, 1890-07-13
4 STATION
Interesting FHots About the Great Sheep
walks of Australia

Interesting FHots About the Great SHEEP
Walks of Australia
II Is a remarkable thing, the con-
~struction Of one of these station houses.
This of Blythevale is n Of the small
est In the nch western district of Vic
toria, comprising only about 20, 900
acres and carrying the same number OF
sheep, but Is one of the best and, rela-
lively, most prosperous in the colony.
The inexperienced visitor would never
suspect the wealth that Is produced by
these brown acres, without crops, with
out trees, u~nwatered, seemingly want
Ing in nutrition for all grazing beasts.
The thousands of fat sheep and sleek
cattle, however, show the unexpected
value Of the soil-in even q small sta
tion Ike this Is worth at least $500, 600
without counting the fiooks and herds,
or the buildings and improvements,
and the product of 1t Is gathered with
q degree Of labor which our New Eng
land farmers would consider no labor
at all In spite of droughts and other
drawbacks the life Of the Victorian
station owners is about the quIetest
and most secure hat one could desire.
They rear large families In luxury, send
their children to Europe. to be edu-
Gated; they themselves spend a great
deal Of their time In the city. for the
station, with an overseer In charge, af-
ter the early years of hard work, prac-
ideally runs itself. Immense incomes
are enjoyed by the owner Of the larger
stations.
One of the principal Victoria squat
ters recently told me that his station
brought him In In a year a sum ver
$3.50, 900. he has great family and
Is giving them every advantage. BE
himself, however, known nothing but
sheep. Start any subject whatever In
bis presence he deity brings It around
to ''rheep," otherwise he Is dumb, un-
easy, his mind refusing to act. Talk
about sheep he rouses up, his eye
flashes, the man L. alert, his sole point
of knowledge Is appealed to. Many
pity him; for myself / regard him with
envy, as one of the few men l have met
who Is perfectly fitted for the line ma
ture marked out for him-a breeder OF
lambs, a connoiseur In bellwethers, an
authority on rams, an oracle on the
merits of early lambing" and late
lambing." fulfilling his narrow destiny
In full satisfaction with It and himself
Australian stations are now much re-
stricted In size as compared with those
of the early days when tho original set
tiers looked with soom upon the paltry
hundred square miles which now con-
stitutes a fair sized holding. The pi-
oneer squatters, numbering over the
plains In their wagons, would climb a
hill, and, comprehending the area Of a
kingdom In their gaze, declare: "A11
the land that 1 can see Is mine" There
was room enough for all in those days,
ever with this free and comprehensive
method of taking possession, but as the
country began to be more thickly set
tied the government had to step In and
curtail these inland Alexander Selkirks
-"monarchs of all they surveyed"
1t was enacted that the land should
be selected, tho settlers In stu having
first choice, but being restricted to 80
many acres per individual. So the
head Of the squatting family made a
selection, his wife another, each Of his
children a third, fourth, and so on
even the laborers and shearers, the
bullock drivers and the shepherds, were
called into service and subsequently
duly surrendered their parcels of field
to the ''boss" for a small consideration.
Here and there a crafty servant, being
Furnished by his master with tho where
withal to ratify his ownership In the
selection, declined to surrender the
same on demand, and was either bought
out at a stif1sh figure OF held on to bis
possessions In the midst of the would-be
monopolist's acres-where they remain
as an eye o and occasion of ofsnse
TO the latter even unto this day.-Mel-
bourne Cor. Boston Journal.