ARGENTINA'S WHEAT,

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1879, 13 October 1913, Page 10

ARGENTINA'S WHEAT,

'AN EXPANDING INDUSTRY. Argentina, in spito of poor marketing facilities and a backward farming population, already ranks tliird among the three wheat-exporting countries of tho world. Its area dovoted to wheat cultivation has doubled during tho past 10 years, and is tlireo times 1 as ns it was only 15 years ago. Tlioro is »every prospect, too, of a still creator 'tidvanco. in. thu near _future In tho '(August "United Empire," Mr. S. Hodzler, of Buonos Ayrcs,-gives an interesting account of cereal-growing in this ,'Bouth American Republic, which bids ! fair to become ono of tho. greatest, if •)iot tho greatest, of the world's granaries. Owing .to conditions of climate . ihnd soil,' -Argentina, cannot, it . would •seem, enter into serious competition • with Canada in the production of '"strong" wheat. Marietta wheat, originally brought from Italy, forms Jibout 70 per cent, of tho crop, and iihissian >wnoat 20 per cent., wnilo the 'remaining 10 per cent, would includo '.various classes of .wlioat, some of which lire grown specially for making macaroni. In a gcnornl way Argentine wheats are classed in the intcniational .markets ,ns intermediate .in , character petween the soft white wheats, of.Aus ; vtralia" and tho Pacific Coast and tho •hard red-wheats of Canada and Russia. !They aro. proferrod in the markets of ■Southern Europe and Franco to American wheats, as tho process of milling .thom and tho flour-yielded correspond 'closely with thoso of native-grown wheats, with.such wjiiehJ l ',millers and, bakers aro familiar. ... Until recently_ there lias been no investigation, on either scientifio or practical lines to show the superiority ot ono variety over another in any particular . district, or to discover tho effect of climatic influences upon the different . .wheats introduced. Tho Argentine Government, however, is now waking ,'ttp to ;.tho necessity of such' an invcsti-' cation:. Tho Department of Agriculture Las on its staff many-u bio authorities, imd strenuous efforts .are being made to teach the uneducated cultivator. A number of tho most enterprising farmers havo been persuaded to carry out experiments and test, seeds under tho direction of qualified men. In tho province of Buenos. Ayres thero aro about '40 such exporiniMifr stations, and cacli of tho" other provinces also possesses a few.; Experiment farmsj exclusively under Government management, aro ,soon to be'started-in all the provinces. The railways of the Republic' are growing steadily, and cereal cultivation has in all cases followed in their wako. But ns yot practically nothing has been dono to establish a' system, of grain markets on. modem lines at tho terminals. Want of these facilities for tho disposal of. ' their crops costs the producers millions of dollars annually, and has put, them at tho mercy of a small ring of iaiddlenien. Of tho eight or nine million tons of grain exported, it is estimated that 75 per; cent:'- is: handled by four great commercial houses, and that tlio remainder is divided between six firms. Efforts aro being made to remedy t'his evil by tho inauguration of a system of grain elevators for ( tho ceroal zono, coupled with inspection and market facilities at the terminals. .''With the bettor organisation and . .improved methods of cultivation that aro bound to come soon, Argentina will probably bo the chief rival against whom other wheat-growing countries • will have to oompeto.