It has been said that many of the immigrants do not intend to settle in the country.  Probably this idea has gained ground on account of the large numbers of the labouring population, who are attracted to Argentina by the high wages ruling during the harvest time, and then find it pays them to go home and secure the European harvest, but generally these men come out again to stay.  They have acquired a knowledge of the country, and often enough have also acquired an interest in some land, and they return, bringing their families, to adopt Argentina as their home—­for a period at least.

A glance at the statistics prepared by the authorities in Buenos Aires shows that during the last fifty-two years 4,250,980 persons entered as 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.