the 

 exception of the increase and improvement of loading facilities 

 at Bahia Blanca, which will divert some trade from Buenos 

 Aires, and may facilitate the handling of grain. The idea of 

 the advisability of establishing grain elevators is gaining 

 ground. 



