ARGENTINE WHEAT EXPORTS. 221 

damage sustained by the crops from _ locusts, hail- 
SLOEMS, (CEC: 



Wear: Quantity. Value. an eT Re 
Tons. b fe 
1892 - - - : 463,000 2,939,000 6°35 
1893 - : ; : 992,000 4,692,000 4°73 
1894 - - - - I, 582,000 5»424,000 3°43 
iSO eee 994,000 3,894,000 3°92 
1896- - - - 515,000 2,566,000 4°98 
GOV - : - - 100,000 694,000 6°94 
1898 —- - - - 635,000 4,474,000 7°OS5 
1899 - - - - 1/08, OCON == = 

As affording some indication of the home requirements of 
the Republic, the calculation made by the Ministry of Agri- 
culture of the consumption and export of wheat up to the end 
of 1899 may be given here. 
Tons. Tons. 
Production of wheat in 1898-99 from an 
area of 7,503,000 acres - - - - - 2,811,000 
Export of wheat up to December 2oth, 
1899 Es oe % a a i 1,697,300 
Export of flour” - - - - - 78,700 
Home consumption, 4,645,000 inhabitants 
aig2G3hlbsseachs ) - - : 608,000 
Seed for 7,900,000 acres at 5Slbs. per acre 205,000 2,589,000 
This leaves a balance of 222,000 tons which were pre- 
sumably remaining in the country at the beginning of thisyear. 
As the requirements for seed and consumption apparently 
amount to about 813,000 tons, a tot al production not differing 
materially from that of last year would seemingly admit of 
an export of about 2,000,000 tons. 
In Argentina the cultivation of wheat and its export is 
being gradually promoted and improved. The extension of 
railways has done much already in the last few years to 
assist matters as regards transport, but, as Mr. Clarke points 
out, there is still an urgent want of grain elevators in different 
centres of production and export. It appears, however, that. 
the Government have already granted a concession for 
40 years to a private firm to erect grain elevators and the 
necessary storehouses in the portof Buenos Ayres. No rent 
for the land occupied is to be paid for the first five years, 
after which the question of rent is to be settled every five 
