Argentine Republic.

Northland Age, 4 October 1904, Page 3

Argentine Republic.

Australasia’s Chief Competitor. (Continued from last issue.)

The most important factory in the Argentine, and perhaps the largest but-ter-factory in the world, is La Union Argentina, which is situated in tho City of Buenos Aires. The cream comes into this factory from three different provinces —via:., those of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, and Entre Bios. This factory in the flush of the season turns out about 20 tons of butter per day. At the time of my visit in March they were making close on 16 tons of butter per day. Cream is received from over fifty skim-ming-stations, besides the large number of estancieros who send their cream in direct to -the factory. The skiminingstations are, generally speaking, pretty well equipped, but not properly managed so far as close and careful skimming is concerned. The separators used in the Argentine are of the Alexandra make, the Sharpies Tubular, the Baltic, and a very few Radiators. The Alpha De Laval predominates in the Argentine, but so far as I could learn the tubular Sharpies machine takes a lot of beating. La Union Factory is fitted out with an

enormous amount of steam, engine and refrigerating power. The freezer is of about 50 tons capacity. The boilers are upwards of 100-horse power. Eight large trunk churns are installed; the churns are practically the same as those in use in New Zealand.

After taking careful note of the building and plant of La Union I came to tho conclusion that w ith very little extension of the butter-making room nearly double the quantity of butter could be turned out with the present boiler, engine, and freezing-power. In other words, in order to make 35 or 40 tons of butter per day the extensions need not be on a larger scale or very expensive. In La Union they have splendid freezing and chilling chambers, which are capable of holding large quantities of butter in case they need to store at any time. In 1902 this company issued an illustrated pamphlet in Spanish, giving a description, or, rather, the history of the company. I have much pleasure in quoting a few particulars from this pamphlet. They estimate in connection with this concern the rent of onecuadra(lso square vards) of camp land at £3 per annum. *The care and milking of 120 cow’s requires three practical men. The wages of eaeli man is £7 j»er month, with board and lodging. Ninety-five per cent, of the cows are of a Durham cross and type. Taking ns a base the production of 13.000 kilos per day already reached by the company, the following data will show the importance of the establishment: The daily output represents 312,000 litres of milk obtained from 31,000 cows, the the value of which is 5,265,000 dollars, and the rent of which amounts to 800,000 dollars per annum. In the dairies contributing to the production of the society are employed 2,025 men. The management and staff of the factory and branches is composed of 156 employee.*. The above company was registered in June, 1890, statutes reformed in October, 1901 ; capital, 500,000 dollars in 5,000 of 100 dollars each. No shareholder can hold more than 100 shares. The business is conducted on co-operative lines. In 1901 the company acquired the rights and properties of the Coiupania Escandinavia Argentina (Limited). The directors are Senor A. Yrazu, president; G. Munoz, manager. The rice-president is Senor Agustin de Uribe. Tho board of directors is composed of eight directors in addition to those already mentioned; amongst them are Dr. Angusto Tiscoraia, and Senor Martin Pezoimbum.

I wash to express liiy thanks to Senor Yrazu, the president <4 the company, for his kindness in showing me over the whole premises.

It is claimed that the increase in the production of butter in the Argentine between 1891 and 1901 was over one hundred and fifty fold; in Australasia for the same period, according to Mr. Bateman, it was only thirty fold. In 1891 only 1,320 kilos of butter was exported from the Argentine, while in 1902 4,125,000 kilos was sent abroad. Most of the cream is purchased on a commercial butter basis; that is, the estancieros have not become educated to accept so much per pound of butter fat according to test. They demand so much per pound of butter, with JO or 10j per cent, added to the Babcock test, whether the manufacturer can turn out sufficient commercial butter to correspond with the test or not. This, in my opinion, is a wrong and unfair basis of carrying on a daily business from the manufacturer’s point of view, for the reason that a large quantity of the Argentine cream is injured in transit, thereby rendering it impossible to get a decent overrun. We in New Zealand think we have trouble with tho testing and with our suppliers, but I believe we have the finest system of testing and paying for butter and cheese in the world; further, I think we have the most contented lot of factory-suppliers I have ever seen. In the Argentine nearly every large estanciero has a milk-tester. The one in use nil over the country is the Gerber. The client sends in a slip with his cream each day, giving the test as made at the estancia, and if the factory’s test does not come up to this there is trouble. They, of course, do not take into consideration the obsolete methods of carriage, etc., which the cream is subjected to, which nearly always causes the cream to become partly churned, and which renders it impossible for the but-ter-maker to get a 10-per-cent, overrun according to the farmers’ test. I have almost become disgusted with articles appearing in dairy papers with reference to 16 to 19 per cent, overruns. When

overruns of this kind are made there is, in my opinion, as a rule, cheating in the weighing going on, and too much water and wilt left in the butter.

In the Argentine, where the farmers or estancieros do not possess plants of their own, they deliver their milk to the nearest slamming-station. Then, again, where the cream is skimmed or raised by deep setting for account of the senders, or is purchased outright, in either case it is carted or railed to the factories at large cost for carriage. I have no idea when the proper system for payment of milk will be adopted in the Argentine—that is, by paring on the butter-fat basis. It. is estimated that there are about 220 skimming-stations in the Argentine Republic, where skimming by centrifugal machines is done. This business covers four provinces— Entre Bios, Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Cordoba.

In dealing with the dairy industry in the Argentine I have endeavoured to refrain from making comparisons between it and New Zealand and Australian methods. I reckon it is my duty only to give the true practical facts as near as possible as I found them, and then to let our farmers and dairymen make the comparisons and judge for themselves as to what this enormous country is capable of doing in dairying and what we have to compete against. It only requires a run over the various lines of railways to convince a person of the enormous extent , of the country and its vast richness. On each side of the different lines you will see thousands of fat cattle and sheep, and it must be remembered that at the time of my visit it was their autumn, when one would expect to find the grass partly dying out, but so far as I could see the pastures were in excellent condition, and late crops on the grand fields of alfalfa and maize were indeed a sight. One can imagine the carrying-capacity of the Argentine when it is realised that the province of Buenos Aires alone is two and half times as large as the wonderful New York State in North America. It is estimated that this province alone has about 10,500,000 head of cattle, over 82,000,000 sheep, and about 2,230,000 head of horses. In 1901 the total value of agricultural and pastoral products, from this province alone was 740,000,000 dollars. We must, of course, figure on the fact that this province has a pppjblation of about 1,300,000 people, /ram strongly of the opinion that if the of the Argentine would adopt a oftter system of milking, yarding and feeding the cattle, they would in a very few years turn out 50,000 tons of butter instead of 6,000 tons. While in the Tandil I met a Mr. A. Lcanes, who a lot of experience in mr the Argentine. He is now on an estate, of 20,000 acres, and has 1,000 cows. At tho time of my visit he was milking between five and six hundred cows. He sends the cream to a butter-factory, ani utilises the skim-milk for pigs, etc., on the farm. Senor Leanes informed me, on inquiry, that the value of his land was about £2 10/- per acre, and he further stated that two acreß of the grazii>«*land would carry one cow—that is, thp year round. This land is situated about 200 miles south of the City of Buenos Aires. I found it almost impossible to get from a farmer or estanciero the exact profit made per cow on the {To be Continued.)