The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-01-28
WEALTH IN SHEEP.

In an instructive article on the aori- ,
cultural ard >tcck-rai>in" capa bilities .
OF the Aust allan islands. Il correspond !
ent of the London Telegraph writes:
The sheep, indeed. is king through
out the Australian colonies. In New
South Wales. Victoria, and Queensland .
---rpmcmhCr that have not been TO /
Tasmania yet-the nearest approach to ,
the naughty aristocrat is the squatter. |
the leaseholder of Il sheep-run. The |
number of thousands of acres over which |
his sheep roam may be conveniently |
treated rs incalculabIc: first because it |
would no more interest my readers at |
nome were / to enumeratc them than it |
interests readers i'll England to be told |
how many pork pies. penny buns, and |
bottles of ginger beer are consumed at !
q Forester fetc at the Crystal palace; |!
and next because were to enter into |
the figures of large squatting ovina |
and bovine stock there wonld br 4 con- |
siderable risk Of Your not believing ME. |
| prefer. when treating OF the mighty
squatters' tlocks and herds, 10 deal in
generalitieS. Just rs did the American
pig-breedcr who. at early morn, entered
the sleeping apartment OF guest whom
he entertained over night, and whose
attentions 1T supper-time To his mar
riageable and On-hand daughter We're
somewhat pronounced, flung open the
window, and disclosed. stretching north,
east. south and west an almost illimi-
table prospect Of cOmplaccnlly grunting
swine. There. he exclaimed. 1.-The
man as plcaats our Polly has half them
hogs" In degree, the Australasian
SGuatter's sheeD are as innumerable.
That HIN, ,,,.,111 iI1-tifia llx-
proud. His ..mobs' Of horned cattle
NAV be huge: his TASTE in horsehesh may
be pretty: he may rear rsce-horses or i'm
port Clydesdales: but, after all, the four
corner stones OF his prosperity are his
sheep. Sometimes he dreams uneasily
Of drought; but. waking up in the morn
ing TO find perchance drenching rain
pouring down, he rubs his hands glee-
FULLY, and murmurs. AHA. the wOols
growingi the wools growing Il the
squatter be hard pressed Tor ready
money there are financial associations
which will make him cash advances on
his dip that is TO say, be may pawn
the wool which is growing on the backs
OF his sheep No wonder. then. il from
King Georges sound to Brisbane-far-
| ther north he talks sugar-he talks wool
| and thinks wool; eNults when it is up"
despondS when il is down" i'll the
market. For the mere carcass OF the
animal. worth only few shillings, the
large squarter does not care much. It's
| the fleece and not the meat which. when
| 4 long drO5IEht has been succeeded by
| Two or three good seasons. gives him
| rhe power, not only Of paving off his
mortgages and getting his title-deeds
| out OF the Strong-rOomS OF the banks,
| but of becoming. within an astonishing
| " brief space of time. rich beyond the
| dreams OF avaricr. But in New Zea-
| land. with its thirteen millions of sheep,
| the thoughts, the aspirations of the
| stakeholder arr bent. not only on wool,
| but on mutton. He compassionaies the
| sad fate of his British brother at home,
doomed by the tyrannical retail butcher
| to pay from IL pence Ia | shilling a
pound for leg of mutton. ''Why, he can
send his British brother frozen mutton
which at the port OF shipment shall cost
| only ; pence Il poumd-mutton of prime
| quality. not TO he distinguished in ma
| ture and excellence from the home-bred
article. The New Zealand Frozen Meat
and Storage company i'll Queen street,
! Auckland. whose works | recently Wis
tied. consign immense quantities OF
frozen mutton 10 the British isles Moth
| inc can be more scientific nor more ex-
quIsitelv clcanly than the manner in
which the newly-slaughtered carcasSes
are frozen and packed in linen sacks for
storage in the refrigerating chambers OF
the great steamers which take the meat
home. Bv the way. is there not n Gu
riouslv prophetic vision of 4 meat-freez-
ing and preserving establishment some
| A
Many Tales?" The New Zealand Frozen
Meat company at Auckland are also
manufacturers on a very extensive scale
of timed meats and soups of all kinds,
and the corned heef which they prepare
is in particular excellent. Still the di-
rectors of the company. like Mr. TOole
in the burlcsque, are not happy" New
Zealand frozen mutton is getting a good
name in England; its consumption
should immensely increase every year:
but the trade is nvrrweightcd. and the
profits of the shippers diminished in 4
corresponding degree, by too many dis
tribntOrS and middlcmen. and by the
heavy Notwithstanding like flT 4
ton-which the exporters have to pay the
great steamship companies for the con-
veyance of their meat 10 England. The
| frozen mutton tr:t,ta. IN word, pays,
but does not pay the New Zealand pro-
ducer so handsomely As Ii should do. II
is consoling. however. to reflect that the
trade is as yet virtually i'll its infancy,
and is capable OF enormous expansion.
Henri Quartre beneyolentlE longed for
The day when every peasant iii his do
minion should have Oh Sunday Ia poale
Il" p0t-a fowl in his saucepan. Surely
4 day should arrive, AZ New Zealand
comes more TO the front with her mex
haustable supplies OF frozen mutton.
when every English workingman will
have on Sunday his leg OF mutton at the
| roaStiu U-iacE