Sacrifice

In Santa Cruz province last week the sky darkened with the smoke of dozens of fires and the air was heavy with a dreadful stench. Down the dusty roads moved interminable flocks of sheep bleating mournfully, to converge in great corrals. In the corrals stood gauchos, their flapping diaper-like chiripa about their legs, swinging pole axes. Each time a sheep fell other gauchos were ready to pile the carcasses on the crackling, reeking bonfires. Thus Santa Cruz sheep ranchers wilfully destroyed 60,000 fine sheep for which they could find no markets.

From Buenos Aires the Ministry of Agriculture reported that, despite every known manner of fighting locusts, they and drought have destroyed over 25% of Argentina's present corn crop, leaving only 10,625,000 harvestable acres, the smallest crop in years.

One bit of good news came from the Argentine last week. Following heavy wheat shipments to Japan, 22,000 tons of Argentine wheat were sold to Chinese millers, will be shipped before the end of the month.

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