NOVEL FARMING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 37, 14 February 1939, Page 12

NOVEL FARMING.

South African Woman Prefers Black Sheep.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, February 10. One black sheep in a flock is not unusual, but a whole flock of black sheep in which a white one is a misfortune is the novel form of farming by which Mrs. Elizabeth Delbruck, of South Africa, earns a living. Mrs. Delbruck is also an artist and lecturer on art, and is in Sydney with an exhibition of pictures. She will be visiting New Zealand shortly, and is then going back to her black sheep farm.

When her husband died Mrs. Delbruck left Germany with only £5, which was all the money she was allowed to take out of the country. Four years ago she was in South Africa and by that time had saved a considerable sum of money. She was advised by a friend to invest the money in black sheep, which are the only source of astrakhan in the world. She began with 40 high-bred sheep, which was the most she could manage as a good black ram will realise anything up to £2000. The sheep cost an average of £2 each. A Large Flock.

Since then, while visiting other countries selling pictures and lecturing on art, Mrs. Delbruck has sent all her sav-

ings back to her farm and her flock now consists of 700 black sheep. By the time she has 1000 of them she reckons that if art should prove a white elephant her black sheep will provide her with a living.

The sheep are not shorn; it is only the skin of the lamtw, one day old, which is sold. If a lamb is allowed to grow older, the curls straighten and the skin is then no good for astrakhan. During the lambing season all the male lambs, except one or two needed for stud purposes, are brought into the yards and given a quick death, almost before they have had time to realise that they are living creatures. At first, Mrs. Delbruck said, it seemed to her that this was a bit cruel, but she now thought it was far less cruel than fattening up lambs and killing them for eating. Astrakhan peits fetcß from 10/ to £2 each. Mrs. Delbruck has a coat made of 35 pelts.