The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-13

latitude here IL about that OF Holland.
and the animals feed out all the year
round Before sheep were introduced
the islands fairly swarmed with wild
cattle and wild horses. About forty
years ago II is estimated that there
were 100000 Wild cattle on the island.
Now these have all disappeared and al
most that many sheep have taken their
places. The wild cattle were the first
cause OF the settlement OF the islands.
rich cattle and hides dealer OF Mon
teVideo named .dsafone bought the
right 10 the southern part of East
Falkland and all OF the wild cattle on
the islands in 1871 Tor $50, coo down and
the promise TO pay 800 900 additional
In ten years from 1852 In this deal he
got over COO. 600 acres OF land and TIE
skins Of the wild cattle In 1852 he
sold out HIS. properly 10 the Falkland
Islands company FOR $3.50. 600. and since
then this company has been the leading
power I'm the Faiklands. II has bought
more land. and il now probably has
more than a million acres. IL has
about 100000 sheep, and II has a sail
ing vessel which goes TO London once
year 10 carry its WOOL and bring oack
the canned goods. clothes. sheep farm
ing implements and other things re
CURED by the islands 1t has a line Of
boats which periodically make the
round Of the islands. carrying the
I farmers such goods as they order and
bringing their wool 10 Stanley for ship
ment 20 Europe The wool is put up in
\ bales just as we bale cotton. Much OF
/ * goes 10 the markets by the regular
steamers That on which I cane is
/ now loading In the harbor II win take
/ on ZOO bales OF ESQ pounds each.
\ which at 10 cents a pound, the price
/ II viii bring In London. viii make a
/ cargo worth $4,000.
AMONG THE SHEPHERDS.
II does not take many shepherds to
/ care for these large fiocks OF sheep
I The farms are divided up into fields OF
several thousand acres each ana fenced
with wire fences. so that all the shep-
I herd has 10 DO IS to ride about among
the sheep. His life IS spent upon
/ horseback. each shepherd being sup
! piled with six horses. The shepherd
/ watches the flock. he takes the sheep
/ out @; bogs when they fall in. and turns
/ them over IL they fall down The sheep
( here as In Patagonia are large and
fat, some OF the wethers weighing from
so TO 100 pounds. When such sheep roll
I upon their backs they cannot get up.
IL LEFT alone in this condition they
would lie and kick until they died. were
II not that they are killed long before
by the birds. The buzzards here hover
Al
end night and the moment sheep is
on its back they swoop down upon II
( end pick out It's eyes. They keep pick
inG at II until Il dies In agony. An
hour or so later they have ripped iis
skin open and torn the flesh from its
bones. The shepherds tell me IL IS in
1 conceivable how the buZxards find the
sheep almost the moment they fan. ana
that they attack them even in the
night. The sheep also fall into holes.
Of which there are many sll over the
Islands. Ii is the shepherds business
to get them out. They have TO be
clipped 10 keep of the scab. and at
shearing time. which lasts Tor two
months, they are driven to the wool
shed and shorn. They are not
mashed before shearlng. The Wool
is carefully cut of. put into bales
8 OF 600 10 500 pounds, covered with bag
sing. hooped with iron and shipped
thus 10 London for sale. Most OF the
sheep are OF the cheviot and Australian
breeds. They give heavy fieeces. the
average being from eight 10 ten
pounds. and running from that up 20
twenty-one pounds. which was the act
ual weight OF a fleece cut Of this sea
son.
A LONELY LIFE.
This life OF the shepherds must be a
lonely one. They are. YOU know, all
I Scotehmen. who have been brought on;
here from Scotland for the purpose
Most OF them are married and HAYS
large families. Their houses are scat.
tered over the farms from fifteen "a
twenty miles apsrt. They are usually
built near . little inlet. where the
company's boat can bring their sun.
plies. and near a peat bed. The pro-
4 pvietor pays each shepherd from SIS "a