Bullet in 253 December, t 931 flAX ROIJU[TION I ARGENTINA by H.L.BoLLEY
BOLIVI A
.~ t-... ~ v - Whel'e FLAX is 2rown
Q Q
AGRICULTU RAL EXPERIMENT STATION N'ORTH DAKOTA AGRlCULTURAL COL.LEGE FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA T able of Content
Flax Production in Argentina ...... _...... _...... 3 Arg Htina ...... _ ...... _...... _...... __..... -i Area £ flax production ...... _...... _...... _...... 5 'l'hc il ...... _...... _...... _...... Ii 'Ii Hl.tc .. _...... __...... _._...... _....._....._.. .. 7 T mperatures ...... _...... --...... Ruin Ca.ll ...... _....._.._.._...... _ ...... __ ....._.._...... _...... ative and introduced plants index of . oil quality and . iDlflt' ...... _. 10 Long pI nting and har e t eason ...... _ ...... _...... 11 'eed thlle • nd harvesting .._...... _ ...... _...._ ...._...... _...... _...... 12 Growth ea ons, usually favorable ...... _ 15 F;~ar;::~ ~~r~l:g~.~~~~ .. =~ ~ : ~~ : ~:: : : ::~ :: : : :: ::::= : ::: ::::::=: : ~: ~~ ~ : :~:::: : : : ::=: :: :: : :: ::.::::::-:_~ ~ Crop rotation .._...... _...... _...... _...... 1 Flax in relation to major crops ...... _...._ ...... _.... 20 rn production in Argentina ...... _...... _...... :!tI Corn and wheat production-comparative Etatistics ..,... _.... _...._...... _4 Wheat ._....._....._._ _ ...... _._.._...... __...... _...._ ....._ ...... _... ..__ ...... _...... ~4 \ h at diseases _...... _.._...... _...... _....._...... _...... __ ... 2' Cattle ...... _ ...._...... __ ...... _...... _...... -_ ...... -..... _.. -- .....-.. :! , Pa tut e and -orage ..._.. _ ...._...... _ ...... _ ...... _...... _...... ~ Alfalfa ...._....._.._...... _._..__._._...... _...... _....___...... _..._...... __ ..... 29 .~; i ::I !~~i c~~:a~onta~~~_ . :~ ~~~~:~~~~~ ~ :~~=: :~~=:~~~ ~ =:== :: : :: ~ : ~:~: ~ :::::::~ : : : ~ : : : :: : : :: : : : :::: : : ~~ General statistica ._.._ _ ..... _ ...... _ ...... _...__._...... _...... _ ...... _..._. .. 33 Nunlb r of animals __...... _..__._...... _...... _._....._.. _ 34 ~:!er,u!~:~se~uft~~~~o~-~~~=~:~~~~~~::~~~~~=~~=~.-=:.-=.-==~::==: == :: ::=:~ ~:=: : : ~~-= ::3 5 i~ T u~~e~oi i~~O ~~C!~~~pi~ g.. ;·;~~;-==~~~ ::::::~: ~~:= · ==:= :=: :: ::::: ~::::~: ::::~: : :: =:: ::: :~~: ~~ Exportation, wheat, corn, and flaxseed ...... _...._ ...... _.....- ...... _.... __ .. -; D ". elupm nt of flax cropping in Argentin - 0 sible expal1,ion ...... _ ...... 37 F I 1X ced production by years and pr( vmces ...... _ ._...... _...... _ 39 M t h ds of culture with flax ...... _ ...... _._.._...... _...... 41 Gr pping for flax. fiber production ...... _...... _...... __...... 44 Fiber f rom flax fled varieties ...... _...... _... _...... _...... ___. ; Flax varieties •__..._ ...... _.._...... _.._...... __...._._ ...... 46 Arf,eutine flaxes of short form ...... _ .._...... _._.__...... _. 48 F lax Disea es, insect and weed pest ...... _...... _._...... _..... 48 Insect pests .. _...... _...__...... _...... ___...... _....._._...__.._._...... _.._._...... 50 R 81 tant 'al'ieties in Argentina _...._...... _ ... __ ...... _...... _...... _...... 50 North Dakota seed in rgcntina ...._.. _...... _...... _...... _... _...... _...... _... _.. 51 FIr xseeu from other southern coun rie _...... _ ...... _...... __... 53 Grain han 'ng and transportation ...... _....._....._ ...... _...... _...... 53 Railways ...... _...._ ...._ ...... _...... _...... _._.._.._...... _...... 55 tacking of grain ...... _...... _...... _...... _.... ___...... _...... -0 bort haul ...... _...... _...... _....._....._...... _.._...... _...... 56 Eleva or construction and bulk hundling ....._...... _...... _...... 58 Tr aCl relation _._....._...... _...... _...... 00 Argentine fl ax eed sample un r te t at orth Dakota E q> rim nt t at i on ....._...... _...... _ ...... _...... _ ...... _._...... _ ...... _._...... 6i Wei ht of e d, quantity and quali of oil in Argentine flax ecd ...... _... 72 h mi al ana Iy . es of Arg ntine grown f IL 8 ed ...... 73 un1mal'y .._...... __.._ ...... _...... _._...... _ ._.....__...... _...... _..._ ._.... 81
A Im owle gm I t ...... _._...... _._..._.._...... __...... ~ ...... _ ._IDf:id ha rk CO Y r 5 Flax Production in Argentina l- By H N R Y L. BaLLEY
Staeks imilar to these a I" found thmont the flax Listric-t . Grain M) stacked iH nearly as safe a if it woro t roa in the ]0 ,:tl war 'r oom .. not apt to w igh care' lly the very great comv'ti.tion that so distan a country m ay be able to Ie lop. The aV.rao·c farm wi hUl the In the past snch small holdinos have heen mad to snpp I uca e compa.ratively large fami.lies. In the lmmediat pa t our f armer", a compared to thos· of ntJlCr natjo ' . hav' had far111 impl'mel1ts and ma"hinery '::;sential1y suited to snch farms. Only lut J. have th small American farms come into direct competiti.on with larger areas of land in other countriesworkec1 by efficient farm In a 'hinery npon mass base.s. 1\pparcntly, "'c have not fared as well in th .In t as might be wi heel '1"'h futnre is not reassuring uTIle, we en readjust methods of cornp tition wjthin and without the nation. omp t·ition 'With 1)UJ,SS jwrmiu[I n11CZ r high-grade mach1"n 1'Y and e/Ji i ~t, b'ld cheap living labm', a-pparently Mes in the i'mmecUat [1 tur . Our people, particularly the farmillg' p ....1bl i , ar n mistic and elltllllsjnstic. Thev seem to think that in rJl) nit State3 ther e>. are such , olJckrflll la"w.ls and nlimatic fa t 1'8 t1 at th·y may d pend upon a 1roadly cclncatcd fanning popnlation and high busines~ inibative to carry thl'11 , 0 as to compete in ~mall grain farmiuo' wheat, corn, fhLX, etc.-if need be, OV(,11 in r j~'n markets. Farn ing, however, in all cOllntric, is hein o' rapidly specialized and, i whatever crop, snec ,, ~ fo1Jo\\'8 on]~r after carefnl bu"in s foresio·ht. It is, th r fore, of extreme jmportan e that car ful att ution be Q'iv n to the conditio} s of flax farmin o' and marketing of the crop in other coun' tries and parti nlarly to the possibilities of further ~ pan, .i n and de velopment of fl ax crop production in Argentina. Just now aOTicnltul'al r:conoll1ists in all count"i are givinO' ITlUch 4 NORTII DAKOTA BULL1':TIN 253
farminO'
acn in
The (',l g ' f)f nn 0 .'t u~j\ · , fl. x fi 1 in . ou t h I'll Bu 110 Ai r<" pr Rr T rt.., ~ Army . ~ ot i' th heigh II co 1p arc (1 t o the Pn n:lmn k it .
Argentina b t,,· 'u he r Cl U haw;}) rta li'LAX PROD Tl IN AR ENTINA 5 ling of th frei h t in ma . PUt s eel p1'od'twtion in A }'Y ntina i ad antagcously locat d as to 1·ail-roar.l ancl oc an fr ighting. 6 .cORTH KO,}' B LLETIN 253 p urate a hOW ll by must y arly r cords. Evell ill th Llorthern, more near1 sub-h' p ic'l -'eebons, h at oes not come as 111t011se as in our North\y stern (1 1'. land plain. , the atmosphere there being temper d by more humid cundition.:;. Even in the outhea 'tern portions of the province of BueLlo ' Air~s, ill coldest waath'r, th.r is not suff1 i:>nt frost to injure reasonabl hardy plant. '1'11'is tempering of the cli matic infinen s i. l1ndoubt('cU T due to the l' gulating intlncn of th Atlalltic Ocean Hnd the OTeat c. tnary of the Parana and UnlO'nay Rivers. The Soil: The lands or soil of these prO\ ' jne ~ s constitut a gl' :> at flat plain lying on tIl east essentially level \vith the ocean and with the great expanse of the Parana and Trll~)'ua'y R,ivers and til i1' border .swamI-> lauds. '1'he lands rise gradually to the we'twarcl tu what may be spoken of as higher, dryer pJains, abllllt in lill' with the cities of
N c,(/u,ticc U}J n /" , ' . . 1. 1J ulu'c,iluCIl08 ,Iin:s Nor thern ,:anta. }i ! . Noti e; l[lwlity of 'uil IWIng tUI'Jlt'11.
Cordoba and Bahia Blanca. '1'bi8 gr ,<'1t low-lying pIa ill, a type of delta formation, is the result of the filling up of extensive swamp lands by silt and orgauic filled clepotiils carried frOlU t 1'0])ic anLl s'Dli tropi regiolls at the north. Even yet, lIT(~at IllW:iSeS of floating v o'e tation and animal life arc carri('d dowll th('~(' rivers ;111(1 (lepositecl in the b;)rder swamps or marginal ovcrtlowcd areas as duriJ10' past cen tnri . '1'he soil is of rather even subtcxtuI't: 'ucIt as \\ oul d be char acter' , ic of snch rivt~r filled lands, giving over thes~ extensive areas plow lands almost ullinterrnpted lJ'y 'ither strealtl', 1'0 ' {s or tr' '. r1'h 1'e is here a type of soil proLaLly unequalled elsewhere for the production of small grains and forage Cl' ps, either a~ to fertility or climate. Nowhere else have I ev l' seen so luxuriant O"rowths of corn, alfalfa, Sudan grass and other forage 0'\ er C(lUally extellsive ar eas. These par i ular provine 11a ve certain political boundaries, bat otherwise constitute a continuous stretch of land subject thruont to the possibili y of the us of extensiv e machiner, tY1)8S, whether of im plements, of tillng· 01' of harvestino', 'fhc:::;e proviu'1" form the heart of the pre 'ent Argentine eattlc industry and creal roduction, shad ing gradually ofT into other natural agTicL1ltural arcas of g ~eat pro mise, repre:o:;ented y the province Rio N gro, La Pampa, San Luis, FL P ODUC. ION IN RGEN'l'lNA 7 Cord a,
Tlnuout (. ntru [ _ 1'gcntilla., wh til >1' ill ' . ut J'C Hi o (II' i n the' . outhw st I'n Pampas, a chara t ristic landmark i t 10 ,viII ] mil1. In tho pu. t 11 nls of c ttle sometimes dl r1 of tJl ir.-;t . N o' t hr y sle p lazi l ~ at n oll tim about exteIlBive shallol\' ponds 01' ce1l1 nt constru 'ted tank s to hi ·h is furnished a CODSant water suppl l 'y \\i ll umill, whether th herdsmen 0 1' :'t f arm home ia in sight or not.
In led \viih ill s ' p ~ vi usly
Thornl s cact at Bahia Blan a. Thi. and oth'1' yp () cadus, culti vatod and 'w11(1, are found thruout the flax growing r ~i ons £ 1'0111 tIl outhwest ern Pampas to extcnsi c nft iv growth in orth ) allta If'u and t he haeo. Climate: The . lIntry as a whol lies in the uth r part of South Am rica, approximately within 21 ° and 55° south latitude and between 52° and 74° w st longitude. 8 NORTH DAKOTA B ULL'TIN 253
Because of he great length fr m n orth t o south, appro imating closely the distan c between H ud on Bay d the ulf of lV[cxico and because ofh ' O'reat var iati ns' altitu des from th Cc.• tern plains to the An les there affon.l )1 to gentilla almost all possible climatic conditions. Temperature: The r ange of terupcratul'e p sible n th e t coast from 1 orth t o south may b some , hat b tt r understood wh n it is note 1 that the canie influ 'nc is such , s to greatly temper the coastal r "ions of th tcnitori , in Patagonia. 'rhe following table on averaO'e temperatures for the colonial l is trict of the aUe T f the h1but, over a 20- r [11' period, show>: jJldeecl a \vide daD r variation dnrino' t he ·oar, yet the absolute minimulll i:s reported at approximat'ly 9 dogr 'es Pallr lih i ,* Grain and fruit growing in Hio· NlPTO an d C11ul)11t, on account of limited rainfall, is, however, do e und r irrigation.
56 70 108 40 9
'rhe follO\ving table ;;~ ~, hould giv a fair cone )tion of the mild early temper tnr , at or n 'ar th p oints named.
M EA TO 1920 Centigrade (Appro ' mato F ahrenheit) Province of Bucno~ 'ires Bahir B lanccl, -.------.------Hi. 0 60.1 ° Mar 0. '1 Plata ______._ .. ______1.... 5 0 G6 .3° rfr s Ano ' os ______... 14) 10 fi7.7 ° J unin ------....------.-...-.-.--- ....---- ...... -- 16.4 0 1l1 .5 ° Province of 'anta ; ~ ·'anta Pe .....__ ._...__ .... ._. ____ .. ______.. _.. _.. ... _____ . ] .2 0 4. 0 Rosati ____ ._. ______.. __ .._. __ ..._.._..___ ._.__ ._... ___ _ 17.3 0 63.1 Q San l'i stol nl __ __ ... __ __._. _____ ... _. __ ._ ... ____ .... __ _ HU o 6(i. ' 0 Province of I'd oa, Cordoba .__.. ____ .__._____ ....._....._.. __ _...._. ____ ..___ ._ 16.9 0 (L.4° Rio Cuarto __ ._ .. ___ ._._____ .. __ ._.. ______.. ___ . 1G.Oo 60. 0 PrOyjylcc of Entre Rios C uco]'dia. ______....____... __ ..._....__...... _.__ .... ___ . 18.7 ° 6:).7 0 lll tl lcguay .... _____ ...____ ....__ __ ..... _. __ ... ____ ...... __ 17.7 ° /);H lO Tcrritory of La Pampa i ·t ori en _.______.__.__ _... _. __ .___._._.. _.... __ ._..______. 15, ) 0 60.1 0 trn'an ______.. __ _._ .... _____ ._.______.___ _...... _....__ _ 1.) ,2 0 59.4 °
The tempartnre aud 11lluuc1ity relatiOllS for the Perganullo dis riet are vcry splendidly portrayed by a table co strueted by Dr. Lorenzo R. Parodi oiving aver ges for
•• F rom "Annuario de Esta,distica, 1 25-2 J, Section B. P.S7, :Minist erio de Agricultura." FLAX PR DUOTION IN ARGENTINA
suffice, h we er t iel: 1 dcmon:,trat e th t at 1'O'a 1 ino a tual kill iug frosts are lc10m reached n el 0 111' nly n a f W llRt s in he mid-wintcr m llt of /fa y, .Tunc, and Jill . TABLE OF T , [PERAT R S AND RELATIV HUMIDITY, DI TRI T OF P ER AMJl , 191 4-1 928*
.Inn. F ('b. Ma,xinnull Temperatures Absolute Maxim um 111.f5 10G.5 100 99 88.4 82.7 87. 3.5 9-1:.1 f) 100. ::; 1 07. ~ 11I. Average Absolute Maximum 1 90.1 90 90 81 7'2. 5 7G 80 ,,£) 4.5 99 Average Maximum 84.5 83.1 78.5 75.1 61. 5 GO GO G4.5 60 74 81.5 86 75 Minimum Tempera.tures Ab~olutc l\fil1jmuUl 44.1 41 0 28 _4 20.:- 20 ~-I-.5 2," 3'2 --_.-. 2-1 ~ O Av'rage AI) solute :Minilllum 48.5 4B 44.5 37.;'3 :{ .'- 27 '27 : ~ 9 32.5 37 41. 45.7 Average
1\[ inilllUffi 61.7 6L 57.1 U ~ 4-5 .5 88 ..- 3fU 40.5 44.3 49.5 "4.5 ,) .1 Average Temperatures Ti.D 75. 5 71.5 G4.2 ;j(i. - 49.:) 50 :- : ~ :) (i".5 70 75 (i. Average Relative Humidity 62 li6 69 I ;) 76 77 77 69 (j7 Ii;) ~+ Lorenzo H . .Parodi, E u .- ny o .F itog ogn d ico s hre d P a l'tir10 d Rainfall: R :l liablc and rath r cvenl d istri nt d eiated 'with a moderate humic1it, U11J a in Llerate dail, t'mp 1'( tllre thruollt the gro\\·th :;eaSOll on lands sn cb as those in N(ll,th Bllenos Aires, Santa Fc, and sOllth "rn portion of Entre Rios 'on~titnte a , 0 eiated factors which, no donbt, have mad :l these parts of Argentina into one of the chief cereal, grain au 1 fl a .", ('cd e. 'p()r ting regions t)f the world. Novcl'thc1 's., in case of the years] 9] 6-] 917 n rainfall of over 20 inches in the P t' l'gamino (1i~trict was not :-'11ffi cicnt to prevent destructive ,1'01) loss h erau, e the rains liJ not then, comc dnring the essential periods of growth. Similar va!'i ti0118 in rain!( 11 also occnr at other poil1ts in Aro·cntillCl. Snch variations in part, a " '011l1t £ l' tbe rather great allnual flu tnations il1 the '.' p o 't gl'aiu market. 'rhe tOW11 of P crgamillo Les about 140 miles llorthwest of D1Ienos ltircs \"hioh is s0111('\\'hat south of the geog raphie eentel' of th i;; won derful area of soil anel climatic. inflnen '('so Bccanse of stndies of Dr. Lorenzo R. Parodi UpOll the gra,'s alJU pastnrc lands of the prairie.;;; in the northern part ()f tbe province of Buenos Aire '/ :' I am 1 to furnish a o'1'<1ph demollstratillg tho rainfall for the p Dr iod of y aI'S 1913 to 1!:J28 inclusj"(,, as shown in llullill1"t 1'S. B y th 1u n t the rio'ht it will be l1~)t c d that tlw i]V raO' annual rainfall for period approximated 07 .4 inoh0 ",hile 1he lowcst rainfall, that 1916, was appl'oximat \1) 21._ in' hes tllld that of the highest, as shown for 1914, was 50.7 ill' es . .. Ensayo Fitogeografico sour' el P artido d P ' r galll in. )). 1 10 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253
Graphic demonstrati on of the rainfall for th.e yeaTS 1!H3-1!J28 in the (li~tl'i of Pergamino. Native and. Introduced Plants Index of Soil Quality and Climate: HearinO' of the rig-ors of the climatic conditions on the Argentine pla.ins bordering the Andes, of dl'OllO'hts and intense heat of the c n' tral or median regions, on8 usc 1 to the characteristic short seasonal
Field of orange trces ncar tlw city c-f Co ncordia ill eastern Entre Rios. Notice the wild palms, intel'spersed ·with. c. ul tivatcd orang tl' os. From Concordia, uth. and w estward, there arc extensive areas of flax int ~ l'sp e r d amid th.e cattle ranches. periods of northwestern Unit d States can hardly understand the l'ather mild uniform climate that prevails in th littoral reO'ions of Argentina. Even a far south as Bahia Blanca, introduced plants 11 can attenti n to .a mild t emperatur , ven in . hat Argentine people call winter. One find beautiful syeamor s, robinias, 10 usts and other warm climate -had and fruit trees in Bahia Blan <1 , Buenos Aires and intervening cities. In Uruguay and in the pln·ns of Entre Rios and north Santa Fe, one sees extensive pasture land - and even tilled areas in which palm trees, native and introdue 1, stand out among the cultivated crops. Self-seeded palms ·are often in sight in eastern Entre Rios. One IDay not forget that in this and the hief fl a..~e e d growing regions of Santa Fe, and northward into the Chaco, Argen tina is gro·wing the major portion of her flaxseed in a very mild cli mate. Large plantings of c.actu'S may be. en at all points from Bahia Blanca northward thru Cordoba, and immediately northward from Santa Fe, the wild growths and cultiyated fields are eharacteristic of such regions as Arizona and New l\i(cxico. There, as· else" here, native growths and introduced plants are particularly good indications of soil and climatic values. R,oaclsicle
Large growths of thistl are a gOOll index of strong land. Secretary A. Hojman of the Ministry of AgricuJtmc and Dir~ctor Boaglio of the Perg< mino Experiml'ut Station.
weech, particularly enormous growths of annual thistles, . thruont the black soil r egions indicate soils of heavy t} pe and great productive value. l'h e obs e ~"vations quite conv'incingly 1:}u];£cate that it ,is pos,'j'l:ble there are regions in the United States where luigh-q ll,al,£ty types of fla.xsee d 'in'ight b.e p1~odu.c; ed other than the region which 'now fu,1'1dsh O'U1' chief s'upply. Long Planting and Harvest Seasons: 'rhru the greater part of the maritime provinces, the humidity and temp ·rature is so governed by oceanic influences that they remain thruout the y a1' essentially free from destructive frosts, and a long, so-called iV inter with springtime-like weatheraHords in these provinces and portions of the border provinces long possible "planting seasons" for cereals and 12 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 2M
.\ cllaNr ' ViI ])1'. n. .\. B lLl/re, B uen 08 "'\ i)' 8 Home of Ital.ian co]oni.-t, N orth Rallttt F\
D plan in ' without j I p ar izing th ~ r op. If, f r . ample, d uring th normal plantillg P 'ioel I of 1\1ay and J llne in the northern porions, ~ 'Hnta Pe, aUll En l'l' Hios. the , oil hanccs t be dry, h ere is a longer period at wh ich it i safe for the fanner to wait and continne t h preparation of the s il for later planti 0' an 1 yet 1) r a 'onabIy cer tain that the rop will come alon f t all r io'ht after the rains do come. From an agricultnral standpoi t, his i' a f aturc of v ry great im portance, not pos ibIe on tIl) Great Plains u) leI' onr North American (~onclitioJJ~. ,~hetllCr south" ard or n rth\· ard with liS, intensely hot vveather usuall: folIow~ the tin!=' when planting ShOllld ord'inarily oc -'UT. rl'hu3 drought period with us in the springtime lIlay prove very destrllctive to cereals a 1 such ,r ops as t! be a use a \'cry rapid growillg season a once p r vail if on , 'aits f r I' in t uOl before plantin6' ill the " ring. Seed Time and Harvesting : eca 18> of th ~ (xt ndcd t C1Titory from north to south and OTeat YarlatioJl ' in -lima i · aJld soil condi tions due to a varic 1 topa l'raphy awl particnlal'ly to 1he o'N\(lnal rise in eleva ion, ther is naturally a wide variat ioll in the dates of 1lant illg for flax, wheat, corn alld other sm all (Tains; anll approximately an equi Talent l'dlO' of time in harvc·'tiug, tlucsiting, tOl'illg' aud mar keting of th e~e "1' ps. III the northern portiOlls of ~ '<111ta Fe, Entre Rios, and further north, plant'u o's b j'in i ll early .May, but the aveJ'age date ther approximate J une 1 to Jun 15. B eginnino. at a point in the pro ince San c on the Panml:l River n ar the city of Santa Fe and r11l1umg outhwar 0 a point appr oximatin o' tl e city uf Buenos Aires, arl phmtino' app a ' ~ to be from July 15 to .Jilly 25 \vhile later p lan iug r Uo IT 111 July 2- ) mid-S p t .mb '1'. \s t he boundari s of -ert in p I nting zones aPl)I'oa h the interior the planting is earlier the n 011 the c ast. These- zones of plantings and harvesting bend rapidly to the nort h as they approach the dry FL X P 00 CTION IN ARG' NTIN. 13 land and higher altitude of COl' 1 a. In the western rovinees the lines bend ra idly t the. out.h that in the t r ri y of the greater Pa P s \\ e war from B h ia Blanca the a rag date f planting there runs fr m July 15 on th s' t ,," . t lin f the PI' vin e to S p t mber 20 on the south
Dist:mt 'ic\\' of , l:l.rgc e tat e in E ntrc Rios ( '. tancia).
In the gr at province ir s, south a lest of the center, the me iian pIcnti rom S pt omb l' 20 to ctober 5, and tJle harvest periods eo< t n d over like i 1. ran f c1at s dnr ing the months of N c mb r, Dccpml " J a uar T , an d F 'bruaI" . Probably no, great cr al r {"fion is so condcnsed a tha of th eastern portion of Aro'ent ina and . t fnrni h >.: n h wid r ange of dates for planting and harvesting, ye it must hc LUH.l T'stool1 that under Stl h wide variat'on and topographi c 11 ition:s, rops . neh as ±lax and wheat are at times subj ct 'reat 1 ss be au of 11 1len li lc tic changes. While in most years sli~ht, jf an , frost ev r occurs in east central Argentina. Ne, crthdE'SS, ther h a e been y ear s in whi h great damage \vas one. While the producti.on of flax m ·. US11 Jly be r clie i up n to pro duce approximately 60,000,000 bu hels p r y a' for 7port drought during the period of plant'ng" or rain L t harve. hay at tim s, can~ecl great destructi n. For exampl , ex ' ,', ivc l'ctinfall in J anuary, 1931, just prec ding harvest tliTllout the north and central part of the pro vince of Buenos ,Aires, prL~v entec1 the han cst of approximately OI third the cntire flax crop and other gr ins r also gl' atly dmuaged. Qnoting dates of sowing and harvesting of O' rain l or the province of Bnenos Aires from the" Almanaque de l\lin··t ·rio d Agricnltnra" for 1931, one finds the foil w ' 0' stat ill u: ts: JanuHry (Mid-summer) : T C l'mi n~ t ion of hal' , >, t of ,\'heat b gun the prcvious mon.th. Beginning c·f hurHst of fl a.y. PrepnrLltion of hl11d for wint e ' forage when seedeLl with oats awl bade ' 1 ete. and to b e see el d with alfalfa in t he mont.h of April. PebI'uaTY: ontinuat.ion of ,labors of t he previous lIlonth. T nnina tc tbc threshing of flux, wbent, barl , oat. Beg-it .' ding f oat.s. March: Co ntinu c p lowi ng and h arrowing jn p l'l ~ p a r at i () n f HI lallll lor wint r wheat. B gin seeding of alf lfa, ray-gra " barl y and continue i th thc sccc1il1 g f oats for forn er • April : (Autumn) : gin har e t of arJ. T maize ("OTU) and ontinuc the se ding f ali Ha, ray-gra ss an 1 tll cr gr:l. ses. P u ·tlU'· the oat seeded in cbrllary. ontinu c pTeptnatiun uf th , .- ui] for , ·ding of wheat, flax canary grus, and barl Colltinnc tll ·c iing of oats for mnte p a mage. May: Continue and t rminate th pi king and st riug of maize. (l'er NORTH DAKOTA BULLETI _53
minat ion of , din g o f a lf, lfa. B egin ~c clling of wint r variet ies whcat- R.u: :iall, a 'nn~ (l , etc. Begin so ding of onts for [lTuin pro dn tion. JIll : Continue s(!o(Jing of wheat, fla x . ats, barl 'y , rnp, 'teo July (Mi d-wint r: Tcrminate: tll O ,in Or fie'ding of wh a t and fl ax. ont inue p repar a t ion of th' soil for seeding ('. rn amI alfalfa . August: ont inu ' s ec(li11g early y:nicti C' s of wh n " as f r xa mple 1\1n.r quis, the varioufi flaxes ~1l1(1 calIaI' gTal's. Contillu pIovvi n er in tended for cedin g of ('om. raek wheat lam. 'ho\\'ill:r tend'n" to dry out. ,Cllt ( 1111) Cr: 'l~ h o phntil1g of mai zo (corn) hould b e b crun. October (Spring) : Plant r .1 corn, ,vll at an(l w e potatc'cs, also alfalfn. Novcn!1wr: Plow f OT lllajzc (corn.) :llld prcparc to llant cnrl.' vari tics. Df'ef'mhl'r: B('gin I.: llttiJ1g wheat Hnd alfnJf::I. :ol1tinuc th culhvation of maize. Thr fact t1wt in most parts of this provine' sw'h 'l'011S as corn. oats and barley ll1ay he plant d, cnltivated or harvested ill ahsellcc of host during- s veraJ months of 1he Y HI' indicates the. widl~ pCT_iods of time arailablc for ppparation of soil and scelling of 111e small grains and £ax. Othl'l' provinees to tbe north allo\\ of ven I;!'l'eatcr varia tion ill dnJcs of plallting' ;md lJal'v('stilto' yet there al' ,of 0111':->(', cel' tail.1 av rage or median lbtes which give thc g'l'l.';)t est assurance of returns, and as elsewher e aL'e gcncnt11y followed. 'I'hu ' 1iaxsc,ed hell' vest in Arg 'ntiJla usually statts carl~v in T\ovem1>el' in th northern ZOIl(,S and t.hresbin o· is usually finished in the Rout.heen znn sin Feu· rnary. The possible l') lanting l)eriod in thos " A rgentille plaills thus v\ iel ]~ . ('xtendcd also ex tends tIl, harvesting period for , 1Ich crops ovcr a longer p eriod of time. It is not at all nocmnnWll to S on oue aTeH of ground a crop of maize Ol' eOI'll matured aHd picked ur h arv ted
"Mo rlefn Doering- tL'ador anll n:;o ('olllhine (lroppilJg" off' a l'ons igmll l! nt uf hag::;. T\ 0 men stand Oil platforms; nn e d oes the s W1I1g·. wlLile llllllwcliai a lj,H; 'nt fields of Jal'O'e area eJre olll) ill the parI r gn)\:vth perio<.1 Ot' np[)1'oaehin Q ' tas~ c l OT' ('(l1' forlllatioll, prepal'atory to a harvest to fullow SOlll ~ Illonth::; later. \\ hile \"i1lt I, XC pt10n of tb ('xtl'(']11 , north, I - would llOt. prohahJy he p()~sihl c fol' CIl1~ ' l'al'11H.·j' to have two crop ' at OIl of the small brain 'ropsllpon th am FAX PROD OTT N IN ARGEN'l'INA 15
many fc rm r , in a t naI fc tare abl t pro 111 wo, r III r cr.p 111 upon th am , fan, nd it i n at all u common to find flax whi 11 11r. 1 n halvcst d an 'n th tac1Y or ill ] a] ware rooms for W l ' more m nth. oth r flax on the "arne farm j
, et ap roa hi] ('f lnaturity. Th-is wid r~ange of p . tblc planting (wd harvesti'llg pe'riocls (f 'L'a ila bl to w in th sam fa7"'Y1L zone in part, accownt fOl' t lL fa ct t hat om paJ'at-iv ly f e'!. lab 01'elf' a're ab le to plan..t, ha1' t t a?ld handle the 1'OP on 'I117.wJ laJroelr a't' a thrtn the sam ')1,U111 b r {)f J/I n ould do 'l(.lJOn the Gr at Plains in the United Stat es.
High- 'Ja s firld of llax ill cn:t I'll .:aJtt F\ S ']C'tiOll . train N . 9·D of Dr. Boerger, of U l'U u, y, 1G NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 tana. It i u d r too 1 hat with a hmnid atmosphcI'e anel soil not readily mor fruitful finish. Argentm vari i . straw and mil h
Ols-
N ar view of t he home on a larg .state e. t:l.llci) a t rn • anta Fe. In tensi ve farming is the rule in tbi di ·:rict. FL AX P ODUOTI N IN ARGENTINA 17 sr I n lidly maJH O' ~ d an d op >ra1c d and VaI Y in area rom approxi . t ly - or (3 thou an cL t ] 2 tho l~ a nd acr " r vine, f the cO Llotry arc bcated olony h Id.ings, b eaU cv ry European nation, Forxample, tlll'l'c 01 I i~. of J'c\yish farlllers in a.'t I'n . lltral Elltre Bins, and i: larg tli. r i t lono' ~ctt]ed by Rll'"i;ians ill suutlnv"st Bntl'c Rios, around V i cto T'i ~ , tIl l' zone' in t. ' proviJ1ce of Santa Fe ar \ occnpi d b Swi.. and orill Ital iail groups a nd smaller colonial groups ill tJle pro Dice of La Pami a anei otiIet' soutlH'rn, western, and central p r ovince. , atll 'ally the Russian co lonists turu to the produc tion of \\ 11 at, tia ', awl c 'r als, characteristic of th'ir home training \yhu e the S\ -iss e loni ,t , as f01' example al'oHud Espl'l'an7.(J Rafaela, aml xleuclcu tel'l'ih n' ie. i llIeuiately w'st of Santa F' W rk upon land holJj 19"5 ar,'iug' from 20 hecta 'e (appl'ox, 60 a res) to se eral tbou aud a 1' ';, 'f he Swi 'S giv th -iT attentioll very Lug , ly to dairy
llC';l\':- flax erop in 'rgamLuo llistrid, stac'knd tll\(l bun -It d flax in forc g-round, Alfalfa, and corn i n the listallC', farming, b 1 t he 1'1' rk of th'se >ifi·i ut co lon it-; 1s are c'llt cl'etl some 'I en' won 1 'l'ful 11ttt r b .es ·l al J u!-.>eilL indnstries, 'rlw North ItaI, iaJl" eoluni -t oft n () TI 1y Iar' hole illg'S and give their a t 'ntioll more cxtcllsi\' 1 to W t'll ( nd small oTaill farmilllr, 'rhes Lomll1:uds have been COllll11 O' in a1 a later period and are natllraUy i Ollnd in tIl(' no\\"('r districts, hut aI' · far n oro effi ·-j ut farm l' than the railway labor rs and city-I Vill i)' v ()'d able-garc1ening southern Italian with whom we are more familiar , 18 NORTH DAKO A BULL TIN 253
'r at CUl'll fields shaue jmlJel' ceptibl:, into gT 'at alfalfa field;:;. Noti-' the no,,' t.YllC of ill 'tal ( ~ Ul' Jt ' rib ill th' llistane',
f armin o', been fo1 h
H igh c1< h 1'(1 of , ome hou a 1 h in ca 1 ,r ll E n tre Rio, flu'ni'h him an h r aT a s' ilar to th on unu -r crop "ding . 'ear l or a numb r of year, 01 th laro'e tate ( .stan ias) the manager may thu 0 contract the land under his control to a nllmber FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARG~NT~A 19
nly \'h n 20 NORTH DAKOTA BULLE TIN 253
'rhus, Ih n these pa tl.: re lan d. ere aoain br ( ken, the alfalfa sad weeds and native gra s which have come i to the 101lC7- astur, areas form a sp n id basis fa ' creal l' I. and a pcrf:.ctly atural place for the gro \~ ' h f the flax crop " hieh is perhaps mo l' commonly planted in these alfalfa lands than on it11er na ive sod, corn r other cereal producing area . ,¥ith u p erhaps no question is more oft n asked than that \vhi h in volves the cost of small grain, orn, or flax production. This is like,vise the most diffic11lt uestion to lotcrnllI . Even the price of Ian I and rental values as o'iven in the tran5f r records can only b understood bono thoroly familia' ith the zones of production, the prevailing ea h and crop contract r utals and the real estates vaIn \ . All these are again subject to the ttuctuatino' value of the pesos nnll intensely varying local costs of livil 0 ' . 'rhe major rural industry i;:; cattle prodnction. On all larg a1' as thi factor not only governs r ental torDlS but farm plans. This also is reasonably true on the STIll1 11 r farm. Flax in Relation to Major Crops No small grain crop so well prepares the soil for future flax cropping as maize. Even tbo flax is quite normally pI ced irectly upon grass and alfalfa pasture lands, tll deep plowino. and the c 11 tivatioll given to corn there a ' here prepares a proper sr bs il texture for the deep rootiIlg }Ul.bits of the tlax crop.
Grc'at areas of ' Ol'll (l ot the lanllscape surrounlling the Aires, Rosario ::tnu Santa Te , allu a re abo f C!UlHl in south a Rios. Corn Production in Argentina: "\Vhilc on ation trips, I was astonished b r he extensiv areas in which 'orn (maiz ) is grown. One sees there 1 rg r ontiuuous fields in corn none may locate anywher e v n in 111i no' , NIi , onri, or I a. The r eason fur this is based largel, upon th i1' method of farm spe ialization. ,\Tith corll, as in otl r crops, there are often, i 1 d u nally, ext n' sive areas of land und l' the managem nt of individual farmers, man agers, and renters or land owners. ;LAX P RODUCTION IN ARGENTINA 21
Th m thod of culti ation and h vesting any corn cult ivation an I met ods tl r. ned in tll nit "d tates. 'I.'h va r ' -·t· "" /11' fin, hal' ,flint, types, particl larly r .. i tant to wea h"r ing after matu1'it. r . The rop is grown primarily as a cash crop' 'th the pnrpo. of s lling the shelled grain f r exp rt nd f)1' local dis tillation. A y t, corn production in Aro'entina ha not b n largely de primaI'D. r for th purpose of forao'e and fe d. 'I.'he silo is not a. yet in extensjve use and illso f ~ r as the r ap j " nsed for forage purpos '. it i ~ et COlllnlOlll one of pa turing off by sto k chiefly b)' beef I' claiTY attle, aft T tJle cars hay ben pjck ec1 . ienerally, the corn i.' not check-rowed ns in the United tates but i conunon1y thiekl" p1ank d ill (:ontin110118 rows set appro,rima 'ly 26 to 28 inches
In Ma,- (111(1 .June he loc'al war e r oom~ in th corn Jistri is are more than full ul' :-;.Iu·'u r1 ~() . I. N otil e the 'ommon mo(lc of g rading th orain for export. apart. Tlle eorn is dropped so as to prodnce two, three, or four stalk p hill jn the row about 14 to 16 in hcs apart. Plantjno's seem usually t o follow npon oIl pasture land. or upon p1'cvions corn landF! and aft I' rath r cal' ful plowing- or soH prepal'ati n. In th l' gular corn zones thesupel'ior qnali i :5 of soil "ID(l rai.nfall :11'e usually suf ficient to supp 1'1. this heavy and more or less continllom; planting-. Olle is astoni hed at the rapidity of gTowth anel tll rather small amount tillage nee.cssary to keep do\Vll tl1 C we s 11nl18r snch methods. . n after the 'OTil r:>ach es the h "io'ht of two or more feet the gr und is densely shade 1 and fU1'th I' tilla.;c au hardly be carried out. ~uany the corn 's ' aid asid " and ulLivc ti II eli,.cont.inued by a de p listino' or breaking np f th 1ter by a in 1 , wi Ie flaring shoycl 0 a to :'lightly hill up the corn nnd a P a ntral drainage lin(, a proc : not I " 11'( bI with us all.d I am don) fnl if it has any JYlc1'jts vith tll 111 becanse of e.< ·~es si · l' prllning . hi ·h occurs. IIow Jver, one not familiar willi al1llual onditioDs of lands and with the purposes of croppi g Inay sily raw wrong conclus;ons in such N RTH D R OT B LLETIN 253 ma tel's. In th ar as of the prin j p al rn zone. , lIla . h 'well served by this meth d r _, t h to\ th i, Jft u v el"y heavy and the in Ul" C1 n cc against loc1g-iug dnring times of
I'll zone ranD" S !fa, b ina· thoroly
Local w, To r e'OIll and 11' ight car h (' Ln o 103(1('(1. •'u eb eal'~ ar eov reel with canvas before being TIl v 11 in tl'ullf'i t. during th onth. f Jan llar}. F lru' y, Jar 11 and April-jndeec1 it is an ArO'entine rin D" that 1] ina plant' and harvests corn e, eh month of the y er r. The area i most 'nt n. e orn production may he roughly described as Jyi11g' within a semi- ircle tlu'n the -·iti . of Buenos ..Air , ,11lel Santa ie, , i h the diamet .r on line of tll(' Pm'auf\. River.. A ~ conc1 Z 11 f run great r t ea and of :1 ppnrently hig'b dass c1imat '11 pla nted arc a widely distribut·d in the different pro inc ntilla as wheat. '- tatistical data how that the a ;1'8 age planted is a pl'o.'imately TIl ,[1 ian betwC'en wh('at and flax. Similar data show maize to be a major Argentine casb crop for exp rt. . \ ' ('!.JQtiGC li!! ])1', r: .1. Ball,. ,lJ'U'lIU8 . 1 in'8 'olOllist \ hOIlll', illlpruvi;wd ('ol'll'l:rih, lal'g' flax field in the distaJlcc nurth .:anta Fc. Passino' into the mal'giJJul lands from Ole heavy suils, the arc<:Is of succcssfnl corn and flax prochlC.ti.on are natnrall,v located ill smallf'..r, scattered 2011('S of uest land quality. '01'11 being a "\ ar111 climate crop larg 'ly accollllt~ for the fact that the outside lighter soil provinces to the llorth an I llOL'thvvest show eOl1sic1(>rably l(1]'g'1' acreages of corn than of \\"h at. (See table of comparative acreages under column head d 'Oth 'r Provill ~ '.) .\ t; {fu.ti v c b.II ])1'. (:'. . 1. Nnltrc . U"nnulS J in ',~ III nurth t:('ntl'al Eutf'(' Hio::; , llortherll Hanta F6 :In(l Uilaeo, til're are gre t l:tl'l'L\::; of Ila ti v ( ~ jl stUI" laJl(I ~, yet untoneh C'Cl by th " plu\\'. ~\~ the var.ir ti. t> s of flax,'p('d whi.·h are at. pl'C's(~ nt gTO\VI1. 1-11' 8 par ticularly wa 'fil r giOll pes, the cr p apparently thriv ~s spI n iidly 24 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 to and north and ea:t f th present zones of great st production. It is, ther f ore, quit c rtain that large areas of successful corn produ - tion, alfalfa production end pasture production in these northern pro vince will evenhwlly be found capable of heavy flaxseed production, and as there wa." planted during the past deead omewhat over one half as many acres of corn as wheat, approximating tv ice th areas seeded to flax, it i evident that ·it 1·S possible fo'i' A 7'gent1:na to largely increase the area of fla.;:rs eed prod1.lCtion so far as a sw£table yield p r acre '£s concer'ned. In this connection compare the areas of corn cultivation in the different provinces to the a1' .as of flax production as givon in the table of comparative production by provinces. The followinO' tables show comparative acres in hectares, as plant ed to corn and to wheat, by provinces, 1872-1980, illClusiye. Compare these areas ","ith tho'5e given for flax culture on page 36. (One hec tat°e equals approx'imaJely 2.47 acres). Maize (Corn)-Hcctares Seeded CORN AND STATISTICS Year Buellus l'alllp a Othl~ l' All Aires Provinces Argen tina 1872 1, 06, :36,580 130,430 1888 510,071 tiO,!W1 7S,99D 47.208 4,5 ::: 0 801,588 1895 GG9,i.J 2 185,8D8 95,217 72; 721 2,705 1,244,184 191, 1,405,470 1,250 500 ;)70,000 84,000 2 ~1. 6 00 3,629,570 1D24 1,44 :~ ,140 78 6,000 609,100 111,000 IHi;S OO 359,400 3,425,440 ID25 1,50;5,:200 850,000 G72,OOO 76,500 20 :3 ,700 400 00 3,707,700 192G 1,571,000 1,100,000 818,000 129500 2;3 ,500 4----1- 0,000 4 297,000 1027 1,606,400 1,029,500 737,700 143,000 29D,000 473,400 4,289,000 ID28 1,G40 MIO 1,114,960 R49,850 105;000 152,000 '1- 23,700 4,346,000 1929 ] ,749,320 1,27:3,000 960, 40 172,400 189,300 443,4 . 0 4788000 19:30 1,952,3 00 1-, 15 5G,125 1,168.900 22_,700 194,:"'00 453,175 5;647;400 'l'rigo (Whcat )-He :U('R Seeded Year Buenos Santa Cordoba. E utre l'allllJa Other All Aires Fe l~i os J)ro\'ince: Al'gen t ina 1871/72 35,8G1 13,242 73,09(1 1887/88 2'l6,788 401,G52 55,777 67,319 If;:{ 815,438 1894/ 9:) 307,446 1,O:W,898 293700 292)08 370 2,049,683 19H1 / 17 2,30:5 ,000 800,000 1,860,000 40.000 1,02li,0()O (i,5Il,000 H)23 / ~4 ::J,433,(j4S 1,104-,385 2,000,000 39«000 SDn,3l0 1 :\?,SOO G,96li.,843 1924/25 2,-5 83,100 961,000 2,110,200 419,600 981,400 145,_00 7,200,500 1D25 /2(j 2,858,540 95:3, 750 2,235,100 458,200 11]8400 14;"),000 7,76 ,990 192G / 27 2,990,000 877,000 2,172,000 410,000 1',200; 000 151,000 7,800,000 1927/28 3,131,000 888,600 2,247,000 4fi5,000 1,097,000 149,400 7,978,000 1928/29 3,384,000 983,000 2,;WO,000 4Gl,200 1,148, 00 171,100 8,457,700 1929 ;:30 :3,280,'0 70 85G 000 2,224,000 415,:280 977 00 1:12, 50 7,S8G,000 19:30/:31 3,727,liOO 916,500 2.,443,700 412,200 918,00 20 8,200 8,625,200 From Memoria, Bolsa De ommel'cio D el Rosar io, Ano 19:30 . P ages 240 and 242. Wheat: It IS hardly necessary in this bulletin to give special attention to wheat for rather a curate data lllHV be obtained from statistical tables on production and exportation. \ Vheat cropping has a bearing upon flax culture chiefly because in most COl tries linseed FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARGENTINA 25 production ha" been sually 1 s ly i ted with wh at and other cer al grain. In Argentin , m thod r du t ion do not dif fer mat .dally "om those on OUl' (Tl' at I lains othcr t han that '011 id rabl larger areas are \ l'k d as a body. lachiucry type are An old t ime c;o mbine 14 hoI'. J C' u t ting wheat in estcrn r O"ion of th pl'ovin 'C of La Pampa. sentjall T th am. Plmy. harrow. , rno,\" r r ap r . , bind r , h ad 1's and' combines ar in ac1i n 011 areas uf wheat, on even m re 'tcnded calc than elll e c n usual] ,'cr anywher i th nit d State. vVllCat usuall) pr(' 'ell - flax and oth r typos of rai.a on th gl'ea plains of the suuthwl'st. This pidur sllO\ s the way stanu in line after tho eo mlJ i n . Dil'eet< I' Ingenie]'o HaintulHl N i v .f the Gna trach E periment 'tationJ P ro incc of La. Pampa. Thet'o arc 20,00 0 hectare in thi area. Argentin people make nUl h 11 'e of pa. try proehl t , particulal'ly macar oni. l\iacaroni, noodles, spagh tti are omm nl h me-made and constitute a larg element in aily produ t ion in mall local hops in villages, towns, and cities. These products are usu lly sold in fre h 26 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 undried form on approximat ly the day mad . One s macaroni made and. ld in butcher shops, groceries, and other e t abli hments. Flour millino· is developing rather rapidly and considerable export trade is being dev loped. 'rhere as here, increased proc1uction in war time and failure in prices has brought about increas d production of other pay crops; a.nd large areas of 'wheat ," tuhble have naturally gone into flaxseed production. This tendency is particularly true in south eastern spring 'wheat areas where corn production has not yet b . me extensive. Here the crop 111eet8 with many of the major difficulties of climate and soil characteristic of our great plains. Wheat Diseases: One of the chief draviTbacks to wheat produc tion has been extensive infections of wheat rust. Argentine growers have readily controlled the smuts but have not previously paid much attention to the destructive effects by root diseases ; thus a ide from rust attacks there is' heavy destruction of crop by scab and other root and seedling \"hea t diseases on areas of t constant wheat culhll'e. As with us there are extensive invasions of black stem rust, (Pu cinia gnnninlls ) . It is claimed that few, if any, barberry bushes have vel' been planted in Argentine farming districts, or in the parks of the villages, rural communities and cities. This is difficult to understand for the eal'ly eolonists were from Southern Europe and their late emigrants, as with us, are from every barberry loving nation of BUl'ope. Senor Del Campo-third from right- Director N i ' \-es ;:U1r1 a native manager of one of Del Campo '8 numerous gr -n farms. It was not possible for me to O'ive sufficient attention the mat ter to confirm this claimed absence of barberry plantil1gs other than that the casual observation open to me t ended t o confirm statements that the bush is not now commonly planted. Only two or three bushes of B. v u,lgm'is were seen by me and th se were under study by agrono mists who claimed that no infections could be made. Nevertheless this FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARGENTINA 27 contention of wh at gToweI's ther as once in this country needs more cd'''ful con irmati for the virility f atta k indi at l aecidinm spor uree. I am onvinced from botanical r 'cor that wild species of the barberry family apable of carrying th spring por .s of wheat rust will cventu lly b foun d in th draws and f _othills of h d s and po ibly e ewbel.'e. Fr m th western hill 1 nds and c Id r r 0'_ ions needed by the arberrie it i b t a hort i tance to the great wh at fi ld f the plain . Th d truction and smi liinO' of grain from black tem rust, 1 af '}''ltst (P uccinia t'1" E normous h el'L1 . of nativ long-horned attl onec roamed the P ·mpa. Similar herds so >times Witll t housands of cattle in t h '111 are y t to been. 'fh :.' are nearl n I va. ]arg 1 1'0, . el w i.th b ef typ 8, ith r H ref rd, h ort horn or l' oD ed number of thorobl'ed bull are usuall seen in such range 11 IC13. Cattle : Th rg ntine Pampas bo h in the h avy lands of the north a 'd east and in th s - all d "0'1' at r Pampa " of th south and w t, were fo ~ mol' than one hundred y 1'8 e t nd d runways f r will cattle, horses, and heep.· These grazed upon h avy growths of native rass ov l' most of the present agriculture1 t rritory. The nati '-'oils thu bccam illlmens ly produ tive previous to the ime of th importation f high class clattl sheep, an 1 at whi h chal.' act rize the country at the pr ent time. On th' southw t -l'll Pampa and in central Entre Rios, white·faced cattle predomina t o among range herels. Cattle rai fig has a1way been the paramount industry of Argen tina. The manag l' f gr at tate and nativ land holdings early introduced from E gland and Scotland the finest pure bred types to 28 NORTH DaKOTA BULLETIN 253 head up the herds of the" stan ias." As arlo as the ar 1911 the cattle industry '",-1S reported in at a value of $700 million in gold. There were listed 29,400 ., 000 cows, 74,000,000 head of sheep, and 4,600, 000 goats~ and other stock in proportion. In the (,I'OP year of ]922, th(' s atistics indicate that . ro·entina, as a stock prodncillg country, ,~ras even at that timc second only to the nited States, listing 37,064850 head of beef and dairy cattle, 36,20 ,9 1 heau of sheep and approxi mately 10,000,000 head of horses. In the near futnre, ouly Soviet Russia is likely in allY way to compare Witll Argcntina in the produc tion of cereals and cattle for expurtation, and even they for som time are likely to be busily engageu dev loping their own great home con sumption, Pasture and Forage: As soon as th e managers of thrse estates began to introduce pure-bred Shorthorn, IIereiord, and other types of These' pedigreed Shorthorn cows are Toprescntatives of the red type of Durham found on m:lJ1Y of tho largo ranches. heef cattle, they lnade extensive preparations for pasturing and feed ing. This brought about extensive planting's of cultivated grasses, lucerne (alfalfa) and other leo'Ulnes. In 1911 the acreage of alfalfa and cultivated grasses was placed at 5,400,580 hectares, approximately 13,339,432 acres. "Vith this there was listed a corn crop representing 7,941,914 acres, and other types of cultivated legumes, beans, peas, approxjmatrly 5,278,390 acres. In the expansion areas ,"vhere corn is being planted, it is common practice with the Argcntinos, especially on the large estates, to plant large areas of alfalfa, Suchm and other grasses to pasture off along with the roughage of the corn. Thus with tll cattle indnstry the main factor in agriculture, leav ing out of consideration extensive areas of native sod lands lon g under pasturage and hence ready for the plow, there arc very extensive areas of cultivatcd pasture being prepar d upon the finest lands for enormous herds of high grade cattle in fertile zones where ach change of crop is looked upou by the managers and by the many colonists and farmers as but cash crops preparatory 0 the snpport of the evcl' expanding beef cattle, sheep, and dairy industries. These pasture lands are held under pasturage only so long as giving assurance of FLAX PRODUCTION IN AR ENTINA 29 proper yield of forage. In the di trict of high rainfall and suitable soil drainage and t:l ture tms period of pasturage may extend over a numb I' of year , b ut ultimately they come into tillage for corn, In the pl'oyillcC of B uen Aire. a t and c. ntTal, one s es Ia 'g. herds of high-clas Shorthorn steers ranging from 1 to 2 2 yt:!ar: olJ. fl ax, wheat and oth r mall grain with as ur productivity. This in a large way explaius a'JI othe,' gr at advantage which the Argentvne fa '1'me'l' 'I1t01{! hold in the prod ~ w tion of c reaZ , S'/1wll grains, and {la:;;. Alfalfa: Ever si c t h {u 'st yC al'S of \ l'g lltine agri ul lu'al development, I c r e (alfalfa) ha b n with them entially a na tional cr p. E v ,n in the time of tIl ir battle for independence, it is said that great fields of alfalfa ~ere d vel pc 1 in th draws and foot- b ills of the Ande to furnish hay and fo rage for the cavalry, catt le, horses, and mules us d i the bat 1 for ind pend nce and th inten sive wars with th India'. This 1 ve f rand ulture of alfalfa has been continued and th crop sho\\"s constant y ady In reas. N Ian s anywhere in the world '.seem to b be tel' suited to the development of this wonderful crop. I have found it di.ff.icult to get any reas nably definite tatistics as to the acreages now actually used f r the culture of alfalfa. Prac tically all those given to me by tho e competent to judge makes it a safe guess that th re are at present appr ximately 20 million acre of alfalfa growing within the leading agricultural zones and provinces. 30 NORTE AKOT BULLETIN 253 '1'his is exactly th:> home of the fiax crop at the prt:seut time ,and the territory into whi h it may expand appruximatd r a' fast as pasture and corn lands are made vacant for the crop. Ul ima cIy all such pasture areas come ul1der the ploW. If, the1"('fure, the prull\l -ts of the flax crop un the world market chance to be ill sueh demand as to warrant a pay crop under the conditions of croppillg which DOW pre vail in North America or any European country, it is clear that th people of Argentina will be in a position to expand alld dey 'lop that crop to such extent as they lllay deem profitable. Herd of Holstein in the alfalfa anll corn distril't, \V cst of ,'antu Fe n ar Rafaela. General Agricultural Status: '1'he development. of agriculture in general thruout Argentina has been one of most phenomenal rapjd ity, exceeding that sho'wn in any other South American country; and so far as exports are eoncerned, the development in lines of foodstuff production has probably exceeded that of any otl18r natioll. '1'hi8 is but natural because of location, climate, soil, tmd type of populatioll. In no eonntry were the people in better positioll to respond to the call of the ,!Yorld 'Var for added production of foodstuffs, oils, and other necessary supplies. This in part, accounts for the very rapid devel opment in late years. Argentina, however, ha~ al ways been agricul turally minded. It is not too much to say that this is partly due to the natural ranching facilities, and the great interest of the English investing public in the development of quality products and preemi nently to their influence in aiding Argentina to develop a rather won derful railroad system extending like the rays of a fan out of the leading export cities of the eastern provinces and finally centering in the great shipping port of Buenos Aires. As in the case of other South American countries, the Arg·entine people are experimental-minded. All clas os s em sold upon the idea of agricultural investigation and there has been in late years a rapid FL . TION IN ARG -NTIN 31 development of l'ti ah 1'1 as rcpre sented in ag ·j ultural inv " of g vern ment l'xperiIl nt 'tati 11 '. Naturally n t , tat inn millll ' ll, c::; ll (: -iully in Al'gl~ n- the e cxperim 'nt 'tations ar characteristic of the chj 'f crops . located. North Dakota v also taken an active part in tlw:e lino, of r O'ricn1tura1 investi ation and have established a numb T of IS ~ pa r atc [wl'i u1t11ral farms in co operation with the :lVIini tr.. of Abl'i nl tllr , .0 th wLil the are fur nishing the means for xtcnsive i ) i.:ra ion th ~rlli try of Agri culture of Argentina delegates one o ' more agronomists to cooperate 32 NOR'.rH DA.KOTA BULLETIN 2G3 in the . ve tigati n. ,-a at ola farm f the Entre RiO's entral Railway and at Barr w, ~hacra E perimental de "La Prevision," near Tr Arroya, in outh I'n porti n of I'ovince of Buenos Aires. There are also num rous sub- tations for agronomic work in Vegetal Genetic and Plant Pathology. Flux and wheat plots, E .perim nt tatiou at ergaruin 1 urthermore, Al'g nt" a is not n O'le ting v g table and fruit growing for stl' or n h and game pr '" ration itnation. p cial fruit and veg table tations are beinO' tablished in the major fruit growing ill trict8, particularly in Hi N gro, east rn Entre Rios, and North Dak ta val'ietie f ru t -rcsistant wheat uncI r l st at agronomy grounds of the E ·periment Station Guatrache, outhwestern La Pampa, Pro vince. Ceres in the foreground. "'outh Central Santa Fe. There are xt nsive plantation of apple, pears, p aches, orange . and ther is al 0 a noted grap and win in dustry in the .1Vlendoza region, ond only in productiv utput to portions of our great California districts. Argentina's olde t experi FLAX P TI IN .ARGENT A 33 10 ( t d n ar Concor i ja, Entre Rios, where extensive ill v tigatioll. a em; applied to ci trus fruits, in lines of breeding and culture ~tcn, i n. 'rhe nation is also not llgl ~.t inb the sugar cane and cott 11 indnsh·jes. Extensive cane and co tOll plantations are being dey loped in Misjones, haeo, and in the nor thwestern provinces. Agricultural Extension: Argentina also has an efficient system of agricnltlll'al extension in operation. "R(,o'lon 1 a6 'onome ," ap point ,d b,.r th l\Iinistry of Agriculture, arc asjgned to leadino' agri cultural zones according to the t.ype of work 11e ,ding 1l'10st expan ion and effici nt directi n . rl'h ese" regional aOTonolllCs" an d their local office'S function essentially as do our connty ag nts, tho they seem to be working 111 1'e sp ·inca11y on special projeds, according to zone in which located. These educational factors, effi ·ien in stig< ion and agl'icultura1 xtcll.'ioll activities give pl'ollli. e of c en O'I'eater agricul tural and economic cfFicienc ·. General Statistics : During the last I.lecade culture of Argcnti a has developed a .'ystcm of Pig::> arc a na tu ral by-proc1uet of ('xtellSl\' neameries in the orn-alfalfu distrid. Noti e a few of the t ile-covered sh'c1· provided or the young pig. at the BufaeIa, River Plate 'ream ry. AOlne hundred of p i IY arc here so housed as to r un into extensive ,ali 1 a pastures. rural and agricultural statistics. Statistical data is gi en out by the IVlinistrv of A oTiculture uncleI' the title of ' Anuario de Estadistica Agro,P~cuaria. " This statistical matter has been, in the pai;t, pl1bli hed in three . ·tions dealing CA) Economic Statistics, V(uiolls, (B) Agricultnral Statistics, and ( ) Statistics of the Cattle Indnstr . rrh publications may be had upon application to the :Ministry of Agriculture. fl'hcy ar generally used by bnsino:ss organi zations, and arc widely distributed in the 1'0 iuces. rl'hey have un doubtecUy aided greatly in entering prop . information upon the im, portant ero nd upon vari us lil S of industrial d elopment. Argentina is pI' eminently agricultural. r1'l1e IVlini, tel' of Agri eultur ummarizing f r crop 1931 states the full 97 percent of the prochl'ts exported during the ycar 1(29 aros· from agri ·ultu al efforts. Of such exports, 65.6 pcrcent came from direct culture of the soil and 31.4 pereent from attle p oduct . 34 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 I.J B.l'g!'l· piga at the Riv r sheds with cell nt floors, Th The fOlJO'vV jllO' tabula ion f jV ,' a splc did ccp tion of tll cattl indu try as it ~ t and to ay. N MBER OF ANIMAts at tIc ...... __ _._.. . __ .._._. . ___ ._. ___ ._:·,_,:.. 11, 55 Hor ' ...... _...... ___ ...... _...... _... !) "heep _...... __ .______.44,413,"'21 Mul s .... __ ___.._.. __ .. __ . _.~ . - ...._. ______1 Pigs .______. __ ___ .. __ .______.. ___ _ ,7 ) ,738 , 0 ts ___ _... __ ..._ ... .. __ .~..______.. _. ____ . , 147 306 Poultr __ __ ------__ __ ._.______37;:L. ] :"i A Pd't from ih axte.ll 'ivc ru eat i dustr l and wool production a W }I ·th r euttle she p, g pi 5, the fi nal h. 111 plant (Ii'rigorifica) 10 at od riv l' or 0 ean port. on th Pa.tL nn R i er. rap-' dly d vclop' g '"In·ilk inclurstry bespeaks the inten i e type £ farm ing that is rapidly veloping in the sea board provinces, a as ociated FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARGENTINA 35 with fine dair h rds u on a]falfa pa ture. The year 1930 shows: PRODUCTION AND EXPORTATION Butter ______.. ______33,50 ,3 8 J" i lo. " 23,204,000 kilos 'h e l: ______•______- - ] 5 ' 22!) kilt),; 33700 ldlos Un -ain. ______c ___ __• 13 9. " 77!) kn ~ 13 734,°00 kilo " (1 kil eqllul ~_ 2 04 6 Ull U_) f 1921-22 and 1929-31 ar rea on ahl . IHot d from the Almanaque and in th pro * Acrea0"6 under cultivation Cl'o:p yea!' 1921/22 pIa ' ** F igw'e in h se columllS inili 'at 36 NORTH DAKOTA BULLE TIN 253 1922 T 1930, S H OWING P ERCE NT OF I NCREASE O~lt s Barley Millet 100 100 100 L.. 7 151 13 llO 167 1 )'" 12G 1 3 160 159 52 1 5 207 135 1 7 15!) 158 225 145 181 150 ]91 37 H10 178 178 21G 5.,7 144 182 181 .. 3 634 TOTAL AREAS U N DER C U L TIVATION , A L L A RGENTINA, CROP 1929/30 Heetal'r. 2() ,4(j ;'), 432 ~:};~a t....~'. ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ __ ~ ~ ~:::~: ~ ~-~~ ~:~:~::: : :~ '. '_ '. ~:._._-_ ~~~~::::::~ ~ ~ : ~. : ._ :~ ~ ::: ~ ::::::::._.:: ~ ~~ ~ ;: ~~ ~~ 13,9 4907 Flaxseed ...... _____ ...... ___ .. __ _....._.. ___ ._ ... _...... _.___ _, ___ ..______._ .. 2,869,500 7,087,665 Oat .... _~...-- ....-----...... --....---- ----. ----. ______.__ __,._.__..____ 1,510 558 3 31,078 Ba rley .....__...... ___.______._. __ ._ ..... __ _._.._.. _._. _. ______.___ . 586,9 72 1,44 ,8... 0 Millet ._. ___ ...... _____ ...______._._____ .... ______._...... ______.__ ___ .___ ....__ 5 ~:...,450 1, 90,451 Bir d e d .._. _____ ... _.______.______•. ___ __ ..__ .. ______23 ,460 57 946 Ric e ...... __ ___ .._..____ .______.______._. ___ ... ______. 3,G 5 9 102 IN MET RIC T ON S Corn __.. ______...... _.._.______.._...... ______... __ __ .______.. __ G,32 ,. 2;~ Wheat __ .. ____ ...__ .. ..._..... ______.__ ..__~ .... ______.______....______.___ 3,740,414 Flaxseed .__ _.____ _._ ..... ____ ..._..___...._... ___..______..... ___ .__ _..,..._..... 1,327,293 On ts ____ .. ______._..______...... __ ___ .______... __ ... ______. 991,282 Barley __._.._.._. ____ ...... __ .... __ .._.._.__._ ____ ._. _.. __ _.______..___ __ ... ~ 51.219 Millet .___ _.__ ___ ....______..._._._.. __ __.______._ ....______.______.. _____ 111 ;794 Birds eed __ .... _. ___ ...._.._. ___ ._.._....______...... _____ ._...______.. 11,487 *1 metric t n (tone la da) , 2204.6 pounds. • 'Wo ol carts in castern Entl"c Ri on high.way, ncar city f Cone rdia. Limh d home consumption due to small total population naturally allows Argentine exportations to approximate cIa ely the quan ity pro duced. FLAX PROD OTION IN ARGE T A 37 Data availabl dur ing th past deca Ie shows rapid gradual expan sion of thi export trade illy v r ied in am un t ccordiI g to crop fiue' tuation in productio . A late report on t1 flax crop f 1930-31 shows over 70,000,000 bu h Is exp rt d t date f Nov mb r 6, 1931. The f llowing t bul ti n indica the approximate lume for the three eading small grains: E XPORTATIO N , WHEAT, C ORN, AND F LAXSEED In "' r p ~~:at ___ .~-_-_ ~~ ~~ -_ ~-. ~~~~~ ~ :~ ~ ~~~ ~ :~~~:~ :: : ~~~ ~~: : : : ~ ~ :::~ :~: ~ : ~~:: ~,~!~:~ ri ~ Flaxsee _..._.______.______.______.______] ,617,488 I ha re parti ulady empha. izcd rn, 'wheat and alfalfa culture and called attention to the great emphasis placed upon the growing stock and dairy industries becanse i is well kl10vvn that these fa t rs con stitute a proper base for cereal and small grain cropping. Development of Flax Growing in Argentina and Possible Expan sion: 'l'he Argentine flaxseed crop has apparently developed most rapidly along the -.( CO a'''t and river lanci<:;-the heaviest and most fertile in Argentina. Even yet, there are certain officially desiO'nateil agTicllltl1ral zones in Santa Fe, Entre Rios, and North Buenos Aires Typical threshing .:: cene in flax Z0I1CS of Santa Fe. Rosario and eastwar d. which show the flax crop as of first importance. In other zones it is listed as second in importa.nce to corll, cattle and pa'ture. rl'he fact that approximately a semicircle drawn arOlmc1 the city of Rosario to the west and south with a radius extending to approximately the northwest corner of the province of Buenos Aires includes the chief corn belt, the heaviest flaxseed produetion, and the ill t extensive alfalfa fields and pasttue la..nds for stock production, in i elf, should indicate a lesson in flaxseed production not asily ove 'looked. The results there obtained constitute proof tha the lins ed crop b t pays for itself when it is placed upon the heavi st a.nd most fertile lands 38 .,TORTE DAKOT BULLETIN 253 in close a oClation with pastur, attl, corn nd alfalfa. As noted elsewh re under other t pi , this cl as oci ti or flax cropping with corn produ tion and the ca tle industry not only affor the cattle men two annual cash crop to aid in the development of the cattle industry but afE rd to flax p ibiliti s of high r pl'odu ti because of deep tillag and the plendid oil t ture whi h f Hows extensive trampling and pa tillage. The "Cook J car and its puraphl1nali A wh at and flax w 'e th £ grain cr p , it j w rth while to The cattle industr a d it e. port r turn wheat and, a indicated, ha only int more intensm d a ociation with thc thr '. h cr ~, and corn. In Argentin , as el ewh I' ,wh tland ev n y t may be t d ter mine the final range or limit of fla' d PI' duction. ata av ilable indicate that whce t 0'1' Vi ing f r 'ort purpo s m what pl' · d~d flax production, but was f rath r low d vel pm nt. II wever, the acreage leach d 2,049 6 3 hectar ,or 5,062,717 a r . clllrill b the cr p year of 1 94-5. In 1 16-17 the area xpanded to 6511, 00 hectar . From that date, there ha be n gradual eA,})ansioD until in 1930-31 the acreage is given at ,62-,200 hecte r . Thu the wheat acreage of the entire country, as seeded, 1S n w plac d at approximately 20 to 22 million acres. The following table* hows comparative stat' tic in hectares seeded to flax by provinces, 1894-1930-31 inclusive. FLAX PRODUOTION IN ARGENTINA 39 F LAX , . ED P D UCTIO N BY YE RS NO PROVINCE * In H ec tare~ Seeded Total Year Bn 'n os an tu. mo do a Entr 1 aInpa Othor f or ir s ]'0 Ri os Count ry 1871/72 1887/88 1894/ H5 64,7 6 HJlG/ 17 170,000 1923/24 459 G9G 1924/25 G26,848 H)2 5/~ G 5(i4,GOO 192 ii/ 27 5.:; ,000 19~7/~S 610,000 1£1 28/ 20 ;3!) 0,lOO 1 9 29 / ~1 0 5:)' :20 0 lU:10/:Jl G14,050 * From B olsa D e From the e fig1.u es, it is evid n t that tlax 1'Oppin?, a in th a e of wheat, experienced l' p i} de J opm en dul'i g t 1 orld War p 1' iod, and that there has l)een to elate, a gr adual expan i n f th a;reas planted. It is appal' nt that the t hief iUUll \cliate x-p rLn._inn lS as yet to the northward anLl eastward iuto exten ive areas of ligh t r soil t pe and heavier rainfall. These areas arc eith er new t t ill ag· r ar, as yet llsed as native grazllw lauds, k 0111 e of th '\ fin ) t flax 'er d cJb servec1 was produced UpDU snch native land,., wltic had b en but lat ly bI' k -'l1 np after use as sheep or cattle r a l1()' e,~ of long stan ling. This is particularly true of north Sante F e and Rios. The lands of northcrn Santa P e are often ov r a typ " of drifting or sandy soil, yet, when low d, t h re eern to be a satis factory subsoil of extended depth. The native v ,(I' .tation t Del ~ to low lying scrubby trees and growths of ea -tns in v, -iou dish'jets. 'rhese scrub lands intersperse 1 with oTassy swamps, wh Il p en t ax cul ture, prod uce the fincst quality f s cd th at i · hipp f ' 0111 A rcrentina. 'The ext ent to which fla x nwy be ZJush ed to t he '1'W1'thw(l,1'd under s1tb tropic conditim/,s W01tld, alone, rn.ake it posS'ib le to aPP';'oxirn(LteT!y 40 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 doubl the a1'ea now in "u,se. I am told, h wev r that ne of the lim' iting fa tors in this r ci n, "trange as it may seem, is at times that of dr ught at planting ime. Homc uf lIl una"Cl' hanilling 2000 he ·taro f flax. 'l'h oking iil clone in the op 'il, Lr o ~ iL' hl' be lti ve-lil,e tU\ e to 1 f' of the main building . of "I ruoba, San Luis, and diately at the Corrientes, Argentin.e of ilnlned'£at inc'tease l flat;ivc bJJ D?', (J, .1. Ba,]u'c, B u enos A ires Count 'y highway in n orth Santa Fe, tl'C CS all 1 ft in j urcll by grasshoppers, tiax field on the right. FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARGENTINA 41 in flaxseed producti .'(loan cDyDr.a. t.Ballre,Bllrnos ire Northern Santa Fe. Soil is bcilJg IJr l!1ll'cd f or fia.'. do n ot differ largely th A 1 a of flaxseccl OIl a. roa apl! 'oadling tho t QWU of P r a ulllino. Aires province, sh w d a lumpy nilition which e D the extra heavy raipfaU had not broken down. In the newer land regions a very larg-e 42 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 per ntage of th fl~'I{ i eel b broadcastiTI method, imply h ar v rowed in, or work d in with heavy flo t . R ller and p ack ar e not as extensively u cd a with L , tIl I. aw many hom -mad , types and son e culti-p ack l' t, pes. Thr e factors th "1' govern the prepara tion of th soi.1. I th lighter lan d r , ~ i us of 1 . r Tainfall, heavy winds an dn t 8t I'm PI' elude tb:> ·crn h ino' np of clods an d powder ing of th S 11 by plan 1'011 1's, float , etc. In the provin ces of heavy rainfaJ l and h avy il typ e" p ack ing of tho 1 n ds is not n ecessary because th 'ai11fa11 ill most seasons will i. n8111'0 nffieiont m i ture at the top an f1' below pward. E en 'n t Ie corn lands, which are often used for fia"', ] velling of the er ronnd and packing as r ecom mended 'wit h 11 i not 1,h'e gener ally followcd. In the first place their meth od f "I . ill by " the corn by a deep listing or contral single shov 1 wing plow 1 ave too deep trenches to make sneh meth ods of seedin.Q.' _I -ess ul. Thus 'corn land as llSC 1. either for cel' at or flax ar u::;nall, hall r.,r p1 ed or deep el i ked and harrO\vod, either once or t \TI previons to s ed.in er. uch methods in th main corn distri ts are sajd to cs n tiaDy aN 11' b ' Jd yi ·lds of fl ax. d. It mllst be underst ood, h w reI', that in these r egions t he rainfall varies from 30 to 60 inch(:. d l 'in ' th . main oTowih cason . F arm l' ann b lpcrs dl' ring ", rain on t he l'o:)11si(l e, a ·ha ra ctcl'isti c sc ne. H rt vy 'lown pour of Tni n mak it n ecessary f or t, h " 111 to (lr,\' th e grain bc·fore t hey t ry t o sell it at the local warerooms. 'l'bis w a" at Hosario 'ral1:1. \ \Thcat t nbble 1 Is a ... far as I could learn are seldom if ever simply sh allow ill ked as sometimes done here, but are plowed or de p c1iskcd and harrowcd preparatory to . ce lino' flax. III southern Buenos Aires and in wcstern )ortions of the Pr ince of La Pampa, the black and heavi r I a t l1re Ian 1" ar e "\. ith the f n leet ed for fl ax. In ca e of pIa ting in cer eal stnbb1 S lCh as wb t , ats, barley, flax, the pr ocesses thruout from ee time to harvest a e p articularly charaeteristic of such processes as would be found in our semi-dry :FiLil PROl>trO'l'ION m ARGENTmA 43 land plains of North ak ta, outh Dakota, Montana, tho in the case of weedy lands preliminary eli ing f he tubble oft n PI' des the plowing t insure destruction of W , ' d ed. On t he outhwestern plains the cr01 is subj 't't to Ti i. ~' it nd of development and harv t Iuite similar to our can 'tio s. n 1'e the Argentine varieties of flax ced are apparently n t Illite 11ite b caus of the natural short O'1'o wth of straw that tho vari··ti l ake ill case of drought or other slow-gr' wing conc1itiollS. One outstan i ino f ature of the value of the Aro'entine varieti , however, is that the larg I' weight and volume of the individual s eds probab1y lnro ly account for the genera.l snccess in procuring favorable stand following S8 d time upon rather rough lands. rI'hese varieties when of go el, mature, plump uninjured seed quality alwa.rs show a rllo'o'cd ability to emerge from the seed beel and in the abWllce of disea,'e gi a sturdy first growth. Furt·hermore in t.hes large ,ceded vari i , th 'hort straw, also supports a sturdy root growth. Th(~ l'ute of sf' ' \ l iJ l'~' l'ClllO"S from 45 to 60 kilos per hectare, about 40 to 50 poullc1s per (l 're. J\,' egati FG uy TV, 1', Sheats, IntcnzationaJ Han: 'st r Co., Co nception d ol t ' U{J IHl]j. Drying grain by mcan:; of fanning mill and sho \'el1lng pTcparatc·r to load ing a ship at Diamant e, Harvesting methods cover ev ry i-y e o£ r aping and hTeshing from most extensive types of headt.rs and comh' 1 . t ancient straw bllrnil1g laro'c cylinder threshing machines. As in th ca.. of wheat and corn as yet all flaxseed is handled dire t iTom the thresh r in rather high-quauty burlap bags which may tanu f r days in the field. In rainy districts the grain is 11 u cl ily at OI co carted or trucked to local raihvay storage warehouses or at 811 11 st rag pint i placed under heavy rain-proof canvas co ver. rr he 1'i k ' f bags, illlulc to, a it 'were, a continnaboll of the war hous "8. ne s es tb ~u ut the har vesting' and shipping season x being dried by hand in the wind upon canvas alOllg the highway" and upon large panses 0 can as at the warerooms at local shipping points a d at the gr at war erooms at the ocean and river ports. Ameri an impor t 1'S ften wonder why Argentine flax is seldom of even color, grade and moisture content. 1WRTH DAKOTA BULLE'rIN 2153 In other words, that it contains so much (( tnanchada"-dark colored, light weight, 'cabby, caly eeds in bulks of otherwis magnificently colored matur seed. This damao- d type s ldom is due to frost, not often t di a"e b nt corom nly to the in£l u nee of moisture and rain, wet stack bott IDS, grain wet in the bUb, t" giving a type of dam aged whi h ev ntnall b c me il1t rmi~ c1 with the go d seed for eflative bU Dr. . A.. Baht'e, Buenos Aires. A in N rth Dn kola an 11 innc ota lar mixing weed Neflativ hII Dr. . . Baht' , Blten08 Aires. •t\..n e.·tensive attempt is being made in Argentill'}. t /.1 v I p a fib r in dustry around the flaxseed crop. Baling flax s raw in north Tn ::1 an ta 'e for Ll'auSpOl' loa flb l' plant at Esperanza. Cropping for Flax Fiber Production: The gr wing of fla fiber varieties for weaving and development of a linen indu try in South FLAX PROD CTION I AR ,-ENTINA 45 America a of certain Some of t h ' yarn a nd t. w i n \.~ pm u ·ts ns lll . (1 0 a t 111 ' plant known a :> Fibralina, town of E peran za, Santa Fe. 1' . _ 1: • Bulire, in \ cnt l' of th pr cess of r etting, d gumming and spinn ' n F, is sll W lI lt fl ld -ng om o of t h e I'D and twine. day is located at E sp l'c nza, in fin t flax producino. d ' 'il'j ~ - wh r c oth r competent flax grow 1'S. '1 his name 46 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETI N 253 of investigation, or rope Appa ll tl~T there is n o r a. r) this plan should not be oper ated not nly t o mak all he t\rin and bagging that Aro'cntina needs - materials for it gT at gr lin han dlint;- 1 usiness, but f or anvas, t owel ino 1 r ugs and in other lines of ruanufactur' 10 ' and commercc; but as in case of oth r in dust r i . t arted just at th " clo ' of the War, the managem 11t was' call O'ht by the period of lepression and the plant was thrc)livn into the h' n of a r eceiv r , to be " ld f or a comparatively small d bt, To the 'wr it ' 1' 1t lns unfortunate that su h a plaut should not be able to r llll un il at lea. t d sales or cranization was e:~tabli sh e d t o asc rtaill \rheth ~r 111 , fine rodu that were there heil)O' produced could not ill aetual fa ct COl )etc with cotton, hemp, .i lite, and sisal. Flax Varieties: s i._' well un lerstooll, the us ' of the word " \'ar1 ,ty " ill Hax eI'o ]1 pin o' has lJeen of but late development Even ill Ru:' ia and H oll awl allU othcl' nations ill which flax for fih el' purposes has b n for c nturi C' s IIlldpl' con stant cultrU'\? one fimls such CXP l' ~ . - " t ru (s in t h e manner in- Yet into varie t j es. FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARGENTIN 47 that any att m t at to certain ID mcrce. ms t be orne evi , hen storel' OO 1~ arc f ull t hO the wythe gr< in is stacked prepara tory to co cring wjth can as. dence of field . n m'al 'TO ing in the m re humid Argentine zones. Tbi :fact r, however, await · a 'ual dem n trati n. Commercial mixing and rtificjal CTO sing is, perhaps, all that is necessary to account 48 ~ ORTH DAK TA B LETIN 253 for the vari ti D t d in in ividual fields an i ill th c mmercial seed products. Argentine Flaxes of Short Form: The Aro and strains of flax en in their o'vn best environmel t, " hil urdy growth, must b recoo'nizec1 f comparati ly s rt t 1' type. While they reach a fine height of traw in di "tricts of even hun 'dity, high rainfall and hi h qUe lity of s il in Nort a. t r1 Ar n in a, in all districts of ir1' gular t mperatnres atmospheri and oil moistur , they drop to type and hcioht of straw imilar to their gr wtl with us. In large di tricts of iordoba and Buenos Aips and oth r emi dry land areas, th e~ . varieti nev r th l ,ss arc . 11 C ,full.! gr wn and successfully harv ~ t because proper care is taken in prepal'ation of a level seed-bed 011 land" approxiruat J T fre from w I se ds, These lwrge-seed cZ vari ties facilitate the 'wm"k of p1'op e',' ed leanilng be f01'e sotoi l.g; a, d (l1W thc're ea ily ha.rvested by head 'I'S and c01nbine threshers, Flax Diseases, Insect and Weed Pests: Flax i n of the most cosmopolitan types of farm cr , orld;widc in its distribution, yet has for the most part received slight special ffort likely to more than bring about a sort of "urvl val uf the crOll awl i1 various and pe ts. rrhcse have apparently followcd th crop aloTIJ with the fronti r farm r . 'I'bus, n fin d ~ amiliar disll(lSCS, ins ds a nd wet'Is, Flax bags are sampled appr "imat ly .six tim t ore hold of a ship in expor t. These bag are being weigh d and the l' 11' ' enta tive of the exporting fum is t, Icing a sample from each bag b efor they are placed into a local wareroom or rick. familiar method of 'ropping, etc" in a h C ulltry . A 'g nti a is no exception ; but, as elsewhere, climate and oil typ s emphasiz ..,om p sts and minimize others. FLAX PROD CTI IN ARGENTINA 49 F lax ru t brill ab ut vcry light d age a to eed shrivelling, I s f weight, c., t ar ge-s ed ~ d Ar gentine varieti. s, but in the small seeded varieti , such a NDRl14 0 far as grown, North Da yota va riety kn wn as L · ota, and other types of small- 'eed d flax 0 Russian oricrin, of en .uff 1'S quite as mnch damag a with us. This seems to vary Ie r ly with temperature, humidity and the rainfall conditions, cIa and time of seeding in the diff rent cropping zon e:". In the a of Pasmo, hrivelling and scabbing of seed is at times extremely destructive. This seems to follow as a matter of date of seeding and n turity in various zone and so far as ob.sel'v d in the crop year 1930-31 was particularly destructiv in Entr Ri s and north Santa Fe. The carly planted flax had matured-splendid types of seed as harvested in Noyember and December. 'rh stu bble and straw in these early planted areas showed that while PaslIw had been present, it ha.d reached destructive form only on the lower stem or tubble portions and did not produce noticeable shrivelling and scabbing of the seed. 'rhe disease had apparently nl ha tened maturity, whil in adjoining fields which had been planted one, two or tIlre mont later, there were heavy OTowths f traw the lower portions of the stems of which were essentially free from Pasmo and remain d gr n and turdy with powers of el ng tiOll after the upper half of the stra\· blossoms, and seed bons were blighted or killed. Late planting plus hjgh tempera- Typi 'al rick of grain at whiHves at Bahia Blan 'a. ture and atmospheric moisture had fa ilitated an e cc sive attack of Pasnw which had pread from the stu bI of the arIy crop to the late plantings just preceding or following the blo oming pel'ioel. ]'armers 150 NORTH DAKOTA BULLET 253 'seed ancl crop in se utiv . ,Vilt se semi-dI I d zon Insect Pests: l!lItwoT1n~, arID) \\Tonns, wireworms, were found fur the mall sort of lJeen iuterested FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARGENTINA ~1 semi-dry land l'e C7 j D'S. Neverthele s, such empirical 1m wledge is not a proper basis up n which to decide the entire m "rits f Aroentine s d. At t h gr a ~ r i ver ports, after the ,,'ar 'ooms arc all full e.'t n i,7 ricks of grain in bag r e the whar s. !D:ain rc to b een c Ri 3 . In preparati n fo r h gen tine tll r e p reviously for ward d the Director of Agri ultural Inv tigati in Arg ntina stand ard samples of NDRl 14, Li ota, Buda, Bison, Rio, and other selection 52 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 types. The Director had caused these to be dish'ibuted to a number of sub-experiment stations ill rgentina where they were carefully seeded in the agronomy plots in normal ass ciati n with the standard Argentine variety (t Malabrigo. " I was able to examine the re ultant growth from th e plantings at four of th 1 ading experiment sta tions--Guatra che, Santa Oa alina, Buenos Air s, P ergamino, and two points in the province of Entre Rios where NDRl14 and Linota were u der trial. The results of such examination of the crop were n t encouraging to the hope that from Argentine varieti 8, t ll:>r and stur di r types may be obtained than Bison, Buda, and Rio. ener ally sp akinO' th se N rth American varieties, parti ularly Bison and Buda, to d under lik conditions s veral inch . tall r than any .Arg ntin ariety or other Arg -'ntine s Ie ti n. They also retain d their comparative strength of gTOWth r ·lative t uch 0 he ~ under the n w s il and c1i mati· condition.. E en the type Rio tood quite as high as the best lVIalal rig . A to disease resistance on wilt-sick oil they showed b tt r re sistan than any adjoining Argent.ine selection. None of them or any Ar g ntin variety 1\'a wh lly free from the at ack or Pa-S'mo . Bi on and Buda as r c r d by the agronomi ts in charge and as b erv d by me on till first year's trial seem to show more than usual re istance t o Pasrnoj this was parti ular y true at P ergamino and Bueno 're in the ca e of B~(,da. I am informed that th e strains will be held Dr. Alb (~ rt Bo r g r, irector of the Experiment tatio F itotccni '0, '(La Estanzu l' " explain th harnctcl' of tue Boil o' astern l'u guay to the ~ Titer and hi associate... Dr. :Boerg r js llC man at th 1 ft and i prohally th abl agriculturuli t in Sout h A.merica. r hru his plant br ding ,vork and 'cod (H. t ribution lle has had la 'ge influence up n the dcvelopm nt of ceTcal gr, in anu flax in .Arg n timt. under further trial and hope eventually to b able to report data by Arg 11 ine agronomists on the poi t as to wh ther th y c ntinue to hold such favorable disease resistance under that environment. 'LAX PRODU TION ARGENTIN 53 Flaxseed From Other Southern Countries : At th p little, if any fl ~ ' c d 111a be xp ted from any ot 1 I' enol' 1entrul -,- In travelling over with farming 0 the high st grade n:to i h at the m agre '1' pi a1 Hi- horse fie n o ", capalJJe of 1I::lUlin gJ.·ain than the b est tru k ancl iL trail 1'. This nne ,va ' n Deal' '] J' • r i d ad 1 e r hrick TI if an! rural uiliings that hell FLAX PRODUCTION I N ARGENTINA 55 In zon s of m rc p r ofi able col nial farming", oc ~npied and run b u European immigran , the h ome on the land are not usually great improvements 0 rer the types of native shcwks, tho they an morC' extensive. 'rhc l' ason for all this probably rests in the scarcity of timber and the ruo'h price or lumber, metal, and c'mcnt construction. Railways: Hegardless OT all this, Ar~)' 'ntina has ]'ath)1' splendidly ballasted raihvay lilles ~ ' eee ing' 23,000 miles in extent, leading like the rays of a fan into the OT at p ort of Bnen " Air., clo. ly and properly asso iatcd 'with the other large oceanic and interior cities. These are chi fly privat'ly own(' -l and financed by foreign capital, allcl efficient handling of rail t r affie partly aecounts for the fact that a cmnparatively small inclivid llal pOlJ?datio1/ 1'8 able to handle the ext en sive on,tpnt of [j'rain that [loes i'Hto foreign conunM' e. High - whl~ c l('(l carts o r \\'agOl1S Cn ll tra vel on hjglrways where the auto mobile camlOt yet go. T his year, 1931, l)('eausc horse trallsportation was very eIl('ap, th '::;0 cart::; competed extensively with the trud,s l ~ yen upon high quality roads. Loading statiolls \"jth 10e1' 1 Wal'crOoms and storage ba:-; for can vas-cov0r ~ d l'id~s of heWS aee rather elosPly 10(,Cltl~t1 along' (,Cleh line. The storage warerooms a1' of stf'd and galvanized iron -'onstruction of uniformly onC- toried t~Y pe. In the past there has been bnt slight elevator construction oth r han at Duelos Air " Bahia Blanca, Hosal'io and Santa F I, an i the 1 vators, with exceptions of new ones now uncleI' constnptiol1, arc of small capacit , In most local warerooms a I gr aDl . tor ge is in burlap bags as it comes from th 0\ thrcshin o machi es. Th ba O' arc earefully stacked in the warehouse in the form of rcgular ri 'ks sW'h as habitually made on the exteri r vyhen there were 110 warehouses and as yet done when storage is needed in xt "nsion of t present warerooms. 56 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 Such cleaning, gr ading and drying of grain as may b necessary takes place upon " t n iva areas of canvas, by ", hov Bing in sun and wind, or by running thru hancl-driv n f ann:i ng mills. Stacking of Grain: One 'would n ot ha c a fair -'onception of the Arg ntine agricultural grain handling and storao'e if the wonder ful method of storag'c in stacl s pre 'ou to thr shing i left ont of In the caste l'll provinces heavy rainfall makes it neCe s.,; ary to properly stack gTain. Flax or 'wheat l'ieks such as this nre alway s tha t ch ed in manner shown. On fla x st ack s, usually ,\-h eat or wilLl oats aee u sed f or thatching with the heads turned dOWllwar . consideration. These properly built and carefully thatched stacks or ricks stand for months withont material deterioration of the grain ex cept only in regions 'where possibly inundation 0 the stack bottoms may at times occur after lIeavy rains. Even under these 'ollchtions of torage and cartage, it is safe to 'say that with the exception of the O' rain lost in flooded areas thru torrential rains, little if any flaxse -c1 js lost to commerce or exporta tion because of the present method of baO' hancUino' and storage. In the case of wheat and po "ibly in the c" e of flax, lack of proper farm and local storaO'e on track largely account for softer grades of wheat and higher moi" ture -' ontcnt in flax than would ordinarily occur. Atmospheric humidity in the chief agricultural zones, aside from actual rains, is usually high compared to that of soutlnvestern plains in Argentina or those of North Ameriean Great Plains. This humidity horne by the trade winds far into the interior is of very considerable m0ment in tempering the winter temperature and th hot winds of summer and usually insures seasonal rains. Short Haul: One of the very great aclval tages whi h Argen tina possesses over many other grain and m at exportinO" nations lies in the short haul from local points f production to the deep water ports. The present agricultural zones furnishing the bulk of agricultural ex FLAX PRODUCTION IN GENTINA 1>7 ports are hiefly delimited about a curv i line running from Bahia Blanca in a more or Ie tortuous manner thr11 the city f rdoba, to the pint known as Resi. ten ia on the a r ~lYuay, then 'e across L'oading tramp ship from trucks in Entre Bios. Corrientes to approximately to thc northwest boundary of Uruguay. It should be noticed that the distances to th deep ,vater ports on the Parana and Uruguay rivers to Bueno, Aires or Bah ia Blanca on the ocean do not of necessity greatly exceed at any points more than approximately 200 miles. Indeed, most of the grain, cattle and pro ducts produced for export are within short wagon or tru k hauling distance. During the entire grain-threshing period and corn-pi lUng period extending over several months, one sees long caravans of carros" and "carreteria" (high-wheeled wagons and c.arts) according to the quality of the road, intermixed with modern trucks making for the deep water ports on the Parana and Uruguay Rivers. It is not an uncommon sight to see these conveyances loading' grain direct into ocean going vessels at the leading shipping ports. During' the export season the Uruguay River readily furnishes transportation for boats having a water draught of 15 feet thruout the entire length of he river front of Entre Rios on the east. The ports of Diamante, ROSe rio, Parana and Santa Fe on the Parana furnish dockage for ocean-going steamers of 30 feet draught or more. Othcr vessels of lighter draught readily navigate the entire length of the Parana River to the junction of its great tributary, the Paraguay. Coupled with this great advantage of short railway haul and deep ocean-going transportation, estimated as appro~ imating one-tenth cost of railway haul, the Argentine crops, whether of flax, wheat, corn or 58 NORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 2M other cereals, wool, cattle are mainly handled by a very limited popu lation. Loading rivcr tramp stcarn er i rcct from farm r 1 arts at Dj man teo Elevator Construction and Bulk Handling: Ther is an e ident desire on the part of ArgcntiDe commerce that a change b made in the method.s of grain handling, as they term it, to escape "the ex pensive system of hand labor." r:rbere ha b en contillued aO'itatio11 there for the eonstruction of extensive terminal elevators and al 0 for large elevator construction at l adin o rural railwa points. This fea ture of development is ah eady under wa r at the chief export ports. Large terminals are being con tructecl at Rosario and Bahia Blanca and preparation being made for same at Santa Fe, and other River ports. Th ,undoubtedly, will prove a great boon to the export trade because of the facility of handling preparatory to preparing propel' grades for export thru efficient elevation, d 'yin o', cleaning and ship-loading. 'rhe old practice of loading flax OI 1 in bao!S in 0 'ean going steamers is gr adually being abandoned. Only part of the car goes now coming to North America are so bago d. II wever, the de baging pro" is also expensive. Ele ato '8 will certainly speed up and facilitate proper storage at the ports, and relieve c ne. cstion at rural points. The construction of country elevators at rural p in , however, and consequcnt handling of grain in bulk thruout 11 districts is a much greater problem. This would normally ' ~ e t aside th very ef, ficient handling in bags now done by hand labor, and f nece sity substitutc expensive eonstTuction and handling by machinery. At present, few if any farm wagons in Argentina are properly constructed FLAX PRODUOTION IN ARGENTINA for cart , e of grain in bullc lIt rage place upon the farms and e n the railway tr would need to change from be handlin O' on op n car anva to properly r c n- Large cC'operativ elevator under con trueti 11 at Rosario. structed cars for bun handling. Such methods of bulk handling af er completion will undoubtedly result in O'1'eater speed of handling much larger bulks for export. If the proce. s proves to be cOl1omically This elevat or under eon t ruction at Bahia Blanca-when finished, will be one of the largest in t e F orld. sound-and in fact eh aper it will undoubtedly lllak Argentina the ~reatest of grain exporting natio s. At pres nt, the writ r doubts 60 I-IORTH DAKOTA BULLETm 258 that such change t o bulk handling "will in fa:ct ad mit of export as cheaply as the pre en t -'fficiently organized hand labor now affords the Argentine export trad . Trade Relations : The interest f the people in the United States and those of the citizens of Argentina have many points in common with regard to the flax crop. With us, such interest rests primarily in the propositions of saving an important crop in farm economy and in insuring a proper supply of seed to carryon the manufacturing industries of this countTy. The crop1 as at present grown in the United States, is chiefly located in comparatively limited areas in four Northwestern states, under soil and climatic conditions which admit of no large expansion and allow but slight opportunity to vary seed time or harvest to meet seasonal vicissitudes. The supply of seed as coming from Canada is also chiefly grown in territory immediately adjacent. Thus, drought, hot winds, fro t, and other detrimental fac tors, when occurring, cOllllllonly influence the Gntire North American crop. In normal years there may be almost cllouo'h sef'tl pl'odueed ill the United States and Canada to supply the manufacturing industries, and the needs of this country for consumption of the various manu factured products. In years in which the crop (l estroyiug factors have greatly limited production, it is a matter of much importance to all of our people that paint manufacturers, linoleum and other in- Loading oc a n-going steamer at Diamantc with flax irect from large warerooms on River Parana, outhcrn Entre Rios. dustries may be able to procure sufficient flaxseed to arry on the industries and furnish manufactured supplies for local consumption at a rate not too expensive to the purchasing- public. It js nQt simply FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARGENTINA 61 a matter of so m h linse oil or of suffici nt linseed ake f r stock feed, but affects all lines of manufacturil g and con tru ti n IT m simple el ctrical suppli and toy. to fine t furniture, heavy farm machinery, automobiles, trucks railway cars, supplies, metal construc tion, etc. As all such manufacturing involves the use of linseed in one phas or an other of constru tion, it is readily seen that, this, at first thought, comparatively small uninlportant crop is of great na tional hnportance, employing thru thesc industries much skilled labor and greatly affecting commeTce, exportation and trade. ArgentituJ, is the nat1u'al source I'm' stwh aclclitiona,l ,'U-pplics of flaxseed as ?nay be needed. It would, therefore, seem to be quite as important to the farmers and business public of Argentina that the extensive industries, paint manufacturing, and linseed crushing in the United States run along under normal conditions of production and sales relations as it is to thc flaxsee d produccrs of N rthw tern United States. It should be apparent to citizens of Argentina that munerous supplies which come to them from the United States, heavy machinery, farm machinery, automobiles, linoleum, furniture, leather o'oods, an i a wide range of m1 llallcous household suppli can hardly b PI' " pared without high quality linseed oil; and, until Argentina is prepal'ed to make thc.sc important products 10calJy, she is interested that trade relations be so adjusted that her people may receive them at least possible cost. It is also apparent that lllass production by such in- This ocean-going river steamer is b ing loaded dir ct from arerooms at Santa Fe. Covered sheds ov r C nveyor belts at this port a. mit of loa.ding regardless of rain. dustries cannot occur or prosper in any country unless the raw foun dation products for manufactories ar largely available and the manu factured products chiefly used by its own people. This, then, CO'Tl 62 NORTH DAKOTA BULL TIN 203 st~:tu. tes a. just basis for caref~(,l consUl ration of ('fI" pping c01?t cl1:tio'ns, metJwds and t'nule relations b twe 1b the two countries. Since Argentina began to produce tlax th Unite States has been a liberal buyer of flaxseed from that country j a d" we huot in most years produced sufficient seed t S1: pI ou r manufacturing pur poses, it is but natural to suggest that great care be taken to . e that trade relations, in the broadest sense, b properly ad ·usteJ with this natural field of traCt. The Arg ntine r ~ public i., at present, the largest producer of Jjnseed (f lax eed) in th world. While the Northwestern tates produced something over 20 million bushels of fiaxseed during the crop y , r of 1 0 nevertheless, they have but three times in h i. tory equalled or e "' c cd. ,d that amount. Ex tended studies of conditions of fiax cropping in the Northwest associat d with vvorldv;rjde obscrvations, particularly in Russia and in Argentina. convince me that·the flax crop in the United State in the near future will need such protection a c n rea on ubly be given thr1.1 natloual tariff and proper trade l' lations more badly than ev .r needed before. rrhis is perhaps more true for thi crop than for any other major crop. It is quite apparent that our farmers working lpon the small areas to which they are individually confined need our nati 11al market to the fullest extent that may reasonably be given · for they are now coming into what appears to be rather permanent comp tition with laro·e areas of land elsewhere controlle. by comparativ c>ly few bnt able managers. vVorkino' on individual, small areas an I uncleI' inten ivc conditions, the farmer of the states will be under pI 1 t of han licap 'without opening the home markets to those countrie::; which ha c large areas of native soil unturned or extensive areas of old lauel of fine quality yet open to mass farming. As indicated, it SC0111S that flaxseed prodnc- NonaNvc by D,'. O. .t1. . Balt re, B uenos 11 ires Typical home of northern 'g ntino nati e. These f milies f urnish a large pa-rt of the itinerant labor of Argentina. tion in the United States must of necessity remain on the present plan of small farm areas intensively d n . There are no great arcas of new or virgin lands in our present fiax farming areas and croPP'ing becomes FLAX P RODUCTION IN ARG' NTINA 3 al nost whorty an of Ian ' . ind manag S h ome on one of t he lartr grai n Hl'Ca::; in the PI' Vj ll 'e of La Pa pa. It j " quite appal' ~ORTH DAKO'I'A BULLETIN 253 production a d exportation of this Argentin cr p that the returns to thos engaged In y be 'Such tIl t tIl compara ive costs of living there and in the nit d tat S Ina have little to do as to wheth"r a lower price on the worl mark t for fl axseed mayor may not be racE!., met by Argentina. E ven tho the pCI' d i ~m of rural labor in that country were reasonably equi alent to that of those producing a d handling the crop in thi ountry, it w uld not f n 'e'sity indicate a fair basis of compa 'ativ cOoSts n I sacrifices ; or ail from the large estates 0 cd a d operated under rna farming condition , tIl re is no apparent home life \\"hi h at all compares to the rural lif f individual farmers who produce the crop in the United Stat Typical gr'in ha ell IS at wareroom in Sou th\l...est L P ampa Provillce. Detter hom life con ditions on the farm, is one f the develop ments whieh may s on take place in Arg ntina upon the incoming of European immigrants and the actual "tablishment 0 " homes llpon large areas of goverlllllellt lands or upon the future ol'cukin)' up of many of the large rallches. :NIany of these ,olonists n w ap ar to be operating in a very eff ctive manner in the pI'oductioll of a larg bushelage of small grains. However, whether one ~p caks of European colonists or the nativ labor, the fact r emains that home life on the farms is not now on a plane equivalent to that of farm opuL tion in the nitecl States. The problem involved in determining 'whether our farmer' can or a l110t compete with Argentin pI' Incti 11 in flaxseed then, dep e'nds m01'e definitely than one might a,t fi1·St th'i'nk 'ltpon the que tion as to hOto cheaply l1'J'g n tine grain 7nerclwnts an actually market the prod'net tha.t comes to th m . While Arg ntine In th ds of grain handling may yet be gr atly facilitated by chang s in process, it is doubtful if an qual number of freight handlers in the United Stat s even with our machinery FLAX PRODUCTION ARGENTINA 6~ could accompli h the handling of r fl axs e , as now grown, more effici ntly r at Ie cost than now done in Arge ltina. This may be partly e plain because f the condensed z n of production there, Type of grain han dlers t o b e seen t Diamantc, 11 ta ]!'c, or Rosa 10. }.Iran on the ri ht is of th foreman type. while our production is widely cattered in sm nIts on many farms. Again, with 1 cal Arge tine fr ight handl r an 1 c 1'e 1'O m lab rer3, whether foreign-born or native, the homes and standards of life at the local shipping points can hardly b> rate 1 as on a plane 1'ea. onabl, equivalent to that of our frei ht hundlinO' popula i n. So far as the farmers of the nited tat s ar concerned, S"llCCeSS for them in the future must th r. r efore 1' -' t in intensive prochl tion of higher quantity and quality on essentially th ar a n t n e1' crop ping. They are, therefore, quite ri )'ht in demandin sn h proper trad relations as will permit them to do a bettcr grade of farming on th ir highest grade of lands. There are questions as to methods in agriculture a d commerce 'which are of mutual importane to the people of the t\~T O count-rie . A.n u-1H'easonable prod~l, ction in ,itlter one of thes c01tntrie 01' in the two combined m~~t i'nevitably 1'es1"Zt in p'rt es f 01' the 'raw P'1'od'u ts qtl.ite clest1'uctive to th farm,ing and b,Lt,Sl:ness p'llbli of ea h. As an ohserver upon methods I have noted the tend l1C in ach country to aim at increased acrea und r culture ra her th n lality PI' duc tion. In th1:S cml,ntry, it 1n1l.st be r ecogn:z d that in yewr of large procl~ltc tion , mtwh of the l,h1 eed w hri h is 1nark t it is pr'od'ltced tltpon marginal lancZs of poor q'llal1;f;y and at a cost whi Jt dOe n ot properly pay f or the inve tm, nt and labm' e' pended. This can, f COUl'Se, readily occur also under Arg ntine co ditions ' for, aside from the 66 NORTH DAKOT A BULL ' TIN 253 extended ar as f new land of high quali y heretofore menti d in which flax cropping may be expand d, there ar un d ubte ly large areas of similar marO'inal land in Ar ntina t in n ati e sod which when broken may nn r c rtain ,rear" of be t cUn ati nditi ns pro duce large crop _ As th '8 new ar a ar e in troduced to ultivation by way of railroad expan i n and th incom.ing of olonj 'ts, there will ulldoubt dly be a gr C' a - --. t [i f fJ ed 111 r n only upon the high quality new lal1 ds av ilabl but npon ~),Llch maroinal lands as indicated_ To dat , it is obyious that fJa xs 1 prodl ction ha. be" h lel larg ~ ly upon the heaviest most prodn t i e . il of _ru ntina. The crop has been grown in very 1) r I tion to t most important crop, corn, or upon newly worked sod nd alfalfa p hlr . lands and there is . t great po. . ihiliti s .0£ 'pansie n . It i -m por' f,a nt , iher-cfoT , that our people. cleaZing with the Q11(, -tion of trade 'f _ Zrtt1~0 l1 hav well in mind the rather great possihilities r ;. 01 "11 to the Ar.gentinc agriculturists for the production of flax e el , an that w in our wn efforts at pro duction take not of 111 tbod an pro 'esses which have most success. Argentine Flaxseed Samples Under Test at North Dakota Agricultural College and Experiment Station Aside from general agricultural observations as outlined, a pri mary purpose of this survey was to . pro 'ure flaxseed samples I' 'eed from individual plants suitable for trial, selection and dev lopment for seed production under our Northwest conditions. Careful udy In :::electing snmpl p f or our f uture plan b r eeding ,vork, (for ' wa ' rna e to procur e sampl s from defintely kno wn f arm ::;, ar eas or zon s. Our h Iper a nd interpret er Mr . Luplm: , hi hore pro nring a sampl from an in ividual bag from a definite farm in west. em Entre Rios, nOlth and east. rom the ci ty of Diamanto. was placed upon numerous Argentine fields of stal ling and harv ted flax for tIle purpose of making individual selections of plants and sp cial sample of seed for snch continuation studies. In all, 409 ep arate selections of seed were made in varying amounts from seeds of individual plants to several pound "amples from farm, farm wagons, and warerooms. Selected ounce samples were arly forwarded by parcel po t to i11sure trials upon flax-sick soil under gr enhou con ditions and to insure early planting' upon the fla x ga,rd 'n wher tests are 'm ad to bring about s'U,)'V/:val of pla ltS of titt ,st ab iUty to re S1:st d'£seases. 68 NOH'l'H DAKOTA B LLE'I'lN 253 On returning in early May the remaining samples w re br ught with us and arrangements 'were immediately made to continue the planting so that each sample of el would at least be brought under test the first year upon soils of type kno'wn to be essentially free from wilt and root dis "ases and also upon the intensively infected soils of the so-called Inoculation garden" (Pathologi1.{/ln.) View of a part of the Argentino ,'amples as plant'd in gr" enho , e in March of 1931. Notice that there arc varying streng ths and heights of growths exhibited by the different samples. Regardless of the trying' conditions of the summer and th" speed neces~;ary to prepare and treat the seed during an unusually short planting season, the ,,,'ork so far as results go. even under conditions of intense drought and heat, give promise that we shall at least pro cure a number of individual types of large-seeded flax; ind el, of all of the various types seen in Argentina, taken as survivals upon wilt sick soil; and seed in larger quantities was successfully prod-uc ,d upon soil of less disease infection. Careful notes are taken upon the germination record.;;; as made in th wilt-sick oil al1d characteristics of growth thruout th s ason and at harvest. Photoo-raphs have been made at various times for rec I'd of the first year results. All of the plants of each sample hav been saved for record of quantity produeed, quality and yp of s ,ed, re sistance to wilt, ther root diseases, rust and P a 'Tllo, and upon h igh and strength of growth, ete. St p ha be taken t proe cd ith the 11 ual line .f in v stiga b on by whi h we ave in the D pal'tm nt of B tGny and P I n P a thol gy f the North Dakota Expcrim "lIlt Station previ ]sIy d">veloped th so- al1ed r sistant varieties of ax. Each scI cti n vari and typ of seed procured will be pr vid d opportu lity t pr ov its merits E'L~ J PROD CTION IN A "GENT 9 under the tryin cr conc1i ions, de' elopccl pa'rt'i'lllar ly for the l:imin-ation of the weak an d the 2)1' servation of the str011, [j and st~(,rdy . Whether of short or long' straw, large or small se d is not, at presen , the pri mary consideration. The problem is the more s ~ien ific considerati n as to which type or individual pure line strain is mo t "turdy for ur hard, harsh, short seasonal cropping conditions. Mr. arI OYcson, student a id is shown co untiulY ut 200 ds TI'om nch sample PI' paratory to planting upon fiax- i·k soil on the North Dakota Agrl cuI ural Collp.ge flax garden. It is safe to sa that the trial in the gr un s here at the college excelled all previous years I ha e ev r experienced for the destructive effect. of dl'onght and heat. It ip s ible that even such seasonal factors may serve ns w 11 in the fi 1 s Ie ion of the type of seed which may later be developed riner as d for further trial a d ex p rimental tests, and po.ssibl may furnish the bas s for proper cross breeding that may crive u the type of 1 r ded flax of high yield and oil qualit needed. Some corr slonden e and COllY r. aiion with our farmers convince me that IDany p )pl h " not well understood the purpose of the3e in estiga ions. Ther wa no h pe or intent of bringing back large bulks of s which might imIDe 1iately be placed in distribr tion on n orth , e t rn farms. i O NORT D \.KOTA Bl.JLL~E'l'IN 253 As previously indicated, it was thought that sueh bulk lot. of ~pec1 a'" might be procnred in Argentine cropping distri·t wonl<;l quite likely i e r sults similar to those which Argentine ~amplC'3 have been giving ill th i c untry for a number of years. At this poil1t, it may be wise to s1.('ggest to those who hope to 1>mprove present flax cropping 111, ,thods that beaa.'t e c rtain va/rieties gr(fW 'upon st'raw too Sh01't to ov 1' C01'n great grO'tutl ' of weeds shO'ltlcl 'not be h lcl as a dem e 1'l~t to the poss 'l~ble prod'llet'ire value. .. view soil of Plot I sa v enough in the better flax growing zones of Argentina to COll in e me that our farmers expect too much of this crop. For y aI'S they have been in the habit of sowing such bushels of ~eed as they ·ltunce to have into soil of whatever type they happened to have available and have expected it to be able to respond upon a seed-bed permeated with countless masses of weed e ds from previously improp rly handl d , eedy crops. I have indicated in bulletins previously wri ten and in tlu one that corn is a proper crop to immediately precede flax. It should, of course, not be understood to mean that a piec" of land that h as produced more weed than corn is a proper place upon which t o prepare a seed bed. The merits of the corn crop in producing a seed bed for flax rests in proper cultivation of the corn and the splendid opportunity it gives to free the lands from immense growths of weed. Suffice it to say that the corn crop, as here eultivatcd, often tends to fill the soil 'with the seeds of destructive coarse-growing weed;,;. Farmers in preparing a seed bed for flax of whatever variety used ' LAX P ROD nON IN ARlJE NTINA 71 must of nece ity understand that it is not a. type of crop, , h ther of short straw or tall straw, 'which can satisfactorily compete with weeds. All will. I think, agree that, if <. crop of good seed bolls can be produced upon straw from 14 to 18 inches high, 'we now have har vesting machinery 'which will save the seed so produced. 'rhe use of combines and headers may materially change the viewpoint as to th n essity of gro'wing tall varieties. If fiax fiber is needed it is a m re sensible propositioll to produce the fiber in fiber vari ties in r O'i Ol " suited to fiber straw production. Weight of Seed, Quantity and Quality of Oil in Argentine Flaxseed It is a common assertion of linseed oil producers that large-seeded flax varietie have many merits for them in their work, resulting in ease of elimination of seed of other types, seed cleaning before crush ing, etc. It is also apparcntly a common belief that ..I.~rgentine varie ties of flaxseed as received in the United States are of higher moisture content and somewhat lower oil quality than that of the averaO'c north western-grown flaxseed. Ana]yses as published in Argcntina,"" repre senting some tests made in the year 1929-30 upon certain samples from different districts and upon various pure line selcctions grown during the crop of 1929-30 tend in a limited manner to confirm these ideas. It is an observation of the writer that apparent high quality seed as called of first quality in commercial market depends more largely upon soil and climatic conditions during normal growth period, ripen ing and harvest than upon variety. Early tests extending over a wide range of North Dakota soils tended to show that small-seeded types as to oil quality and quantity were of quite as high oil content and type as those of the larger-seeded varieties. Later chemical tests made upon plu'e line crops now seem to show that a higher quality and quantity of oil content may be produc d than is characteristic of best quality commercial bulk seed which, at best, usually rcpresents mix tures of various production types and strains. This selection of a wide range of samples from the Argentine crop year of 1930-31 naturally affords opportunity to gain further data on this matter. Immediately upon arrival here, sufficient seed from 212 samples of the Argentine collections were placed with Professor T. H. Hopper, Agricultural Chemist of the North Dakota Experiment Sta tion for test of content and quality of oil produced. While certain of these samples both as farm lots and as ommer cial lots contain a variable amount of scabbed or scaly seeds ' man chacla" records are .so made that it is known which samples are un affected and which have a varying percentage of scab seed, place of growth, etc. In North Dakota, scabbing or scaly type of seed comes about be cause of a "vide range and varying type of injnry. Often it is due to some factor which blights the stems, roots, and bolls at a time when not fully mature. A proper consideration of such features must even tually involve analyses of those types of injury known to be due to specific causes, for example, wilt and root destroying fungi, rust and pa.smo, to frost or water, at or following harvest. Naturally varieties highly l' 'sistant to the various types of disease, in part, tend to elimi nate the .scabbing and scale due to snch disease. *Almanaqul' del lI'lini;;tl'l'io d e Agricultura, ] 9:3], pp. 328·:329. F L X PRODUCTION IN ARGENTINA 73 Argentine grain handlers usually attribute dark-colored scabby seed chiefly to deterioration of the s . d thru nloisture effe during harvesting, threshhlg, and storao'e periods. It is doubtful if such moisture injuries as only affect th color materially interf 1'e with the oil contcnt and possibly even the quality. Such questions yet remain for continued chemical investigation upon type of known origin and f kllOwn kind and grade of injury. The purpose of analy es as herein reported by Professor T. H. Hopper are given to show what, if any, variations may be noted in the different samples as sleeted by the writer from a wide range of Argentine districts and farms for the harvest of 1930-1931. rrhe following statcment and data as given in the tables and graphs have been prepared by Professor Hop per for report at this time. Chemical Analyses of Argentine Flaxseed T. H. HOPPER Of the samples collected in Argentina, 212 were furnished the Department of Agricultural Chemistry for analyses. These samples were analyzed for the percentage of oil which is calculated and re ported on the dry basis; and the Iodine number, according to the Wijs method, was determined on the oils expressed from these sam ples with an hydraulic press. In addition to these determinations, the weight of a thousand seeds of each sample was determined. The results of the examinations are givcn in the table below. Inspection of this table shows that the oil content, calculated on the dry basis, varied from 34.3 to 41.28 with an average of 38.12. If the oil content were calculated on a basis in ~which the flax contains 6 percent moisture, the average oil content would be 35.83, 'l'he Iodine numbers vary from 170 to 198, giving an average of 182. This value is five points above the minimum spccifieation, 177, as given by the American Society of Testing :Materials. ANALYSES OF ARGENTINE GROWN FLAXSEED 1930,1931 CROP SEASON Laboratory Bolley's Total Oil I dine W eight of Number Serial Content Number 1000 i"" d Number (Dry Basi ) (Wij ) % Grams 31-8-111 19 40.06 179 5.447 112 20 36.74 180 5.40 113 21 40.17 179 5.3665 114 25 38.00 183 6.2680 115 26 40.68 185 6.0158 116 27 38.44 lSI 6.4417 117 2S 39.39 IS6 5.8700 118 29 3S.S9 IS_ 5.7473 119 30 39.86 183 5.9460 120 34 40.20 182 5.8921 121 36 3·'3.09 184 6.8530 122 3~) 40.29 183 6.3910 74 XORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 Laboratory Bolley's Total Oil Iodinc W ' ight of Number Serial Content umber 1000. cds Number (Dry Basis) (Wijs) % rams 123 43 40.13 183 6.6105 124 . 7 40.83 1 8 ~ G.4795 125 44 38.90 ] 811 G.8333 127 46 38.58 185 6.9354 128 47 li D.On 18G 6.5877 l~n 48 .::> 8.78 ]Sn 7.17134 1.",0 -10 3 .64 17: ~ li.... J49 1:11 ;)0 38.12 174 5.4 77 B2 51 3 8 . 5;~ 1 :3 6. 170 1:1 3 5:1 38.9;') 18f5 6.9165 1,4 53 37.:30 177 ] :15 :'j4 n. 8 178 13ti . 55 ;i () 17!) 137 56 38.23 1 7 lu8 .~61h 38.:'1 180 l'H 57 39.(i2 18;) 14 5 38.30 ]8 141 :,)9 3 S.li5 lEW J4 ~ GO 1 - 14 61 ] .) 14-4 G2 18+ 1 5 6') ]46 64 H 7 "7 6.~ , · 29 14 6 7. :! : 0.1201 14 . 7;; il b.41 f. J(j ti I' 77' 7,454 0 1;)1 r" 7.(1 0 1 r:3 79 l /t; (j . ~4:?4 15iJ 80 17 7 G.04sn 154 81 1 75 fi. li!)(i2 13 , u .Oli 177 11.571 3 F " 8u" ., '.1 4 17, n..jl (1 0 157 , 11 3 !) l71i ',4: ~) O 158 8 37.7 2 170 (i.04 5 15D '7 3ri. S;,) 178 1i. 7ll0 111 0 89 9.28 ISO 6.<.: 1~2 Itll 90 37. 59 6.::: 0D ti 1 ti~ 01 .fI_ 163 !)~ 3 ..)0 164. 93 36. 7D 165 4 :3 7. 37 IG6 95 36.G5 170 Hi7 DEi 37.2G ~ O IfiS il7 38 .0 fJ 1uO Ifi ~ ) . 8 ;) '.13 .17ti G.S :n 170 ~)9 37.07 177 G.65 17 lil 106 3£U58 180 ()'()706 172 107 39.33 181 5.8496 173 108 38.27 180 -.D728 IH 109 U.08 1 <.:'~ li.:?OOO 175 llO 30.73 I e 0 :) . 945 ~ 170 111 37.38 1 0 fj.~34 5 177 112 9.00 18' 5. 709 178 113 08.3.2 185 6 .2~)24 179 114 3~1. 37 182 6.4333 180 115 38.42 J 8~ 6.2996 181 117 37.17 ] 81 5.~I057 F AX PRODUCTION IN ARG TINA 75 Laboratory Bolley Total Oil Iodine W eight of Number erial ontent Number 1 000. e ds Number (Dr Basis) (Wijs) % Grams 182 120 3 .20 1 ' 1 Ii.G300 183 127 39.37 1 0 6. :)98 ]84 128 37.Hi 178 6.4. 35 18:1 130 . 5.17 l7n fi .1812 86 14 37.71 181 6.0893 187 143 36. 7 179 6.tH06 188 144 37. 6 L 3 6.5400 189 145 37.73 183 6. ):3 9 190 147 D8.55 184 6.866' 191 14 37.64 ]81 6.3108 102 14. 36.1 5 178 6. 5964 19 150 3 .42 ] 6 .5(j ~ 7 194 151 6.33 17 .3152 19: 1 5 ~ 37.55 17"/' •. '3:2 U) :i6.G G ] tl G.D L 1( 7 3 .89 189 6. 1868 198 8.(;8 191 7.33 07 1. 0 37.09 17f) .9 ~ 80 200 : ~ 7. 94 7.2 6013 201 3 .81 G.Hi4 202 172 3 .29 2 3 173 39.47 204 ]74 :" 8.61 _0: IT ; 7.ti~) 206 17GA ·'9.G7 5.D 7fi2 207 176B . 9.17 5.77 70 20 1 77 30.S4o :..00 194 3 7.:2 2 210 :..0 1 7.9G 1 20_ .3 212 _0 ' .., U.Ofi 1 20.J. 37.70 214 ~0 5 35.:0 .2 1 1': 0 ' . (j.05 1 ., 0.5;') ;·;4 210 207 . 7.4 l7B ('. Ii :? :.. l 2 17 2 08 38.04 181 G. ) - 21 210 35.54 1 1 6 .233li ~ lD 211 ;) ) . 1 1 li.75 liG :" 20 ~ l :\(i.l : 177 G .I 02~ :.. 21 2~ 6 3 .6, 1. 1 7.(1 0(iO 228 3 .4G 1! 0 6. 67! 22 229 39.07 1 9 7.1 5 ",2-1: 230 37. 91 1SG 7. 637 231 3ti.77 ]S4 .li 00 22 23" 38.11 1 '4 7.1577 2~ 7 234 39.05 1 li 6.5 38 228 236 3 ' .:.l0 1 4 6.4475 22 _3 9 of-i.85 1 0 5.51 . • 30 ~ 40 38.98 1 7 6. 31 231 Nl 38.04 180 5.5 4 2 :. 24 ... H6. 54 177 5.1 D5 233 43 3 7.88 l'78 5.373 0 234 244 38.27 178 5.95:"2 ;) 245 39.51 187 .4685 236 246 7.35 1 6.973' 237 248 7.07 184 G.7 3:! 2 8 250 37.31 183 6.1144 239 51 7.79 18~ 5.45.- :" ;G .l: ORTH DAKOTA BULLETIN 253 Laborator Total Oil Iodin Weight of Number Content Number 1000 S eds (Dry Basia) (Wij ) 0/0 Grams 240 252 39.59 1 8 G.769 3 241 2 1": 5 35.55 1 0 5.2731 242 256 38.37 186 6. 300 243 257A 37.98 184 5.0785 244 257B 36.87 182 5.5682 24 258 ' 6." 3 18 5.8941 24-6 259 38.5'7 184 5.4212 247 26 37.69 182 4.74G4 248 2'71 37.18 190 6.6 43 249 272 37.26 187 6.7400 250 273 35.67 189 6.1 8 251 277 37.87 189 6. 0674 252 278 37.27 187 6.8738 253 291 38.66 181 6.6914 254 294 40.65 181 5.5183 255 295 37.52 18. 6.4552 256 296 3D.35 190 6.5370 257 297 37.22 178 6.4630 208 298 37.59 ]78 6.1969 259 302 37.85 176 5.4500 2GO 304 36.92 177 6.2342 261 305 37.52 179 5.7778 262 306 40.39 177 5.6800 263 343 37.98 186 6.3118 2M 344 37.61 185 6.1751 265 345 36.19 180 5.7613 266 3..j.(i 39.79 183 5.5400 2fi7 347 39.35 178 5.8068 268 348 37.70 184 5.7123 269 349 37.77 182 5.7533 270 350 38.50 184 6.6613 271 35] 38.58 184 6.1947 272 352 38.78 182 6.1785 273 353 38.40 182 5.8600 274 354 38.04 185 6. 2034 275 3:')5 37.48 184 G.O 00 276 356 38.94 187 6.0322 277 357 39.26 181 5.44 9 278 358 37.43 178 5.9 37 279 359 38.84 180 (j.4428 280 360 36.55 177 6.1111 281 3tH 38.69 180 6.0C 282 362 38.50 186 5.4598 283 367 38.98 188 5.90 0 2~4 3G8 39.48 184 5.9418 285 372 39.30 186 6.9549 286 373 38.73 180 6.5969 287 374 39.15 176 5. 626 288 375 38.54 180 6.8721 289 376 38.13 183 6.6147 290 377 36.25 177 5.5477 291 378 38.86 184 7.048'7 292 379 37.51 178 6.9472 293 380 38.73 178 6.2937 294 381 37.73 182 6.7M3 295 382 36.37 182 6.6590 296 384 37.52 180 6.8354 297 385 38.18 180 6.8220 FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARGENTINA 77 Labora ory Bolley's Total Oil Iudine W ight of Number ... erial Content Numb r 1000. ds umber (D ry Basii'! ) (Wijs) % . 98 386 37.56 184 ti.8{H3 2 9~ 387 7.15 178 6.4339 300 388 38.79 185 6.8 :?5 301 389 . 9.77 1 7.1 08 302 390 37.87 179 5.41'78 303 39 39.52 198 5.1 6- 9 304 392 36.47 180 5.9968 305 393 36.26 174 4.5807 306 394 34.30 175 4.8421 307 395 38.51 179 4.8241 308 396 . 5.78 181 5.5306 309 397 36.34 179 5.2 36 310 398 38.09 179 5.3315 311 399 38.38 181 5.007:! 312 400 38.45 178 4.8803 313 402 34.61 180 5.6300 314 403 39.35 ] 87 0.8700 315 404 41.28 186 6. 28 76 316 405 35.43 172 3.9673 317 406 36.50 179 4.3562 318 407 37.56 172 4.1562 319 408 35.94 177 6.0600 320 409 34.85 180 5.2407 328 264 37.50 179 4.90 4 329 269 37.66 184 0.45 7 H 'ghest ...... _ ...... ___ _ ... ___ 41.28 198 7.4756 Lowest .... ----- ...... ______.. ______34.30 170 .9673 Average .. ______... ___ .______.... ______..... 38.12 18~ 6.22·70 The weight per thousand seeds varied fl'om 3.97 grams to 7.48 grams, having an average of 6.23. It is evident that in percent of oil and Iodine number of oil that the South American flax is very similar to that produced in the American Northwest, but with respect to 'Seed size, the South American seeds are somewhat larger. These observations may be somewhat different than those generally made because of the fact that the samples collected were taken from rather good lots of flax and the group did not contain many samples much injured by water or otherwise. The samples were all taken from the 1930-1931 cropping season, and tho they ·were collected over a comparatively large territory, (see map on cover page), on account of the latitude of the country and general climatic zone it is thought that the extreme variations of the climatic conditions of one season to another would not be repre sented in a group of samples collected during one season. It may be that the samples as c llected and examined were those of a more favor able season than the average. "\Ve have found in the examination of North Dakota grown flax that the variety is a large factor in determining the quantity and quality of oil in the flaxseed, but even alaIger variation is due to the climatic conditions of the grovi,ring season. The work under way, wherein samples over a number of years are being analyzed, should is ORTH DAKOTA B LLE'l'IN 253 give some indication as to what climatic factors will tenll to produce high oil content and high Iodine numbers. The distribution of the flax samples according to grams p r thousand seeds, percent of oil in the seed and Iodine numbers of oil is hown graphically on pages 78, 79, and 80. .A.n examination 0 SAMPLES NO. 0/0 'T.Li • ,S I.ye 7.e_ 8 3!77 '7.0 13 b.13 b.B 28 1~.21 (I) o b.b SO 1'i.15 1LI ILl b.Y CI) 22 10.38 a b.2 25 11.7' 0 <:) b.O 28 13.21 5.B 15 7.07 ~5.b II 5.1 , D- 5.'i 12 5.bb ~5.2_ b 293 ~5.0. 3 1.'i2 OLi.S. 4 1.89 Y.b I .'047 ~.Y I H7 ~.21 .Li7 '1.0 I .'i7 TOTAL 212 100.00 Distribution of flaxscell samples a ccorrling to w eight P'1' ] ,000 scc L1 . these charts shows in geueral th.e distribution of the samples, but th , number of samples available were not enough to produce a normal distribution curve. FLAX PRODUCTION IN ARGEN'!'I.!: 79 It is hoped the work may be contillued to include the examina tion of th :£lax eed grown in North DalTota from the Argentine seed. 31\MPLES NO. % 'f1.5 I ."i'1 (J) LfI.O I I HT ~ 'iO.S. Li I.act :40.0_ 1O '172 a:: o 31.S 20 '~3 I SCi.O 21, 12.2b 0 l1J 38.5 31 17~5 IJ.I U) 38.0 31 l'i.b~ z - 37.5 31 1"i.b3 ....J o 37.0 ICI ~ID ~ 3ft.S I Lot ".1,0 ~3ft.O_ c:r 'i.25 0:: ~35.5. 5 2.3~ 35.0. 2 .ct'f 3't.S. 2 .Cfli TOTA·L el2 100.00 Distribution of flaxseed samples according to p rc nt of oil in seed on the dry basis. 80 .r'rORTH D K OTA BULLE'fIN 253 Acknowledgement ' here given of the assistance rendered by L. L. Nesbit, A. J. Pinckney, assistant chemists, and 1\1:iss Bernice gmmons, in the e.·amillation of the flax seed sample . S~MPLES NO. % Iqe. I .5 ,~, - 2 .9 ,qO. 3 ~.Lf 18'1_ ~ 2.0 16e __ 7 3.3 10 LI.7 )18b~187""". ___ _ 15 7.1 ( 185._:::::__ I' 5.2 .J 181.4 I~ "0 0 183 ...... I Cf Cl.O It...182 ...... I ~ 7.1 0 ,81 20 9.4 ~180 ...... 27 Ie.? ~179 ...... Ib 7.5 ::l 178 _____ Ib 7.5 ZI77 __... II 5.2 ILl 17b __ 7 3.S ~ '75. 2 ,q o 17'i ~ 3 I.Lot -,73. I ,5 i72 ,. 2 .'1 171 170. I ,~ TOTAL e,a 100.0 Di tl'ibution f flax e d samples according to the iodine number. Agricultural C 11 ge, North Dakota, ovember 28, 19 1. T. H . HOPPER Summary No definit attempt was made to determin 8t of producti n in flax or other crops. Crop statistics have not as y t been made on such complet or inclusiv bases as would justify drawing reasonably accu rate conclusions either as to exact ields or exact osts of pI' du ing snch crops as fl ax 'wheat, corn, and cattl . Prc" Cllt methods of gath erin.o· tatistics there, as 'well as in our own country, are hardl ad qua t determine e ' ctly what S11 h c 'ts ar'" for the factor. in volved in yearly produ ·tion and marketinO' are 0 err tic that statistics centered about a f w individual far in a f w zones distr ict , or check pI ts on yields at best form a :loubtful fllcasnre of co ts. Th Wl'iter j hop ful, howey r, that the main p ur oses of this survey ha e been fairly attainel, amely : (1) To b e -. the condi tions and 111 thods f rop gTowth with a . w to b tter aidi g to an understanding of 'what must be ~ on to properly rai e the a ~ crop so that the ri ld p r acre win most likely compen te gro r. · (2) to u~de rstand what are the legitimate 1'elati ns of rgentine fl a cr p ping to flaxseed production, marketing, industrial an1 rural life in the United States. Such matters must be aken into consideration in any prop r t dy of cost accounting and of trade relations. Cost accounting fo r pro duction is not alone the proper basis for determining such matters in any country, Living conditi01l·S and advantages 1:n the production of the C1'OP, whethe1' they ShOUl i'n cost per aC1'e 01' not, at' 'fn-atte1'S of vital CO 1'/, side1"(lt-l~on when th1:nk1'ng of impro'ving a 1u(.,tion's agricult1tre a'nd a 0 ciated industt"ies, Argentina and other nations have many natural advantages for the production of flaxseed not usually taken into ac, count when discussing trade adjustments. In Argentina there are large arem; of high quality land suitable to extension of the culture of cereals, small grains, flax, and the neces sary cattle and forage crops to make such croppino' a success. T e primary industry of Argentina is the production of beef, dairy cattle, heep, goats, and other animal products. This great anim 1 industry associated with proper areas for extension anLl intensification insures heavy yields of cereals and small grains, including flaxseed which is one of their chief supporting crops for cash e ·port. At present, flaxseed pI' du -tio is inteD ifiecl in a comparatively small area of the country and i losel, affiliated 'th alfalfa, corn and other forage cr pping and th gr at cattl and sheep industry. There ar e m' lions of acres of fertile and pos ibly productive land into , hich th e allied type of agl'icultur may e expanded, as the popnl tion increase. .A.. ro'entine statistics ince 1872 show a rather gradual, normal, an i h althy xpansion year by year. NORTH DAK OTA B LLBTIN 253 The agricultural lands of Argentina are laroely held in great estates. Aside from the great estates individual farmers are abl to operate on a much lar-ger acreage basis than now possible in the United States unless some systems of cooperative growing and marketing may yet be instituted. It is evident from climatic conditions, temperatures, rainfall and from the areas of land available, that should world demand for flax se d be found to justify greater production, the Argentine peopl can readily expand to double or even quadruple the acreage and bushel age no,v produced. The agricultural land of Argentina are closely contiguous to d ep water river and· ocean ports. Compa'ratively slight 'ra'ilroad mileage i 'J' Q1L'1:1"ed to rcad-ily transpm·t th gnrin f1'01n the fat"ms to the p 01~s of expO'1-t as compat"ed to the mileage req'L//irecl f'ro nt 'lW1·thw stern United Stales to O'l.lr 1Joints of manu.factu1"ing. While an enormous crop of attle an d other agr i u tural pro i u ts are now hand1 for export by a r elatively small population, ern machi nery and storage for handling in bulk gi 'e romise that the Argentine output in the near future may be r ea lily an 1 greatly eu hanced. The incoming of n ,w citizens, farm colonists, to Argentina from the farm-min ded r egions of Europe insllre n great r advances in proper cl'oppings of a wonderful exp anse of pro(luctiv lands. Social, rural and business life is primarily cliff rent than in the United States. There is efficicnt hand and machin labor hich, Tn r the conditions, undoubtcdly does and can labor at a much ch e ~ er rate than the North American farmer and his labor a sociates can do und I' our system and living conditions. F1:gur s ba d on cro p ac counti·ng alone can, thus, ha 'rd ~y cletm"mine a f Cl'ir ba i of comp titiO'tt. Future Investigations The work of breeding and selection upon these samples of Ar gentine seed will be contillued from year to year. It is also intended to study the oH content that may he develop d in the incr ase crops that may follow. Ackno\ 1 dgm n t I wish, at this time, xpres my appreci' uon to th' Board of Administ -ati n of thi Inst'tu .on md to the Flax Development A ociation in making it pos. ihle to enter upon this line of tudies. I especially d ire to extend sincere thanks t the Ministry of A griculture of Argentina, particul ,rly Director Isidro Pa tor and hi able ,taff of experiment tati n work, er ; the heads of the i\ rgentine grain handling fum f Louis Dreyfus, Bunge and Born and 1. and E. Pillit:, ompan ; v riou A rg ntin and other farm machinery c mpanie , especially to the representative- of the Inter' national Harvester mpany; memb r . If the Nation 1 ity Bank, United ates Chamber of ommerce Ameri, can and Canadian onsulates and ommercial Attache . and to the managers and representaf es f the Argentine rail ay who kindly extended every po ible courtesy to acilitate investigation and ob ervation while there. I wish to expres my appreciation also of the kindness of Professor T . H . Hopper in undertaking the chemical tests and analyses herein reported and to Mr. W . C. Palmer in aiding me in the preparation of the manuscript and proof sheets for this publication. HENRY L. BOLLEY. Decem ber 1st, 193 l. tate College Station, Fargo, North Dakota. Tul:. Fila;.~ ..-\PPEA.R.L"XG FLAX .\MPLES THAT I PROCUR D CAME FROM SCRUB 1iMBER LANDS OF NORTH SANTA FE' AND THE CHACO. FLAXSEED I ..-llREADY TRAVEUNG OVER Tms AND SIMILAR HIGH WA,.Y T TffE TtME OF THIS WRITING.