Evening star., 1901-03-30
Raising Sheep by the Million for
London Markets.
a HIGHLY PROFITABLE INDUSTRY
How the Carcasses Are Dressed
and Frozen for Shipment.
VISIT TO A PACKING HOUSE
Copyright, 1901, by Frank G. Carpenter.)

topgElSuI, 4SuIs Uy u. NdEpeHteIc
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
CHR1STCHURCH, New Zealand.
New Zealand is the chief meat freezing
country of the world, and Christchurch is
Its mutton metropolis. 1t is city of more
than $4,000 people, situated Lear the sea
on the Canterbury Plains, where they raise
more sheep to the acre than anywhere
else. This country leads all others In its
product of mutton. Millions of sheep are
frozen here every year for the tables of
England. and a great fleet of steamers is
always moving back and forth across the
equator over the oceans, carrying this pro-
duct to London. The distance via the
Strait of Magellan is more than 1900
miles. 1t Is even further by the Cape Of
Good Hope or the Isthmus of Suez, but
nevertheless the freights are such that the
mutton can be sold at a lower price than
that raised in England itself.
What do you think 1t costs to raise
sheep away down here below the equator
and deliver them to the English butchers,
so that all parties can make fair profit?
Just cents pound! The New Zealand
farmer makes money by selling his sheep
at the factory at 4 cents a pound, and
the extra 8 cents suffices to pay for the
killing, the dressing and freezing, and all
the freight charges and handling between
L
ton can be produced at this cost in either
the United States or Great Britain.
The Sheep Farms of New Zealand.
But first let me give you some idea of
New Zealand's sheep industry. 1t Is the
one out of which the country makes the
most money. New Zealand now has about
20OOO,0OO sheep, or enough to give every
man, woman and child a flock of twenty
five and have thousands to spare. 1t has
almost half as many We have in the
United States, and it's product of wool is
prOportionateiy much greater than ours.
1t gets an annual income of S23 100000 out
of its exports of wool, and In addition re-
ceives more than IS 100000 for frozen NUT
ton, 81 100000 for it's tallow and more than
that amount for sheep skins and rabbit
skins
There are sheep farms to be seen every
where. / have visited many of them dur
ing my tour through the islands. They
are much better kept than similar proper
ties In the United States. being divided up
into large fields fenced with wire and often
carefully cultivated.
Many Of the holdings are large. The
average flock at present contains about
thousand sheep. There are 9. 100 men who
have each between 500 and ], 600 and there
are 1000 farmers who each own from 900
to 5000 sheep. There are more than 200
who have from 5000 to 10000. and 40 who
each own hockS of twenty thousand or up
wards The tendency just now Is toward
small fiocks The farmers have found it
pays to raise sheep for mutton, and the
day will soon come when every farmer will
have his own flock of sheep.
Mutton Wool.
In Australia the sheep are reared chiefly
for their wool. Here they are reared both
for wool and mutton. The weather is
such that they can feed out Of doors all
the year round, thus saving the expense
of barns or stables. On the larger estates
the total expenses are not more than 81
per sheep, and the annual increase of the
flock is from so to 100 per cent of the
number of ewes.
Sheep farming in New Zealand is man.
aged upon scientific principles. The peo-
pie have studied the breeds and have Sc
lected those which will produce the most
wool and the best mutton.
1t is an old expression that it is hard
to get blood out of a turnip- The New