The Osceola times., 1886-01-09
AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS
The Charms, Activities and Re-
sponsibilities of Their Life.

All the interior of the vast island con-
tincnt of the Southern Ocean, except
in the immediate vicinity of the sparse
oNnships and where there are stretches
OF wheat-land under the plow, is spoken
of as "the bush" There is scrub bush,
forcst-bush, open-bush, and there are
wide downs as treeless as the Kansas
prairies, but the generic term, 1.-THE
BUSH applies to all the varieties of
country. The universal tree Of the vast
basin of bush-land is the gum. The
species may differ; here you have the
gaunt eucalyptus, with its grim. naked
trunk, there the red gum, yonder the
iron-bark, but the genusis omnipresent.
The underground, made up Of the flow
ering mimosa, the acacia, banksia, gre
villa, is often picturesque and fragrant.
In the spring. and after heavy rains, the
opened husband is carpeted with luxu-
RANT grass, but it withers fast in the
fierce heat
The great interior is too dry and hot
for much husbandry. 1t is the land Of
the grazer; arid as il seems, it is a won
derful region for raising, maintaining
and fattcning live stock. In 1881 Aus
tralia contained sixty-two millions of
sheep, nearly eight million cattle, and
over one million horses. When there
is no grass. the animals live and thrive
on the "salt-bush" and other shrub foli-
age.
The population is naturally sparse,
md will always be so. Industrial open
ings do not offer themselves. Flocks
and herd, must be large if they are to
be profitable, and the ''squaiter' must
have capital to buy his run" stock it,
and pay the expenses that must be in
Cured before his returns come in. Some
"run' or stations" as they are
called indiilerently so vast that
they shear there annually half million
sheep A sheep-run a thousand square
miles in extent is nothing uncommon,
and there are cattle-stations in Queens
land ranging from five thousand to seven
thousand five hundred square miles
The land is held on lease from the Gov
ernment, at 4 rental which is little more
than nominal.
The bush. except in Western Aus
halia, is now nearly all taken up" al
though large tracts still remain unset
tied, in the limited fashion that Aus
tralian settlement takes effect. The
pioneers have gone out exploring, TAX
ing their lives in their hands because OF
hostile blacks, and the danger of dying
Of thirst, have "seen the land that IT
was good, have returned to the seat OF
Government, and have taken it up"
by the simple process Of describing
roughly its boundaries, and paying a
small deposit toward rental They may
have stocked it themselves, or sold IL to
men Of capital better able to do so than
the often needy pioneer, or they may
hold 1t on the nominal tenure acquired
by discovery, waiting until its value ap-
preciates, as settlement approaches
nearer and nearer to il. But, outside
Western Australia, there is little field
left now for the pioneer
Bush life is lonely enough now, in the
remoter regions; but nothing to the
loneliness of the old days. A squatter
then had scarce any communication with
the outside world He knew nothing OF
regular mail service; he saw chance
newspaper, perhaps, once or twice
q year. He tended his sheep himself, as
sisted by two or three servants, who
probably were 'cxpirers," or convicts
whose time was up. The loneliness OF q
shepherd life was then all but prefer
natural. Me-. have been known to have
all but lost the faculty OF speech from
sheer desuetude. Tho shepherd moped
about alone with his flock OF sheep,
driving them to and fro wherever there
was the best grass. and folding them at
nigh, in ward close to the bark hut in
which he spent his solitary nights.
Now the lonely shepherd is thing OF
the past II has been found more eco
nomcal, as well as better for the
sheep to depasturc them in paddocks
inclosed with wire or brush fencing.
The first expense of inclosing is great,
about two Hundred and fifty dollars per
mile. but il is found to pay in the long
run. The shepherd has given place to
the boundary rider who has TO ride
along so many miles of fencing every
day and repair any damage that may
occur. .UJ
Instead of the shabby shanty of the
original squalter there is snug, pretty
house, built near water as close to the
center OF the run as possible. He still
"dwclls remote, for he may be three
hundred miles away from the nearest
coach-route, and seven hundred or eight
hundred miles from railway. But he
gets his mails once week, although.
perhaps, he may have TO send fifty miles
for them. He has ncighbors around
him within half a days ride. and in
the bush all reckon themselves neigh
bors within radius Of hundred miles.
Heis a married man now, and his home
is bright with the refnements OF wife
and children. The girls have gov.
erncss. and the boys tutor. There IL
. drawing-room in the squattcr's house.
and in the drawing-room . piano.
Once a year he and his wife emerge
rom the bush, and "go to town." With
NE object of being in Melbourne dur.
Ing the Cup Week." when Al The Aus