Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-12-13
AUSTRALIAN WOOLGROWING.
4 Graphic Description Of the Extensive
Industry.

Below is an extract from a letter Of
Col. Alex. Campbell, U. S. Commissionel
to the Australian Exposition, to the
Wheeling Intelligencer of the 9th inst.
which will be interesting to many Of
our readers:
Sheep shearing in the colonies is q
theme and matter of great Importance
both to the station owners and to the
shearers. The season of shearing be-
gins in Queensland at least two months
in advance OF South America, and com,
ing on through the northern part OF
South Australia and New South Wales,
the shearers wind up here in the month
of October.
Having been appointed by our Com
mission to prepare report on the sheep
and wool interests of these colonies, and
of the sugar interests of Queensland
every facility and great kindness has
been shown me by the owners of sta
tions and sheep runs in the colonies
and will mention few recently visit
ed which will be of interest to our wool
growing friends at home.
Wewere requested by a number OF
station owners in South Australia to
visit them during this month when their
sheep would be collected and shearing
would be in full operation. According
ly, on the 18th of this month, by Invita-
tion of the Hon. q. c. Hawker, NJ. P.
and accompanied by him and my wife
l left the Adelaide depot at 7:10 a. m.
over the Northern railroad for Saddle
worth, a station some sixty miles up the
road, where we were met by his car
riages, which took us twenty-nine miles
to "Bungaree," our point of destination,
in just three hours to the minute.
The roads in this country are laid out
123 feet wide and are as smooth as the
''Appian Way" The art of man could
not make them more perfect. The
stones of which they were macadamized
seem to cement and become as smooth
as an asphalt pavement. Our drive was
through an undulating country with
just timber enough scattered over the
fields (called paddocks, here), to make
shade for the sheep. The timber is
mostly of the Eucalyptus family-red
and blue gum and shelak. The trees in
the distance very much resemble in
shape the live oak of Louisiana, and
scattered over the hills make the views
beautiful and are a great relief to the
eye. All the country is carpeted with
native grass, which seems to be such as
sheep delight in, and which produces
The greatest quantity of the finest wool
[ have ever seen grown on merinO sheep.
Rungaree is one of Mr.. Hawker's es-
5ates-a Freehold" (actual ownership
by purchase, much of the land here be
ng leased from the government) and is
said to be one of the finest in the colo
1ies. It contains eighty-six thousand
acres, all enclosed in different fields with
wire fences, and iron gates.
This country is the home of the wire
,ence and corrugated iron roofing. All
he houses, barns, stables, sheep sheds,
,tc, are built of stone covered with cor
ugated iron roofing. Mr.. Hawker in
ormed me that he had put up 1000
niles of this fence at a cost of e25, or
bout $125 per mile. The posts are
mostly gum, with iron
,osts in the center of each panel. The
esidence at Bungaree is an imposing
difce, surrounded by many acres of
ruit trees and flower gardens.
Besides cattle and horses necessary
or this estate, Mr.. Hawker carries 80,-
100 sheep the year round, and in two
ther places further north 100000 more.
This year on Bungaree he has raised
z 900 lambs, and on the other places,
5 1000, or a total of $1,000. Mr.. Hawk
+ kindly drove us one day through the
lace twenty miles by one route and
ack by another, and the next day fif-
cen miles in a different direction and
ack through a beautiful park. We
rove through 5000 acres of wheat just |
to head.
Taking the whole estate over, a more |
eautiful and picturesque country, and
ne so suited for pastoral purposes could
ot be found. spent part of three
ays in the sheds, with the shearers, and
oticed closely the whole operation of
hearing, grading the wool, baling,
randing the sheep and loading the wag-
ms to haul to the depot. Everything
Tas done with neatness and dispatch.
hey were shearing $500 head per day,
nd all were shorn smoothly. About
ne hundred men were employed in
hearing, rolling and baling the wool.
t required twelve tables on which to
oil the wool, with one man at each and
oys to bring the wool from the shear
rs. The wool is very clean, as clean as
ne best washed Brooke county wool. 1t
graded in three classes and put into
ales of about 800 pound each. None
the head, belly or leg wool is put in
ne bale with the fleece, but in separate
ales. The wool is skirted closely and
rought to the press on truck, where
ach fleece is examined by an expert on
rades before going into the press.
There is not burr of any kind or
irt of any kind allowed to go into the
ale. They have no burrs and very few
oxious weeds of any kind in this cOun-
y. The great trouble is to keep the
rass seed (which is sometimes sticky,
ut of the belly wool, and this is avoid
/ by shearing before the seed ripens.
hey have securing house in which
Il the dirty clippings are secured before
aling The sheds and pens outside and
| are perfectly arranged for conven-
nee. The men shear on clean floor
i around the sides of the shed, small
Oors opening to the outside pens. Two
len are allotted to pen and when
lorn the sheep are passed out of the
Dor into the pen, and not allowed to 4;
IN with the unShorn sheep. Every ]
art of the shed is kept scrupulously |
can and not scrap of the wool lost.
he shorn sheep are passed through
ne single file and branded with great
Ipidity. Adjacent to the sheds we saw
lots and small fields some 10000 sheep
ept close at hand so no time is lost by