AMAZING ARGENTINE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 291, 8 December 1928, Page 22 (Supplement)

AMAZING ARGENTINE

FARMING ON LARGE SCALE DAIRY HERDS OF 3000 COWS! Sent over to the Argentine by his Government to investigate the agricultural and pastoral industry there, Mr R. W. Thornton, Director of Fi.eld asd Animal Husbandry for South Africa, prepared an interesting report on his return. “The great cattle country of the Argentine was a stretch of land about 750 miles long and 450 miles wide, which w.'us almost dead level,” stated the report, inter alia. The rainfall was good and fell throughout the year, and while running water was absent, water could always be obtained by boring and wells. This stretch of country in 1760 was covered with rank pampas grass and. about the same time, the Spaniards introduced horses ;nd long horned cattle into the Argentine. Both became wild and increased to an amazing extent. Due, in the first instance, to private enterprise, good bulls were imported and crossed with the native cattle. Lucerne in Place of Pampas Following cm the improvement of the type of the land was broktn up and put under lucerne, and the original pampas had almost entirely disappeared, and consequently land values wore enhanced. The result of this had been that the carrying capacity of the land had been increased so that the! average carrying capacity was one beast to a morgen, but, in some cases, it was higher. Ranches of 100,000 acres and over were mot with carrying thousands of head of largo and small stock, and almost thq whole of the ranch lucerne. Tho Government did everything to foster the stock industry, and many good Jaws, protecting both buyer and seller of stock, had been passed. For example, all stock was sold per live weight, and the weighing of all stock sold was undertaken by the Government for a small fee, so that the buyer bought his stock on a Government certified document. The wealth of the Argentine soon attracted steamship companies, so that to-day there were seven large steamship companies, calling at the South American ports, and as tho competition was keen, the producer scored in the matter of freight. Another side of the animal industry activities was that of dairying. He had seen one farm where 3000 cows were milked daily under the most up-to-date and hygienic conditions. A s far as agriculture was concerned the Argentine, of course, grew a large quantity of wheat and maize, and, during the harvesting season, 150,000 Italians were imported for working in the fields. “Rural Societies.” Ono of the most interesting institutions in the /Yrgentine were the rural societies, with branches all over the country. These societies took charge of the registration of all purebred stock, undertook the sale of purebred stock, and handled agricultural transactions through their museums. These museums were a novelty. Instead of having annual shows, farmers could, at any time, send in samples of their products, which were then judged and marks placed on a score-card. At the end of the season the man who had obtained the highest number of marks in any class was awarded tho prize. The mere award of the prize, howevgr, was a minor point, because the exhibits were kept in the museums as long as they were in a fit state to be exhibited, and farmers might come in, look round, and, through the museum, be placed in touch with growers of wheat or maize who produced seed which would suit their particular requirements. ArgSn- ( tine appeared to be particularly free from stock diseases.