LUCERNE IN ARGENTINA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 743, 16 February 1910, Page 10

LUCERNE IN ARGENTINA.

.■. One of, mbsttstnking?features -.of. a' paper on Argcritine'agrlcultural.resources, by/Mr, Herbert Gibson,'of Now South Wales, :i5 'that"dealing'with' the cultivation of ;lucerne.';in ■ the. .'Republic;- /-'.'Remarkable .as'it;may.-appear;' the area de-voiecl'.-:tjj;',.tliJs.-'iddderiycrpP;'is: practically the same as' thai area putTundcr. whphu' Viz., "llj;; million .'acres. Ini; Australia '.the area'devbtod^to.wheat; for-grata in!l808-9 lVas 51260,000. ap'pnj'imately, while l!:e grand'/tbtal 'devoted -.to fodder crops '.was 412,038>acre3.'.' But svhereas '\ most wf -ths :grcenV : ;fddder,' grown facross;; the Taatnan-'Se'a'-is:;eut;-ancr.'fed,to- stock, -the '/.iconic •paddbcl;s : ;in'-th'6';Ai'gsntin.';arc almost in-jtriably'.-grazed'.'-!'--;'«»?-.-?-,''.v;'.-.''-;'•■•' •■"■•'..- -i"-With IIJ-niillioCacres-lucerne- aff lr'ding a. grazing..'arenrfor-ten.-.'million v.ittl?, Argentina is' fully equipped tj fatten and finish for the requirements'.of the Europpnuand local markets all the steers the country can- breed/ Stockowners ; n' l'io lucerne. zones, Mr. Gibson states, do not Jaiseiviill. the.:stores„ they,'requirej many of tlienijindeeVdo not breed at all, hut limit themselves to.buying stores and fattening tho/n. ,Ac-,the.:area. increases -anil it is,increasing very rapidly—the question arises whether the country can breed sufficient, stores for the graziers. The f/'iestion(already .has arisen to. this extent, thntiin; .normal; seasons-yearling steers' have be.ii selling of late, in store twdi(ion, at prices relatively higher than those obtained for finished, bullo-dis. • In other, .words; the breeder has had command Of. the, trade, ' .•'NiTertheieis;-'.-' the bcoding'nta of Argentina'is very u-sl, and'niuch; unused;land is still available. In tho--,wi(loniug>liicerne zone, ..too',-, the -gritfiec will ;in time use- his rich, pasture for breeding as well as for feeding.