immigrants, and out of this number only 1,690,783 returned, leaving in
the country 2,560,197 individuals, or an average of 50,000 workers per
annum. These figures have become even more marked of recent years.
Taking the last five years, the country has received on an average
249,000 immigrants per annum; of these, 103,000 went back. In other
words, 727,670 have made their homes within the borders of Argentina
during the past five years, and of these at least 500,000 were
agriculturists.

It is not to be wondered at, then, that the exports, chiefly made up of
agricultural produce, have shown extraordinary progress. Facing this
page is a diagram showing the agricultural exportation from 1900 to
1908.

[Illustration: AGRICULTURAL EXPORTATION INCLUDING WHEAT, LINSEED, OATS,
MAIZE, ETC.]

[Illustration: CULTIVATED AREA IN HECTARES. (1 HECTARE = 2.471 ACRES)]

Nothing can be more eloquent than the figures shown in this diagram.
This remarkable progress, almost steady in its upward march, is not in
one direction only. Argentina is an ideal country for agriculturists,
and in every branch of that industry progress has been made. Greater
care is being taken to-day in working up the by-products of the cattle
business. More varied crops are being grown, and vegetable by-products
are being economically looked after. The forests of Argentina are also
being worked for the benefit of mankind. The Quebracho Colorado tree
forms a very important item of export. It is sent out of the country
either in the form of logs, of which no less than 254,571 tons were
exported in 1908, or in the form of an extract for tanning purposes;
48,162 tons of this extract were made and exported in 1908, and a small
quantity of the wood was exported in the shape of sawdust. The total
value of Quebracho Colorado exported in various forms in that year was,
as already stated, L1,200,000. This means that the Quebracho forests are
being depleted at the rate of half a million tons per annum for export
purposes alone, in addition to the enormous quantities used for
sleepers, etc., in the country.

The area in acres under cultivation for the year 1908 was 46,174,250, an
increase of 265 per cent, on the land under cultivation in the year
1895.

The diagram facing this page shows the area in hectares cultivated from
1897 to 1908:--

WHEAT--The area under cultivation for wheat shows an increase of 89 per
cent, in ten years from--

8,000,000 acres in cultivati