Paraguay.- Paraguay ranks her cattle in dustry as her chief resource. In 1877 there were 200,525 head of cattle in the republic; in 1886, 729,796; in 1899, 2,283,039; in 1902, 2,460, 960; and in 1915, 5,249,043, the rapid increase being due to the lack of market, in addition to the large number brought in from Argentina and Brazil to occupy the cheap grazing lands. The natural increase, above those slaughtered, is reckoned at 6 per cent annually. The num ber per capita is 5.249, second only to Uruguay with 6.518 per capita, and 8.8 times that of the United States with .59 per capita. Due to its importance as a national asset, the government has been very liberal in the matter of granting concessions for stock raising and in the elabo ration of meat and its allied industries. As a result, at the present time most of the avail 'able grazing land is taken up by settlers or large cattle companies, even in the Chaco, the extensive prairie territory lying west of the Paraguay River. The existence of cheap land has attracted many stockmen from Argentina, excellent pasturage being purchasable at from less. than $1 up to $4 per acre. Land values are reckoned according to their access to trans portation, rather than according to their avail ability for stock raising. A thoroughly regu lated Department of Animal Industry is main tained by the government, and sanitary regula tions are enforced against the introduction or spread of the foot-and-mouth disease or other plagues. The experts and veterinarians in charge are chiefly men that have been educated at government expense in the technical schools of the United States and Europe. In addition, the Sociedad Ganadera del Paraguay (Live Stock Association of Paraguay), an organiza tion of stockmen and business men, under the patronage of the banks of the country, has been an important factor.
The native, or ucriolle (creole), breed is a small animal, weighing from 850 to 1,000 pounds, incapable of putting on much fat. When crossed with European stock it is known as umestico,)) and compares favorably with ordinary unpedigreed stock, and thrives and fattens on the luxuriant pasturage afforded the year around. Efforts have been successfully made to cross the ucriollos with Zebu stock from India, and in addition at the present time many bulls of the Shorthorn, Hereford, Hol stein and Polled Angus breeds are being intro duced. Of all the stock in the country, it is estimated that 80 per cent is native and 20 per cent mixed with European breeds.
The abundance of pasturage, supporting from 25 to 40 animals per 100 acres, with fat tening herbs indigenous to the upkeep of a cattle ranch very low as compared with neigh boring countries, and with the introduction of more adequate transportation facilities, along with refrigerating plants, Paraguay promises to be the great livestock region of South America. At present no fresh meat is ex ported. In dried beef, or 4asajo,l) however, the trade has always been considerable, the amount exported in 1913 being 3,771,625 pounds; 1914, 1,638,232 pounds; and 1915, 2,363,905 pounds. The first shipment of this
product made to the United States-4,500 pounds - was made in April 1917. It is ex pected that within a year regular shipments of refrigerated beef will be made, one packing plant, or ufrigorifico,s at Trinidad being just completed, and the materials for the erection of another at Asuncion being now on the ground. In 1917, 241,344 hides were exported.
An increasing number of fat steers is ex ported annually, most of them being purchased by the Buenos Aires packers. The number for 1910 was 11; 1911, 137; 1912, 4,661; 1913, 36, 564; 1914, 24,385; and 1915, 29,509. During the same period the number of cattle slaughtered for local consumption, representing also the number of hides produced-of which 90 per cent were exported -was: 1910, 343,447; 1911, 302,375; 1912, 238,042; 1913, 362,484; 1914, 318,397; and 1915, 340,692. The market price for steers for local slaughter during 1915 averaged $20 per head; for export, $25; and cows, $14.
Peru.- Peru is not a cattle country, other than for local needs. The mountainous nature of the country and the profits arising from cer tain minerals and special products of the coun try have relegated the livestock industry to a minor position. The llama, alpaca and vicufia, all native to the region, :furnish wool and meat in small quantities, domestic sheep raising being in addition an industry of some importance. As concerns beef and cattle products, a con siderable quantity is imported, the figures for 1912 being $206,706; for 1913, $118,864; and for 1915, $113,193. Id addition, in 1913, there were imported from Chile cattle to the value of $46,834, and from the United States $7,991, the former being chiefly for slaughter, and the latter for breeding. Of exports, live cattle valued at $9,811 were sold in 1912, the amount in 1913 being $177,832. Hides of all kinds of livestock exported in 1912 amounted to $617, 410; in 1913, $930,629. Of this last, cattle hides comprised $641,624, the same item amounting in 1914 to $521,947.
Salvador is essentially an agri cultural country, coffee, sugar and rice being the great staples. The result is that the cattle industry, other than for dairying and domestic consumption, has been neglected, despite the efforts of the government to foster it. The number of cattle in 1906 was 284,000, later estimates indicating a small increase. So small is it in comparison with the size of the country and the population that during the year 1914 the total exports of hides amounted, according to the figures of the Salvador gov ernment, to only $48,669, of which $31,313 went to Germany, and $14,906 to the United States. Evidently on a different basis of valuation, the United States figures regarding imports of hides from Salvador are as follows: 1911, $32,248; 1912, $45,393; 1913, $69,960; 1914, $78, 650; 1915, $135,799; and 1916, $149,577.