Evening star., 1901-01-14
THE ISLAND CONTINENT
NEWEST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY
OF NATIONS.
Characteristic Life, Both Human and
Animal, Found in the Interior
Lacking in the Picturesque.


ring the national peculiarities of their In
habitants-are much alike; but in no part
Of the world is the transition from urban to
rural life so striking as In the Antipodes
1t Is not upon its scenery that Australla
can found her claims to interest; no coun-
try of the globe is so lacking, on the Whoie.
in the elements of the picturesque, yet, on
the other hand, hardly any other country Is
80 profoundly interesting; and this because
of the strangeness of vegetation ana lie,
the vast sweep of it's monotonous plains
and the effect of space, to which only the
pr Aries OF America can offer parallel
The monotony Of form in the Australian
landscape is matched by it's monotony OF
vegetation; hardly any other tree than the
eucalyptus, with its dusty green foliage. is
to be seen, and although it boasts some five
hundred varities, there is little to dineren-
tiate them for the ordinary observer one
of the strange contradictions of nature for
which Australia is famous Is seen In the
eucalyptus or gum" as it is more gener
ally known 1t does not shed Its leaves,
but its bark, and although densely foliaged,
casts no shade-its leaves being set vita
their edges, instead of their sides, against
the sun, so that the light falls through
them through a cobweb. In clearing
land these trees are ''ring-barked, being
thus left to die and fall by their own decay,
or felled and destroyed by fire; nor can the
imagination create a more ghastly and
desolate prospect than is produced by the
constant sight of square mile after square
mile Of this bleached and ghoStly timber.
The destruction of the eucalyptus is nee
essary, however, in preparing the soil for
cultivation. or even for the purpose OF
grazing sheep thereon. since little or no
grass will grow beneath its branches. Once
cleared, however the land demonstrates
great potenualites. and IL water for frri-
cation purposes were everywhere available
the great interior plains of Australia would
rival tn FORT
southern California. Lack Of water, how
ever. forbidding Australia's rapid develop
ment agriculturally, vast areas OF the in
terror given up to sheep, and, in some
particularly favored districts, cattle raising.
with surprisingly successful results
The Sheep Ranches.
The great sheep stations or ranches, of
Australia are among the most remarkable
features of the country. The late million
alre, ''Old Jimmie Tyson" as he was gener-
ally known, used to pasture 10000 head OF
cattle on a single one Of his Queensland
properties, and owned sheep stations in this
colony and New South Wales, each of
which is larger than Bavaria. 1t Is a COM
mon thing to ride in straight line for fifty
miles in Australia within the confines of a
single property and / have myself stood on
the border line between two stations-both
owned by one man-which together exceed
ed Belgium in area. These enormous
stretches of country are necessary for the
proper feeding of the sheep. especially in
the seasons of drought. which are only too
common incidents in the experience of CO.
lcnial shepherds. The sparseness of grass,
even In its best estate, is a revelation to
the visitor. who is surprised to learn that
some of the best sheep-growing country IN
Australia will carry but one sheep to the
acre. The grass, springing to the height of
ones knee during few days OF the autumn
rains. rapidly withers under the intense
n hnat of e,lrrr,
with what seems powdery kind OF thin
hay, which. however, has decided nutri-
tive qualities for sheep, although any other
animal would starve upon It,
In former days dry season often saw
the death of twenty thousand sheep upon
single run; now, however, advantage Is
taken of a particularly fat year to store
the superabundance of grass in enSilage
and fodder pits, thus providing against
possible danger in the future. Despite the
gold and silver output of the country, more
millionaires have doubtless been made by
the sheep and wool industry; annual in
comes of $4,000 and upward are common,
and one pastoral king" who owns some
thirty stations in Victoria. Queensland and
New South Wales, informed me that his
net profit in 1890 was. in American money.
S9i6.OO0. The Importance of the wool in
dustry to Australia is shown by the fact
that the sheep and land upon which they
are pastured are valued at not less than
81 500, 600 600 The weights Of Australian
fieeces are phenomenal: those weighing six
pounds when secured are common, and
some are recorded of nearly twice that
weight.
Novel Life.
Life an Australian station Is exceed
ingly novel and interesting Many of the
station owners reside In substantial stone
houses. which are equipped with all mod
ern conveniences and often luxuriously fur
nished; their children enjoy education in
England, France or Germany, and al
though the homestead may be a hundred
miles from the railway and fifty from the
nearest neighbor. the freedom Of existence
on the broad plains has in 1t much to COM
pensate for its isolation. The family Is
more likely than not to spend the winters
in Melbourne Sydney, the station being
carried on meanwhile by manager, and
a trip home" as England is always re-
ferred to, is undertaken every few years.
Visitors are received at these stations with
a cordiality unmatched In any other part
of the world; whether introduced or not,
any tourist Of refinement and discretion Is
warmly welcomed, and is at liberty to stay
as long as he chooses. During his sojourn
everything about the house or station is at
his service; horses. traps. guns, fishing
tackle, all are indicated to him his prop
erty for the time being. Should he wear
out his welcome. and have known one in
stance where q self-inyited guest remained
at a Victoria station for two years-he
never learns OF IL, and indeed persons from
the outside world are sufficiently rare to be
welcomed warmly and separated from with
regret.
The stranger who is fond of outdoor life
can have few dull moments on an Aus
tralian station. particularly If he Is there
during the shearing season. On large
station a hundred or so shearers may be
encountered, most of whom are profession
ais. members Of that army Of nomads,
which, starting from the hot districts of
northern Queensland in February "a month
corresponding to August IN the northern
he misphere) spreads slowly down the coun-
try until it finishes its work in New South
Wales and Victoria. nine months later.
When the season Is over they slowly work
their way northward again. and are ready
for another years labor and travel An
interesting feature OF station life in North
Queensland Is found in the gathering to-
gether OF vast herds OF cattle which are
then slowly "overlanded," or driven across
the country to Melbourne or Sydney, a
distance. in some cases. of 1900 miles, to
cover which some eight nine months are
required.
Outdoor Sports.
OF outdoor sports the stations afford
great variety. On the plains there is kan
garoo running and courslng with the great
hares OF the country for the quarry; along
the lakes and rivers there Is abundance of
wild fowl shooting, while II other game
falls. there are ALWAYS the omuinresent