ailways having made it possible during those thirty years to utilise
lands for other purposes than cattle-feeding. Let it be clearly
understood, the total value of cattle had not decreased; far from that,
the cattle had increased in value during the above period to the extent
of L48,000,000, and to-day cattle, sheep, horses, mules, pigs, goats and
asses represent a value of nearly L130,000,000. The following table
shows how great the improvement has been in Argentine animals:--

Per Head.
Cattle in 1885 were valued at an average of $13[B]
" 1908 " " " 32
Sheep in 1885 " " " 2
" 1908 " " " 4
Horses in 1885 " " " 11
1908 " " " 25

Notwithstanding these increased valuations per head, and the larger
number of animals in the country, the value created by man's labour far
outweighs the increased value of mere breeding animals.

Next to the railways the improvements in shipping have helped the
development of Argentina; the shipping trade of Buenos Aires has
increased at the rate of one million tons per annum for the past few
years, and the entries into the port form an interesting and instructive
table:

The following statement gives the total tonnage that passed through the
port of Buenos Aires from 1880 to 1909, and will more clearly show the
increase and advance made in the last thirty years. These figures
include both steamers and sailing-vessels, and local as well as foreign
trade:--

Tons.
1880 ... 644,750
1881 ... 827,072
1882 ... 995,597
1883 ... 1,207,321
1884 ... 1,782,382
1885 ... 2,200,779
1886 ... 2,408,323
1887 ... 3,369,057
1888 ... 3,396,212
1889 ... 3,804,037
1890 ... 4,507,096
1891 ... 4,546,729
1892 ... 5,475,942
1893 ... 6,177,818
1894 ... 6,686,123
1895 ... 6,894,834
1896 ... 6,115,547
1897 ... 7,365,547
1898 ... 8,051,045
1899 ... 8,741,934
1900 ... 8,047,010
1901 ... 8,661,300
1902 ... 8,902,605
1903 ... 10,269,298
1904 ... 10,424,615
1905 ... 11,467,954
1906 ... 12,448,219
1907 ... 13,335,733
1908 ... 15,465,417
1909 ... 16,993,973

In 1897, out of the total number of steamers that entered Buenos Aires,
viz., 901, with a tonnage of 2,342,391; 519, with a tonnage of
1,327,571, were British. Taking the year