The Dickinson press., 1888-04-21
LIFE IN AUSTRALIA.
HOW SHEEP FARMING is CONDUCTED
ON A LARGE SCALE.

Pastural Leases Granted by the Govern.
mcnt-Thc solitary Life OF IL Shepherd
y busy Time ut the station Breed u,
sheep.
I'll" Australian sheep farmer on Il large
scale usually lrntSa tract of several square
miles from the government. at II rent rulru,
lated according to the number OF sheep the
land is capable of carrying" lie is called
a '>quattcr," because in early days ht
simply took up, or S%luattcd on. any un
occupied land. SOM of the wcalthiest
m"n i'll Australia are sluatters. The squat
ter VIII" becomes wealthy often ceases Il
l"" on has station, and comes In the capital
city of his culonv. where lie builds him.
self Il handsome house. becomes IL memi,el
of the legislative council and of the swell
city club. The Melbourne club, the mos, olc-
CANT club in Australia, consists chiefly o!
sluattcr>. But s,,ri, Il nlal looks very diifsr.
Ont when You SEQ Kim in tho bush" We ,ring
rough clothes, and not improlubly smukin.
q short clay pipe.
Tn" great danger to which til" squatter is
exposed is drought. There is Il great want l
rivers and perennial streams, an unusually
d.. season. or two may reduce II man from
;.t.ia."ce t" poverty.
In South Australia Pastoral leases arc
granted for tM"Mty-omc wears NJ Il rrn'al "f
..,c"its ivr head on tho average nulnbc. of
cat'in. and of I cents on the average number
Of s!!",p. ~ the end of tine term. the land
roTclt> With all Improvement tn thr crowll.
Tive government. on %rc,ul!in;, the land 1t Tie
expiration of .hc lease. pays for all dams,
tanks AND wells of Il permanent character.
Rot:!.d ~ head station are numerous build.
ll%> put up 1T Nai in;i, timcN is occasion has
arisen. These comprise mems huts. forge,
Kitchen. stables. etc. Not far off are well
fenced yards. into which The sheep are drivrl
for til" annual muster. Tho foundations of
tho station "u;huillingS are large trunk, let
into tn ground and levclcl un I'll" upper
side. lu'A, groove on this side thu end of
the slabs lit. and are kept together lay q
similar beam ai,ovc. For the roof, galvan-
lied iron. or bark. kept down by n heavy
wooden framework is used. The new Chiiin
Will he SO. Il; tir.t 10 do odd jobs ahou, the
station. lu; will soon lc called ON 10 act us /;
shepherd pn,r IL year all the sheep arc
driven into the yards at the head station to
lie counted, s!lugn and branded.
Solitary is the Life uf n shepherd in sole
charge of II flock Is, many ma! become muci.
attached To the freedom and healthy naturr
of the Work. and would he most unwilling 10
exchange it for any other. The ''buslmen'
are not infreiucntly great readers. and it is
for their especial benefit that the large
weekly editions Of the principal Australian
papers are issued. Thp .Australasian is the
weekly edition of The Melbourne Argus and
IS one of the largest papers i'll the world. 1t
contains information on all matters con-
iectel with agriculture and the breeding and
care "i sheep and cattle, articles on the poll
ties of the day, on horse racing, sport, whist,
chess and reviews of new books. 1t usually
also has IL sermon by some eminent divine,
for the bus'man has but few opportunities
of awaiting himself of the ministrations of
any C li.gious teacher. Sometimes q Guilt
waited blslmaM may be found who still keeps
III, the Latin he learned at school or college,
and reads and rercads n well Worn copy of
Horace or some %favorite Roman poet.
Asa rule the hushman drinks tea. for lie
finds this the most wholesome and refreshing
drink and also the most portable. Ot
course Oh occasions large quantilieso of whisky
are consumed, but bHslnmen as IL class arc
temperate. The horses used on a station are
rough locking. but posses, great endurance,
frequently carrying their riders 10 to lo
miles i'll Il day. Men Wear riding brecches,
top boots, flannel shirts M soft felt hats.
Bus!nmcn frequently have to find their way
i'll parts of the bush where tracks either never
existed or have become oblitcratcd. Then it
is that their craftsmanship comes into play.
! Some OF the Australian trees grow most oil
tho side exposed to the sun, and by noting
This and the condition of the bark, the ex.
periencesi hushman is able to fix the cardinal
points and to steer his way correctly where
the ordinary person would he hopelesSly
pushed" Occasionally a man fails to re
turn to his hut or to the station, and tilcl
black traciicrs arc employed. These mani
fest a wonderful sagacity in tracing the lost
shepherd, and often save his life. But in
many parts melancholy stories arc told OF
shepherds who We're never found until to.
late.
The busiest tilnc on II sheep station is sl,caf.
ing time. for on n large run $4,000 sheep may
have TO be shorn. The sheep are washed [;
few days before they are shorn. i'll order that
their fleeccs may be dry and tho ''yelk" may
have time to rise. On some stations eiaborat.
arrangements, with hot water spouts, are
found; but often only a portion of Il creek j.
fenced in, and the sheep sire sotlsrl in tli,
till their tleecrs are clean. Tile shearcrs ne
cclNe ~ pef wv, ana ran smear from .u TO IN
sheep in a day. They are ALSO found in Il.
tnuch mutton, bread, .ea and sugar as the,
want. The s~hcarers live in Il long, low
bali'ling, divided into Two compartments, on,
OF which has lertlls along its sides and is til,
sleeping room, and i'll the other of which
meals are taken.
Assoon as the fleece is off the sheep i
pushed out at IL truploor and examined b.,
the manager, to SEQ whether il has been cl
or badly shorm. The tlecccs are taken out b,
boys into the wool sorting she'd, where the,
are rolled up and labeled according to TIN
quality and kind of wool. The bins int
which they are thrown are constant,
emptied, and their contents taken to til
press. There they are tumbled into IL bal
and compressed by a heavy screw press
When the bale is full u canvas cover is sew!
N and the bale hustled away 10y a crane, L
be branded with the station mark and hav
its weight and quality noted on it.
The principal Breed of sheep is the merinc
the wool of which fetclcs the highest pric
i'll the market. Ill ISIS there were $500
sheep in south Australia, but i'll 1851 the
had increased to nearly 1000, 0N.-Sout
Australia Cor. San Francisco Chronicle.
How Artificial Honey is Made.