10. CATTLE AND MEAT INDUSTRY IN LATIN AMERICA. The world demand for meat, and particularly beef, has directed at tention to Latin America as the most promising field for its production. Locally, there are but few places in either the northern or southern group where cattle have not been raised with success since the Spanish settlement. Due, however, to the lack of transportation facilities and extensive meat-preserving plants, until re cently their great value in export trade was almost entirely in their hides. In consequence, the native stock deteriorated through inter breeding and acclimatization to the tropical and semi-tropical conditions, the result being a non-fat producing animal of small size whose beef was unsuited to the tastes of foreign buy ers. But with a foreign demand, and the in stallation of packing, refrigerating and trans portation facilities, cattlemen of the pampas of Argentina early recognized the need of scien tific methods. Foreign pedigreed stock has been introduced for cross-breeding, fat-produc ing feedstuffs have been cultivated, sanitary regulations have been decreed and enforced, inland transportation has been facilitated and markets have been established. The result is that under the stress of war requirements for foodstuffs, Argentina became prepared, along with her sister republic, Uruguay, while the beginning of a powerfully potential export meat trade unfolded itself throughout the southern part of the continent, including both Brazil and Paraguay, with the southern prov inces of Chile. The present development has shown that .wherever intelligent encouragement has been given to the cattle industry it has prospered. Cheap grazing land, cheap labor, salubrious climate, luxuriant vegetation, im proved methods of refrigeration and transpor tation, await only the scientific correlation of these elements in the more intensive applica tion of the principles of animal industry to make Mexico, Central America, the West In dies and South America a constant producer of cattle, beef and other meat-producing animals for ages to come.
The Argentine Republic is the greatest livestock country of Latin America. Situated between 22° and 55° of south lati tude, it has degree of climate that the United States has, including a diversity of rain fall. Certain parts, particularly in Patagonia, are semi-arid, and deducting these, along with the foot-hills of the Andes, and 90,000 square miles under cultivation, from the whole area leaves an estimated 484,162 square miles avail able for livestock, an area approximately twice the size of the State of Texas. The number of
cattle, officially estimated 1 Jan. 1915, was 30, 000,000-3.8 per capita — valued at $955,350,000, in addition to 80,000,000 sheep, valued at $203, 808,000, 4,564,000 goats, valued at $3,875,748, and 3,200,000 swine, valued at $33.968,000. Of a total of exports amounting to $558,280,643 in 1915, animals and animal products aggregated 218,780,416 gold pesos ($0965), or $211,516,181.44.
From the days of the earliest settlers the raising of cattle has been the important in dustry of the country, the immense (tpampas,D or prairies, and the salubrious climate being particularly adapted for livestock. But com mercially, as far as exports were concerned, cattle„were raised chiefly for their hides, the meat being consumed at home, with the ex ception of a small export trade in dried beef, or the only form of preservation gen erally known, and a limited number of stock on the hoof sent to neighboring countries. The result locally was that the inhabitants of Ar gentina became the greatest consumers of beef in the world, a reputation they still maintain, the per capita consumption being 275 pounds in the cities, and about 300un ds in the country, as against 112 pounds Britain, 102 pounds for Germany, 80.3 pounds for the United States and 77 pounds for France. The first shipment of refrigerated beef was ex ported from Buenos Aires to Havre in 1877 — 80 tons. While it was hailed as a success, it was not until the period beginning 1885 that it became of commercial Importance. The amount shipped in that year was small —a valuation of only $1,680 —but sufficient to show its commercial practicability, and from that time it has grown to immense proportions, being to-day the greatest staple of the country, and a product that will not attain to its poten tialities for years to come. It is sufficiently large at the present time to control the world quotations of meat, and has been responsible for the introduction of hundreds of millions of dollars not only into the exploitation of Ar gentine industry but that of the entire Rio Plata territory and the whole semi-tropic South America southward.