Sheep and Stock Breeding. Prospects in the Argentine.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 416, 2 November 1889, Page 3

Sheep and Stock B reeding. Prospects in the Argentine.

Tub travelling correspondent of the Melbourne Aye, after spending some time in visiting various parts of the Argentine Re public, writes :—: — It is worthy of remark that while the number of &heep in the Argentine Republic is estimated at 75,000,000, or about the same number as in Australia and New Zealand, the value of the clip of -wool, including sheepskins, which are always sent Home a& sheepskins and never operated upon by the fellmonger, does not evceed £5,500,000 sterling, which is not much moio than half the value of the wool exported from New South Wales alone. No estancias in the River Plate wash, much less scour, their wool ; all is shipped in the grease, and very greasy and very dirty it ueually is. Ib does not seem easy to understand why the cstancieros should prefer to pay height on diit, but they do, although the country they occupy is far better watered than Australi'i. Indeed, the province of Buenos, Ayres is in my opinion far two wet as .a general rule. for sheep, and the mortality from disease is greater than is usual in any portion of Australia,' except during seasons of great drought. Foot rot is very prevalent, (luke abounds on all flooded lands, and a large proportion of the sheep are scabby. It is possible that some day or another the Argentine Republic may grow fine v/ofil and become a. competitor with Australia in the markets of the world. Bub that time is far distant, and will never arise until the landowners set themselves seriously to work , to improve their breed of sheep and cattle. At present a few amongst them are doing, good work, but the majority are utterly indifferent, and take no interest whatever in their sheep and cattle. They borrow money on their land, and live in great sbyle and luxury on the proceeds at Buenos x\yres, or better still, ub Paris, and they' demand rents from tenants which are far higher than the profits realisable; from farms wili ever pay. The nominal value of land has been forced up to such a price through the facility of borrowing money upon ib that no person can now buy land at rates which would pay a decent interest on his outlay, not could he rent land at prices which would enable him to make money by either running stock upon it or cultivating the soil. A crash must come sooner or later, and land must fall to its real value. ' Ab present the Argentirie\ Republic may give a labourer better wages than he would receive in Italy 01' Spain, but it has little or no attractions for an English-speaking person' of any rank, means, or occupation, unless he be a capitalist with a strong turn for speculation, and a good deal of experience at the game.