Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1884-11-06
A SHEEP STATION,
sheep-Raising In the An.ipodal Con.
t'nert--Disposition Of the Wool
Ciip-Canneries for Pre-.


| "p-SdVVeVICS lOT frCs
serving the Mutton.
Australian shepards lead life near
ly us patriarchal us a Tartar's. A
wild and lonely existence is theirs,
and only men Of iron physique could
undergo it. Two shepherds always
chum together, one acting us hut
keeper, while the other is out upop
the range. They travel from range
to range us the grazing grows poor,
and the country is dotted with the
rude slab huts they find shelter in.
Their fare is Of the rudest, consisting
of "damper," sort of bread made of
-four and water, baked in the wood
embers, mutton and tea. OF late years
the luxury Of canned meats occas;on-
ally falls to their share. Tobacco is
their only luxury, and a battle with
the feas whish infest their huts, their
only rest.
The Australian wool growers great
est enemies are the catarrh, the scab,
the foot rot, which is caused by
marshy grazing grounds, bad servants
who neglect the ilocks, and the wild
dogs. The latter were once formid-
able foe indeed, but their destructive
hordes have been greatly decimated
by the hunters, who shot by the thous-
ands to obtain the bounty offered for
their scalps. These dogs will hunt Il
flock of sheep us Systematically as a
man will conduct a drive Of deer.
They surround and close in on them,
rending and devouring all in their
path. Great hocks are often STAN
peded by them, when the sheep run
until they drop exhausted, or strug-
gle into some stream and are drowned.
The shepherd dog is us sagacious
and true friend to his woolly charges
us the wild dog is a relentless foe.
Sheep-raising has produced in Aus
tralia a peculiar breed Of dogs, differ
ent in many appearances from the
European shepherd dog, but akin to
it in all qualities. These dogs seem
to know all the sheep in Il flock. They
will hunt for stragglcrs miles away
from tho hut. and either drive them
in or watch them, if they happen to
be exhausted, until they gather suili-
cient strength to walk. 1t is COM
mon thing in travcrsing the grazing
country to COME upon one OF these
noble animals on guard over strayed
or broken down sheep, and woe betidc
the stranger who attempts to lay
hands on his helpless protege.
In addition to the wool crop, the
Australians derive huge revenue
from the boiling down of sheep. Boil
ing down was originally resorted to
on the occasion of panic forty years
ago, when sheep could not be sold in
the local market. Then the surplus
of tho herds was reduced to tallow,
and Il. market for that commodity
opened in England. Some years af-
ter, huge canneries for the prcscrva-
tion Of the mutton were started with
satisfactory results. Now the sheep
grower makes capital out of the flesh
aud fat of his focks, as we'll rs their
wool.
Another extensive trade is the pre-
paration by sailing and smoking Of
mutton hams, which are used for
ships food throughout tho Indian
seas.
A sheep station is the center or
headquarters of range. Here the
proprietor lives, surrounded by his
overseers anu storckeepers. In addi-
ton to the proprietor's and his subor-
dinates' houses, the station consists Of
few shops, some barracks for the
shepherds, and paddocks covering
hundreds of acres, all fenced and
posted as stoutly as can be. The
largest buildings at station are the
shearing and sorting sheds, and all
the important stations now appear to
have huge steam presses for baling
the wool. At the smaller stations the
hand-press is used. Small sheep
owners drive their herds into the large
stations and there sell the wool.
This disposition Of the wool-clip
has given existence to character
in the shape of q wool buyer, who is
known among the small growers as
the "wool- The woolworm
will buy n clip while it is yet on the
flock, and the improyident sheepmen
take advantage of this and pay usuri-
GUS interest for the accommodation.
These wool buyers have the county
districted. Ono never trenches on
the others ground, and ono and all
are said to be willing to advance
money on the clips several years
ahead. The result is that many lioclis
are under perpetual mortgages, and