The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

MATEEIAL COXDITIOX OF ARGENTINA. 4G5
regions tlie mule is almost exclusively employed for all purposes, being more
sure-footed and hardier than the horse. But hitherto little attention has been
paid to the improvement of the breed. The mules which are now exported through
Buenos Ayres to the Masearenhas, to India, and in the opposite direction to the
Andean provinces, are all raised on the coast-lands.
Sheep constitute with the horse and ox the chief animal wealth of Argentine,
and even tend to take the foremost position. Under the colonial administration
they had increased enormously, although at that time possessing but little market
value. In the interior a few Calchaqui women used the wool to weave some
coarse textiles : but the flesh was not even eaten, but left to the dogs and vultures,
while the bones were used for making lime.
Spain had interdicted the importation of the merino breed, which was not
introduced till long after the declaration of independence. But since 1830 a
large number of English and other breeders have improved the native A^arieties,
and by crossings with various European breeds have obtained new types of sheep
as well as of horses and cattle. The best wools are yielded by those that graze
on the short grasses of the north-western provinces, and especially of the puna
region in Jujuy. Here the sheep is associated with the llama, an animal not met
in any other part of Argentina.
Ail the other European domestic animals have been introduced, and thrive
well even without any special care. Dogs and cats, which have reverted in
thousands to the wild state ; pigs, goats, rabbits, and poultry of all kinds are
met everywhere. Both the South American and the African ostrich have
succeeded in some farms ; but the industry has not acquired the same import-
ance that ostrich farming has in the Cape. Larks and other singing-birds have
been let loose on the pampas, and the European bee thrives in Entre-Bios. But it
may be asked whether it would not be wiser to utilise the native species. Various
honey-yielding insects swarm in Gran Chaco and in the province of Santiago del
Estero, where they still give rise to a considerable industry. The Indian mekrcs,
or honey gatherers, make long journeys of days, or even weeks together, in quest
of the combs deposited by the bees or other melliferous insects in holes or on the
branches of trees. At times they fell entire woods in the search. Hence it is to
be feared that the valuable honey-makers may disappear altogether before suffi-
cient knowledge has been gained to regulate their work and prepare suitable
hives for their reception. Meantime apiculture, in the strict sense of the word,
has made but little progress. There are a few hives here and there, but in certain
provinces the introduction of the domestic bee appears to have been forbidden as
injurious to the fruit-trees.
Although in recent years tillage has encroached on pasturage, just as sheep-
farming has been developed at the expense of cattle-breeding, the Argentine
provinces of Entre-Bios and Buenos Ayres, together with the conterminous
Bepublic of Uruguay, still possess more cattle and horses in proportion to the
population than any other region of the globe. In respect of sheep they rival,
and, in some districts, greatly outstrip Australia itself.
VOL. XI.X. II H