40 BULLETIN 1409, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
which predominate in Argentina, herds of horses are kept on pasture. 
When needed for work it is the custom to round up a drove in the 
morning and work them in two shifts without feed, one shift in the 
forenoon and the other shift in the afternoon. This is an inexpensive 
method and is possible only where large areas of pasture are available 
and large numbers of small animals are required. As the quality of 
the horses improves by breeding the heavier types, fewer animals 
will be needed. Although the agricultural region of Argentina is 
ideal for the use of tractors, they can not at present compete with 
horsepower that costs nothing but pasturage. 
Mules 
The conditions in Argentina are ideal for the breeding of mules, 
because of the abundance of mares and pasturage, but they have 
never been popular because of the number of cheap horses. In 
1914, there were little more than 500,000 mules in the country. 
About 60 per cent of the mules are in the Provinces of Cordoba, 
Santiago del EsterO, San Luis, Tucuman, and Mendoza, where the 
hardiness of the mule makes him of value. Large areas of these 
Provinces are semiarid, mountainous, crops are grown under irriga- 
tion, pasturage is scarce, and the mule is more economical than the 
horse in the irrigated sections and in the mountainous country. 
Mules at present are bred from pony stock and are diminutive in 
size. Because of the favorable conditions in Argentina it would 
seem that the raising of mules, bred for size and form for the export 
trade, would prove a profitable industry. Unless a better market 
develops for mules, it is not likely that they will increase in Argentina. 
Sheep 
As in many other countries, sheep production has tended to 
decrease in Argentina since 1895, when the total number was esti- 
mated to be about 74,000,000. This number decreased to 67,000,000 
in 1908, to 43,000,000 in 1914, and to 31,000,000 in 1922, although 
this latter figure is believed to be an underestimate. The decline in 
numbers has been most pronounced in the agricultural Provinces, 
indicating that sheep raising on the prevailing share system is less 
profitable than the raising of beef cattle and crops. It seems probable 
that as population increases, as estates are subdivided, and as more 
of the virgin prairie is brought under cultivation, the number of 
sheep in the agricultural region will continue to decline, and their 
quality to improve. In the outlying Provinces and Territories 
where conditions are less favorable for agriculture, sheep production 
will be largely influenced by the same factors as in the United States, 
that is, by the future trend of prices for wool and mutton. 
Goats 
The goat is the hardiest of the domestic animals and is more 
profitable in semiarid and mountainous regions, where other domestic 
animals can not thrive. For this reason, of the 4,333,000 goats 
estimated to be in Argentina in 1914, the greater proportion was 
found in the semiarid Provinces and Territories. It seems probable 
that as this situation has existed for many decades, it will continue 
