Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 April 1896 — ARGENTINE A RIVAL [ARTICLE]

ARGENTINE A RIVAL

HER TRADE IN GRAIN GROWING FAST. Agricultural Industry of the United States Seriously Menaced-An Indication as to What Our Wheat Farmers May Expect in the Future. Endangers Our Interests. The people of the United States have very little comprehension of the growth of the agricultural industry in the Argentine Republic and Uruguay and the danger that confronts our grain as well as oar cattle interests from that direction, says a Washington correspondent. ffi 18S0 the Argentine Republic was importing flour and wheat, but in 1882 the tide turned, and nearly 2,000 tons of wheat were exported from that country. About that time modern mills were introduced also, and soon after the flour product exceeded the local demand and the Argentine millers began to ship it to Europe- The exports of wheat in 1882 were I*’oo tons, and in 18S4 the first shipments of flour were 3,734 tons; in 1890 the total had reached 327,894 tons of wheat and 12,117 tons of flour, and in 18941,608,000 tons of wheat and 50,812 tons of flour. Mr. Mulball, the well-known statistician of the London Times, is also editor of the Buenos Ayres Standard, and he gives it as his opinion that the area in wheat in the Argentine Republic in 1895 was more than double that of 1893. The following are his estimates of the wheat acreage for the last three years, and they will give some idea of the magnitude as well as the growth of the industry in that country and what our wheat farmers are to expect in the future: Y ears. \ ...p. 1893 3,305,000 1894 5,453,200 1895 7,346,000 The number of immigrants to the Argentine Republic in 1891 was 28,266; for the first eleven mouths of 1895 they numbered 50,081, and during November alone they numbered 10,675, which will bring the total for the year up to 60,000. The most of these immigrants go into the interior and settle upon the agricultural lands which are furnished them free by the Government. In fact, the agricultural development of that country is very similar to that which was poing on in the Mississippi valley twenty years ago. It is important also to consider that the cost of raising wheat in the Argentina public will average 25 per cent less than in the United States, and that the average cost of transporting it from the farmer’s cart to the hold of the steamer is only about 10 per cent of the market value at the seaboard. Thus, assuming the average price of wheat in. Buenos Ayres at $25 gold a ton, the average eoet of transportation is $2.50 a ton. The same story may be told about Uruguay. Mr. Rodriguez Diez, of Montevidio, who has recently been in the United States as the agent of his Government for the purpose of examining into the methods of our agricultural department for the purpose of organizing something similar in Uruguay, recently made a very interesting statement before the Committee of Ways and Means concerning the growth of the export trade in beef products and cereals from his country. He showed by official statistics that the exports of wheat from Uruguay had increased from $169,307 in 1893 to $1,882,803 in 1894, and it was his opinion that in 1895 the gain was 100 per cent. He showed, also, that there has been a similar increase in the exports of flour, which were only 1,054 tons in 1893, but jumped to 360,024 tons in 1894. The great bulk of this flour goes to Brazil—9s per cent of it —and the exports in 1895 were doubled. The exports of corn from Uruguay in 1893 were $23,272 and in 1894 $885,539. There was a very large increase in 1895, the principal market being Brazil. Mr. Rodriguez stated that no more wind mills are being erected in South America. They are all now mounted with Hungarian stones and moved by steam power.