88 
BULLETIN 1409, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 
breed out the zebu blood. In 1903 the Sociedad Ganadera del 
Paraguay was organized by the leading stockmen of the Kepublic. 
This society aims to improve the breed of cattle, to combat pests and 
diseases, to protect the industry against unfair legislation, and in 
general to raise the standards and promote the interests of the 
industry. The most progressive cattlemen have imported purebred 
bulls, chiefly of Shorthorn and Hereford stock. The latter breed is 
generally preferred. 
The World War, with its heavy demand for beef, greatly stimulated 
the cattle industry in Paraguay and led to renewed attempts to im- 
Erove the stock. To meet the demand of the Argentine packing 
ouses for canning beef, many thousands of Paraguayan cattle were 
driven to Argentina during the last years of the war, and three meat- 
canning factories were established in Paraguay by American capital. 
After the war the demand for canned beef fell off rapidly and all three 
packing houses closed down. For some time the only markets for 
cattle, aside from the domestic consumption of 100,000 to 150,000 
head a year, were one or two small jerked-beef factories. The period 
of extreme depression which followed in the cattle industry was made 
worse by a civil war which caused severe losses to cattlemen. 
In 1922 the packing plant at Zeballos-cue changed hands and re- 
sumed operations in May, 1923. This plant, with one jerked-meat 
factory which still continued to operate, gave a fairly good outlet for 
Paraguayan cattle during 1923. In 1924, however, the Liebig plant 
closed down because of lack of satisfactory transportation facilities. 
A new saladero or jerked-beef factory was reported in March, 1925, 
as nearing completion. Its capacity was given as 75,000 head of 
cattle yearly and it was expected that 20,000 head would be slaugh- 
tered in 1925. 
The state of the livestock industries in Paraguay in the past four 
years is reflected in the exports of animal products as reported by the, 
United States consul of Asuncion (Table 58). 
Table 58. 
■Paraguay: Principal exports of animal products, calendar years 
1921-1924 
Product 
Unit 
1921 
1922 
1923 
1924 
Cattle, live 
Jerked beef.-- 
Number. _ 
Pound 
-. do 
6,614 
1, 771, 599 
226, 157 
153, 985 
51, 739 
139, 154 
113,305 
7,414 
52 
3, 425, 005 
773, 953 
212, 153 
95, 034 
204, 485 
514, 984 
51, 563 
48 
2, 933, 622 
2, 758, 466 
234, 338 
75, 215 
252, 463 
509. 457 
45,329 
6 
1, 019, 901 
Fat 
3, 490, 799 
-_ do 
Hides, cattle, dry 
Hides, cattle, salted. .__-___- 
Number. . 
...do 
67, 352 
270, 970 
Horns. . _ . . ._ 
Pound 
_. do 
224, 810 
Wool..- 
118, 407 
The number of cattle slaughtered at the only important plant 
operating in 1922 was 22,624. In 1923 the combined slaughterings 
of the two packing plants in Paraguay was 69,892 and in 1924, 57,500. 
The production of animal by-products in these two establishments 
for the past three years is reported as in Table 59 by the United States 
consul. 
