Argentina from a British Point of View, and Notes on Argentine Life
History
Argentina from a British Point of View, and Notes on Argentine Life
Argentina -- Description and travel; Argentina -- Economic conditions; Argentina -- Social life and customs
After everyone was assured that everyone else was safe, The Instigator
came back from his Elysium, dreamily to finish the quotation of The
Delineator and The Wild Man with "Said Gilpin, So am I," and we all sat
down to dinner, during which meal much merriment was caused by a
difference of opinion between The Saint and her host on "dogs and
species of dogs." Our enemies, the mosquitoes, were not so virulent as
usual to-night, perhaps owing to the eucalyptus trees which are growing
near the house; anyhow the party could venture to sit out after dinner
on the verandah, which was already covered with beds for the
accommodation of some of the party. Thus, with an audience seated on
chairs and beds, The Instigator talked of the plough and of its
marvellous work in opening up hitherto unused tracts of land. Want of
labour has retarded development considerably, and until quite recently
the northern camps were very much handicapped by the lack of labourers,
and of men with brains to guide the labour. Not only was there a
deficiency of men, but often so many of the working bullocks were
drafted off to the forests for timber haulage, that it left a sparseness
of them for agricultural purposes. The remedy, however, presented itself
by the utilisation of the traction engine. The breaking-up of fresh
lands has always been the trouble facing the colonist.
In dry weather it is almost impossible to get the plough, drawn by horse
or bullock, into the ground, and the drought so punishes the working
animals that often when rain comes they are too weak for their work, and
the colonist is unable to take the best advantage of the season, but
mechanical ploughing obviates all this, and gives him the virgin land in
such a condition that with the means at hand he is able to cultivate an
area sufficiently large to ensure him success.
As we sat thus on the verandah in the moonlight, plans were made for the
following day. It was decided that a visit to the plough should occupy
the morning, and a row on the lake, or ride round it, the afternoon,
before proceeding to Lucero. Fishing was spoken of, but we could not
manage everything in the short time we had at our disposal at Los Moyes,
so we found that probably the fishing would have to be given up. Thus,
in the security of the possession of clear consciences and mosquito
nets, the party retired to rest.
* * * * *
Prepaid advertisements received at the office of this paper before 6
p.m. will be inserted in the next day's issue.
"M.L." writes in answer to "O.G." that the quotation he gives is from
the writing of the Persian poet Sâdi. The quotation is quite correct,
for though Sâdi travelled for a great number of years in Europe, Asia,
and Africa, he never travelled with the present Company in the
Argentine, therefore he did not realise that the sleep of the bad could
disturb the good. Modern thought is inclined to differ from his views.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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