THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1136, 8 December 1893, Page 6

THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

/ Mr G. P. Hayward, an extensive consignee of foreign cattle and sheep, writing to the Live Stock Journal, gives it as his opinion that in the near future the Argentine Republic will be the country from, which England will draw her principal supplies of foreign beef and mutton. In quality, the live cattle now being landed from Argentina at Liverpool, are equal to the best of American, and Mr Hayward asks—- “ Why should it not be so V’ He has travelled twice through the States, and nowhere has he seen a bullock get fatter at three years old on herbage only than in South America. The prices received for them are equal to those for States cattle, and when killed and hung up the butcher gives the same

South America are healthy, and ' those recently received,' three years j»nd under, realised Ll 9 per head; dead weight, 38 scores, or 7601 b. The sheep from the same country■-* crossbred Lincolns and South Downs, twelve to fourteen months old—sell at 40s to 42s each, the dead weight running frojtn 561 b to 801 b, averaging about 661 b. Crossbred lambs from the same'cDtahcia sold at an average of 33s fid' each in January last. Mr Hay wayd «ska why they should patronise a country like the States that takes all their mOneyfphe can with her surplus stock and Wheat without a penny of a tax, wlifie Her’ ports are barred to England by jiier' enormous duties ;< and he recomjuends England to patronise, her own stock customers and colonies, and keep, the money circulating among her own 'heir kith and kin, and those who trade With’ them. In two or three years, when' ships are built and arranged to do the distance in twenty days (says Mr Hayward), the States and “ little . New Zealand” may look out, as neither can stand against the Argentine with a good government, and an area seven times as large as France. In a work on the resources of the Argentine Republic by Seuor Fleiss, recently published, it is stated that hot withstanding the great progress in agribul-’ tine made in that .country during the past ten years, the number, of Sheep has remained almost stationary, and cattle have only increased from, 15 per" cent to 18 per cent. The quality both of the cattle and sheep has been greatly improved by the judicious importation of high-class animals. It is also stated that the area at present occupied,by sheep and cattle is only one-third of that which is suitable for the purpose.