The Coolidge examiner., 1937-12-02

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their systematic breeding, there has
grown the amazing total of more
than ia million animals, which sup
ply between a fourth and a third
of the worlds wool requirements.
The generations Of sheep breeders
that followed MacArthur's footsteps
have taken their fiocks over wide
areas Of the continent. Through in
creased watering facilities, by
means of artesian bores, millions Of
animals now are ranging in regions
once considered useless.
AS the worlds wool-hungry mills
have increased their demands, so
station (ranch) owners also have
increased the weight and quality Of
the fieeces.
Today the average clip Gncluding
lambs) has risen to eight-and-a-hah
pounds. twice that Of pioneer days;
but you see some wrinkle-necked
old merino rams that are carrying
the equivalent Of seven suits Of
mems clothing on their bodies. In
length, fineness. and strength Of its
fiber Australian wool is unsur-
passed.
Life on the Sheep Range
A sheep ranch is a complete COM
munity in itself. 1t usually has its
own post office, telegraph station.
and power plant. Although not on
the Sumptuous scale Of some of the
palatial residences of the Argentine
pampa many of these commodious
station homes surrounded by flow
ering gardens are perfect in every
appointment and convenience. In
some respects they are the Austria
lian equivalent of old English
manors.
Beyond each central residence is
clustered a full complement of bar
racks and houses for the station
hands and families; also stables.
blacksmith and machine shops;
laundry, butchery, and bakery. And
outlying those are the long cor
rugated-iron woolshedS and stock
pens.
Life is mhurried in these nerve
centers Of the country's chief indus
try. The manager seldom assigns
more than one task a day to his
men. Some days they do little, but
they are always ready to work long
fatiguing hours when the occasion
demands.
BY the sweat OF their own brows
most owners have built and man
aged their own estates. While there
are some absentee owners. by far
the majority know the meaning OF
work. Sons. too. grow up in the
business. On many stations one
finds these young "jackaroos" work
ing to fit themselves to become sta
tion managers.
With perhaps forty men under his
direction a managers life is busy
one. There are always inspec-
tion trips to see the condition of wa
ter and grass on the runs, repairs to
be maintained, and a multitude of
other tasks to keep the station 60
ing.
Here in the saddle most Of Aus
tralia's polo players gain their train
ing. The men also find recreation
in hunting or tennis.
Culture Is Not Lacking.
The wives of the managers are
cultured and many have travelled
widely In the outback it is rather
surprising to find people so con-
versant with the latest books, music.
and, of course, the races.
Before telephones and radios
came station life was more isolat-
ed. Motorcars and even airplaneS
in many places have brought dis
tant towns next door.
One of the most remarkable
things, as you travel through the
sheep districts, is the comparative
absence of sheep on the landscape.
When you comment on it up in
Queensland a station man explains
that he has travelled a thousand
miles through one region where
there were a million sheep being
pastured yet on the whole trip he
has not seen single sheep!
At Boonoke. where there are
about a hundred thousand animals,
the plains seem empty The docks
are broken up into smaller groups
and have their own separate runs,
but even on the fertile grasslands
of that station there is less than one
sheep to the acre. In more arid
regions the acreage is considerably
greater.
AS you speed across the rolling
plains of one station in an Amer
lean truck you see dozens of kan
garoos rise up like posts above the
grass and then take to their heels
as you approach.
Propelling themselves with only
their powerful hind legs. with their
tiny undeveloped front legs held
high, their running seems uncanny.
But as your speedometer touches
As miles an hour, some old kan
garoos keep pace beside the car.