The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-12-22

80 mutton and wool and they uo,I3
- more stock than they do uaro
- not ior the rats. AS il is this raa+
- - great that it nov takes three or
Ilofe acres to support one sheen Tba
td.s no only eat the grass. but tho
oUiio" the earth to such an
extent mat it is impossible to driya
80 ~ pains with a wagon. and on
noISeback II has to ride very cara-
FULLY. Cattle are used as raj a..
mlnators. They are driven orer -
ground and the rats in their hurroyvc
are trampled to death by them
Inc sheep farms of TERRA del
tueSo are much like those of Austria
la They are fenced with wire and
the sheep are kept in large paddocks
some OF which are as big as an aver
age American township. The ordinary
lock contains about two thousand
mead, and each flock has its own shen-
nerd. aided by dogs. The dogs arc
scotch collles, so intelligent that they
seem almost human. They will PICK
any sheep from a flock at the com
mana or their master, who directs
thefn by a motion of his hand which
way to go. If he waves to the front.
they know they are to go ahead. Ii
ne throws his hand to the rear they
come back. and the holding up of his
hand in the air brings them to a
~standstill.
The most Of the shepherds are
Scotchnen. who came to the Strait of
MAGELLAN on fiVe-year contracts. TheL
receive about $50 to $40 a month
n have in addition house rent. fuel
II meat. Their houses are two or
three room shacks scattered over the
farm. The fuel comes from the woods.
II their meat is mutton from the
fiocks they herd. On the whole, the
farms are almost self-supporting.
The most important part Of the
year at the Strait Of Magellan is when
the shearing is done. This season be-
gins IN January, and on the big
ranches it nay last for two months.
Much Of the work is done by p%rofes-
Sional ShearerS, although the shepherd
comes in to help handle the animals.
On some of the farms this work is
paid for by the fleece. The present
scale of wages fixes the rate at $4.13
per hundred, or a little more than
four cents per pound. When a mar
begins to shear he is given a book
let, in which is recorded the numbes
Of animals he shares during the Weeh
and the amount to his credit. II
any dispute arises it is to be settled
by a committee composed equally OF
the and employees. The com
pany furnishes the shears. and every
man gets three pairs of shears at the
start and an additional pair for each
thousand animals. AT four cents a
sheep the man can make very good
wages.
The average fleece Of wool 10
produced in TERRA del Fuego is much
larger than the average fleece of the
United States. 1t runs at seven anc
a half pounds and upward. The WOO
is of good quality, having q staple OF
three to four inches and selling a
the same price as the wool of New
Zealand. The sheep are not washed
and the wool is exported in its greas.
state. The most Of it goes to Grea
Britain, and the remainder to Ger
many, Belgium and France. 1t i
shipped in bales of 450 pounds net.
The capital of the Chilean TERRITORY
Of the Magellans is Punta Arenas
This place has now 10000 inhabltant
and it is the metropolis OF the strait
1t is situated on the mainland. faclnE
the great island of TERRA del Fuego
inst about half way between the AT
lantic and the Pacific oceans. 1t 1
more than a hundred miles north 0
Cane Horn, and it has the Whol'
length of the continent between II an
Panama.
Punta Arenas is the southernmos
CITY of the world. South America ex
tends more than a. thousand miie
nearer the south pole than AFRICA, am
Punta Arenas is 1900 miles furthe
south than Cape Town. There IS n
city Of any size within a thousan
miles Of it. and it is now reached ON
bv the steamers that pass hroug IN
Strait Of Magellan. In the tar 1utuI
# NAV have railway connections W.T.
the rest Of Chile.
Nevertheless. Punta Arenas Is a
up-to-date municipality. Fifteen year I
ago the greater part of 1t was sun l
r. woods stump still stood III IN
principal streets. and in the rainy sea
son the roads were rivers Oh IA ntui
Todav the town is we'll paved ana
hhoe . nlaza surrounded by goo
houses and stores. The streets reefs ar
lighted by electricity. n thele 81
chnrches and schools. n govern
,ant has recently erected a "lreies