IMPRESSIONS OF THE IARGENTINE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2369, 27 July 1899, Page 6

IMPRESSIONS OF THE lARGENTINE.

The following is an extract from a letter received from Mr James Begg, dated 30th May, 1899: — We visited three .different estancies in the province of Buenos N Ayres, and got a fair idea of the different kinds of land and stocfa in that district. The land for a distance of 300 miles round Buenos Ayres is wonderfully good, and carries an enormous quantity ofi stock, but the average quality of the sheep ia a long way behind the New Zealand standard. The cattle again are, I think, better than ours. The best place we visited was Espartiller, about 90 miles south-west from Buenos Ayres. It belongs to a Mr Fair — the manager's name is Setley. He is a native New Zealandeiv but has been in Argentine a long time. This place is ab.out 33,000 acres in extent, and car- ; ries 50,000 sheep, 9000 cattle, 2000 horses, and 2000 ostriches. This is the natural pasture without .any cultivation,- and the quality of the camp is a good deal above the average/ j The market value of this land is about £& "an acre,^but very little land within 100 miles" of Buenos Ayres comes into tha market. Tha ostriches are the n,ative' rhea, and are kept partly to keep down a burr which" gets into^ the wool and partly for their foalhetd. The stock on this place is as good as I have ever seen in New Zealand. "We travelled about 1700 miles in Argentine altogether. At Bahia Blanca the land is very poor and sandy. Thero is very little rain, and I think the country from here into the Pampa Central will deteriorate very fast when it is heavily stocked: In the Pampa Central land is very cheap— about Is 9d -aii acre alongside tha railway. We spent two days at a placa called La Uurumalau, where there are wheat colonies. The work hero is done verjc roughly.- The native grass is ploughed up, and about two bushels of wheat scattered. The yield is about 15 bushels per acre. On. this estate alone there were over 500,000 Hagß of- wheat stacked along the railway lins on the bare ground, and most of in without any covering. Everything is done in a reckless, oaroles3 way. I saw water being boiled foe sheep dipping, the fuel used being maize. The threshing- engines always gel up steam using wheat sheaves for fuel. At Bahia Blanca, where wheat was being shipped, tha I wharf was covered with loose grain. Very few ebtancias have a decent sheep yai-ri or wookhed. Wool k never sorted, classed, or I pressed, but just thrown all together in loose sheets and sent to the market. At Curuuaa!au they have 20,000 horses, mostly useless, and this sort of thing is common ail over the country. Buenos Ayres is a splendid city, and well worth seeing. It is wonderful thafe it has grown and flourished in the way it has done under the misgovernment and revolutions to which it has been subjected. The Italians seem to be increasing very fast here^ and they already form the bulk of the city, population, and are, if possible, a worse race than the natives. Germans control the largest shai-e of "the business of the country, the English coining next. The people t.eem to ba well off. There are very few beggars, and the few there are are cripples. Bueno3 Ayres is, I should think, about the most expenaive place in the world to live in. The paper dollar is worth about Is 9d> but changes every hour. A year ago it was only worth Is, aiid although the dollar is worth nearly doublo what it was then, a dinner costs ihe same number of dollar*. A good dinner costs two to three dollars. Railways aro very good, and travelling is cheap. The trains are far too good for the people, who steal everything they can lay hands on, even carrying away the hatpegs and blankets from the sleeping cars. If a train is late the passengers revenge themselves by drawing knives and ripping open the cushions in the carriages. There are fine t docks at Buenos Ayres, but the entrance is continually silting up. Vessel drawing more than about 23fb cannot get to the docks. • The export of live cattle and sheep is very brisk just now, three or four vessels leaving every clay. Ships drawing more than 24ft load at Ensenada, about 40 miles further down the river. On leaving Buenos Ayres we were quarantined on the lazaretto of Flores Island to wait for the Kaikoura. This was on account of the yellow fever which had broken out. Flores Island is an abominable place, anct? [ hope I shall never again get into a South American quarantine station. We were 'very glad to get on board the Kaikoura, and hot at all sorry to bid good-bye to" South America. " V