56 
In the Province of Santa Fe two crops are planted, the first in 
August and September, which is harvested in November and Decem- 
ber, and the second in February, which is harvested in May and June. 
The crop' of 1923-24 was in excess of local consumption, and efforts 
were made to export some of the surplus to Brazil, but without much 
success. The average price for the crop was reported to be about 
35 cents a bushel. Although potatoes are grown generally in small 
patches throughout the Republic, the commercial area, are concen- 
trated in the Province of Buenos Aires, near the capital city, and near 
the sierras of Tandil, to the south, in the Province of Santa Fe near 
Rosario, and in Mendoza, where they are grown under irrigation. 
A new area under irrigation is developing in Santiago del Estero. It 
is not likely that the area and production of potatoes will increase 
until either population increases considerably or an export market 
can be found for surplus production. 
Sweet potatoes, beans, chick-peas, peanuts, castor beans, rice, 
watermelons, cantaloupes, and citrus fruits are grown in the northern 
third of the country. Some broomcorn is grown in the northern part 
of the Province of Buenos Aires and in Santa Fe. Strawberries can 
be grown in many sections, but the season is short, and because of 
lack of proper methods and facilities for shipment they are consumed 
locally. Considerable quantities of oranges, tangerines, and lemons 
are produced, but there is much waste and loss in marketing these 
fruits through crude methods of handling. A small quantity of 
grapefruit is grown in the north, but as yet there is no market for it. 
Practically no blackberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, or 
nuts are grown in the country, although conditions seem very favor- 
able in many localities. Peaches, pears, and quinces are grown from 
Buenos Aires north, especially in the delta of the Parana. Through- 
out a large portion of Argentina apples do not thrive, as the climate 
is generally too warm and the higher altitudes too dry. The best 
apples produced are those which come from the irrigated region along 
the Rio Negro. In the northern Provinces, especially Tucuman, 
Salta, and Jujuy, avocados (alligator pears) and other subtropical 
fruits are grown. In Misiones, northern Corrientes, Chaco, and 
Formosa bananas are grown in gardens. 
A crop that is not known in the United States but that is of some 
importance in northern Argentina, especially in Misiones, Corrientes, 
Chaco, and Formosa, as well as in Paraguay and Brazil, is mandioca. 
Mandioca (ManiTwt aipi Mrt.) is a plant that grows from 5 to 8 
feet high, with straight, columnar, reddish woody stalk, few or no 
branches, leaves like those of okra, and a number of fleshy roots 
13^2 to 3 inches in diameter and 12 to 30 inches long. It is propa- 
gated from pieces of the root planted closely together in rows 3 to 
5 feet apart. The plant is very hardy and requires but little culti- 
vation. It is harvested by pulling up the stalks with the roots 
attached. The yield is enormous. The roots are scraped and cooked 
in various ways. A small garden patch will produce enough food 
to support a famil} T . In Brazil and Paraguay the roots are cleaned, 
scraped, dried, and ground into flour by machinery, the flour resem- 
bling potato flour in appearance. 
Practically none of the grain sorghums, millets, or sugar beets 
are grown, although climatic and soil conditions are very favorable, 
because the millets and grain sorghums are not needed for feed and 
