complaint or grumble from anyone, but an increased thankfulness on the part of the passengers that they were in such good hands during the trip.  The land through which we drove to-day is covered with trees of various kinds; large forests exist on the eastern side of the Calchaqui, bordering the river for its entire length; the trees of these forests are chiefly Algarrobo the wood of which is not unlike our walnut in appearance, but extremely hard; in days to come this timber will be used in great quantities for making parquet flooring.  It seems almost incredible that the city of Buenos Aires should import millions of square metres of ready-made parquet flooring when the Argentine produces magnificent timber of far more suitable and better wearing quality for the purpose than any used in imported parquet.  As we have journeyed eastward, trees have become much more numerous, and splendid timber is to be seen on every side.  Most numerous amongst the trees is the Quebracho Colorado, which supplies one of the hardest timbers the world produces.  The trees have a peculiar appearance, for their leaves are quite small and the trunks have a rough bark from which often hangs moss-like lichen, of which, by the way, cattle are very fond.  The photo on the opposite page gives a general idea of a tree’s appearance.

The wood, which is light in colour when first cut, becomes dark red upon being exposed to light and weather, and it is intensely hard.

[Illustration:  Quebracho Colorado Tree.]

The word “quebracho” (pronounced KAYBRATSHO) signifies axe-breaking, and even modern tools do not retain their edge long when working on this wood.

The wonderful durability of the wood renders it a perfect material for railway sleepers, and this has been appreciated by the Government of Argentina to such an extent that they have decreed that the laying of new railways is to be upon sleepers made of the hard woods of the Country.

[Illustration:  Sleepers awaiting Transport at Vera.]

The forests of the Santa Fe Land Company have produced in the last twelve years over a million Quebracho Colorado sleepers.

One drawback to the wood is that it has the peculiarity of splitting around the heart of the tree.  This is caused by the accumulation of resin at certain periods, and is probably connected in some way with the excessive moisture or dryness of a particular year’s growth.

The tree is often attacked by a boring grub, which enters by making a very small pin prick opening, and during its existence in the tree grows and bores an ever enlarging hole until often it becomes half an inch in diameter.  It would seem almost incredible that a grub could live either on the resins in the tree or be able to bore through what is one of the hardest woods in the world.

Of recent years this timber has also been put to another use—­that of producing tan.  When used for this purpose, the tree was cut down, its outer sapwood removed, and then taken to the river to be finally shipped to the United States of America or to Germany.