THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam out Faciam." DUNEDIN, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 264, 24 October 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam out Faciam." DUNEDIN, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24.

In 1797 Captain Macarthur succeeded, with the aid of Captain Waterhouse, R.N., in introducing into New South Wales three rams and four ewes of the merino sheep. From that date, and from that beginning, sprang up the industry which has not only made New South Wales what it is, but has colonised the whole of Australia. In 1801 there were 3,757 sheep in New South Wales, in 1859 there wen: 7,581,762 sheep, and an export of 53,700,542 lbs. .of wool. Animated by the reflection of. the effects that followed on Captain Macarthur's enterprise, Mr. C. Ledger, a resident in Peru from 1836, devoted himself for ten years to the task of introducing the alpaca sheep from Peru into Australia. By the Peruvian laws a punishment of ten 'years', labour in chains at the Chineha Islands was decreed to whomsoever should attempt to export sheep from the cdast. The undertaking was, therefore, one of the utmost difficult}', involving the driving them across the Cordilleras into the Argentine Confederation, and thence to the Chilean territory. vt It would occupy" said his brother in a lecture delivered by him before the Society of Arts, London, " more time " than is allowed to me to trace month by *' month, or even year by year, the dangers. " privations, and vicissitudes he, his shepherds, " and his flocks, passed through, during these " following four years. They trench on the "romantic. His mules and donkeys were " frozen to death; two of his shepherds, with 1 their mules, were dashed to pieces, by failing " over precipices; he was taken for a political " spy, which idea he did not discourage, as it " enabled him to keep his true purpose dis- " guised. Twice he was arrested, and once " had to defend his flock from forcible seizure."

In May, 1858, he arrived at Capiapo with his flock, after almost unexampled hardship-? and a separation from his family of six years. In June, 322 of the animals were shipped on board the Salvadoro. and 276 of the number arrived iv Sydney in November. The flock was- a mixed one, consisting principally of alpacas, but including also llamas, vicunas, and cross-breeds. A suitable location was at once selected for them, and they seem to have thrived wonderfully. Writing to a friend some time after his arrival, Mr. Ledger indulged in the following enthusiastic terms :—£

As you are one of the few who feel deeply interesteJ in the success of the alpacas, and sympathise with oiy-enthusi-istn, I am sure you will not be wearied of my frequently writing to you about th»±m. I send you specimens of wool, from animal of first cross betwt-eu llama and alpacas. It was born on the 27th of April last It is, therefore, of Arthursleish grovvth,:'and I contend that alpaca wool was never grovvn at the same,rate in Peru. It is; truly astonishing. "The length of staple and quality are beyon 1 ray fondest expectations. The- animal yielding it is now little overlive months old, and would now clip fully 71 bs. AH are in the same state. The fact is, that.': ia this country we shall soon astonish Peru, aud I hope to send fleeces, grown at Arthursleigh, ;to the next Exhibition in London', that will astonish Europe, too ! r Send the enclosed specimens to your sonin Ea^land, and let .him-;show his friends what Arfchursleigh is doing. . ■. . "''u;' r'-:' '■■'■ ■'■±;nX '.

By an elaborate calculatibnj it is computed that, allowing for all contingencies of loss and consumption, the 276 sheep introduced by Mr Ledger will in 50 years multiply to 9,760,000, and that moderately computing the wool at 71bs each, and at a value of only 2s per lb, the produce at the end of that time would be [68,320,000 ; value ,'for [the year, £6,832,000.

We.now proceed to extract from a letter of Mr Ledger's, a-description of the general characteristics of the animal. Writing from Melbourne in OctdberTO, 1860, he says :-^ T»>?acelunatisation of the alpaca aad llama ia Australia is now proved beyond a doubt. The smaller dock in thus colony, and the larger one iv that of Sew South Wales, have fully satisfied me as to the übptalulitybf this peculiar animal to the climate iud natural grasses of the country. This animal is f re2r £nm constitutional diseases •nan ordinary sheep ; less subject to thos 3 arishicrom repletion and exposure to rain. Foot root, <u:arrh, and bottle are unknown to them N-eifcherare. its y oua> expose! to those accidents ■iao,e to befall toe Jamb of sheap. The mothers are .rovidenfcand careful nuraes, nor do the youn* ones ' eqiur« any aid to make them suck. : Exeept^afc the rubMngsewon, these animals stand in no neea of attention ; the shepherd need only visit ohem occasionally; and su CJ are their gregarious oabits, that the members of one flock seldom stray iway and mix with others, being kept in a *ood state of discipline by the old ones, who know their own grounds, and become attached t> tlw place of oheir nativity, to which they return at night, evi.ictug an astonishing vigilance and sagacity in keapinothe young ones together and free from harm.

By trials, careful study, aad iutiimta knowledge of cue alpaca, after an almost daily association with "his interesting animal for twenty -two years in South \merica,and twain Australia, it is place.l beyoad a loubt in my mind that this animal may be uatu-,-alised and mads to readily propagate in almost any jlima; aad every day the facilities and the efficacy of sheir proper breeding must become apparent. The hardy nature and contented disposition of the alpaca, its extreiaa doeiiliry, an d gregarious habits, cause it to adapt itself to almost auy soil or situation, iroviied the air is pure and the he.it not tDo oppressive. I had innumerable proofs of its hardiness, and it s power to endure cold, heat, damp, confinement, hunger, and thirst—vicissitudes to which it is constantly exposed on its native mountains. It-was only 25 years ago that alpaca wool was first introduced into England, and it was a long while before its peculiar qualities were fully appreciated. For the first five years the imports averaged only 5(30,000 lbs, for the last five years they averaged 2,G00,000 lbs per annum, and the advance in price has been from lOd to 2s 6<l perlb. The alpaca lives to the age of 14 to 16 years. The fleeces, when annually shorn, range from 7 to 10, 11, and 12 lbs. Both the llama and alpaca are powerful beasts of burden, and in their tame state they are excellent for food. The flesh was experimented on in Sydney, and favorably reported on by the several hundred persons who tasted it.

It will naturally be asked why we have been thus minute in our description; we answer, because the opportunity is afforded to the people of Otago to secure some of these invaluable animals. A firm in Lima has secured a concession from the Peruvian Gorernment to ship 150 D alpacas. Three ships are chartered to leave Lima in March next. Victoria is anxious to secure the whole lot; Tasmania has offered for a number. The shippers intend to supply the latter demand, and we have a letter in our possession iv vhich they offer to supply the Otago Government, and allow one of the ships to call at the province for the purpose. They say—''- The '•Victorians are anxious to secure the whole, and " want the three ships directed to their port, " and overtures have been made us to supply " Tasmania. This, of course, we shall do, but " unless I have been greatly mistaken in what ;t I saw and heard when I was in Dunedin, " you will not suffer Australia to form a " monopoly of this important animal, but will " Avish to be supplied simultaneously with " Victoria and Hobart Town. Should you v offer us the same inducement as we have " there, we will direct one of the three ships " containing 500 head to be devoted to Otago. " Our prices are ,£IOO a head for the mixed " colors, and £150 for pure white. We will " take half in good land, half in cash if the " government are prepared to treat with " us." An answer has to be sent at one?, and we urgently recommend the consideration of the subject to the Government and the flock-owners.

From the tenor of the letter we believe it is not required that the whole of the 500 should be taken, probably it would be considered a sufficient inducement if the undertaking were made to take from 100 to 200 Judging from the information at our command, and especially from Mr Ledger's lecture, we believe New Zealand will be found more suitable than Australia for the alpaca. It is accustomed to the cold regions of the elevated plateau between the Andes and the Cordilleras. The great fear when the sheep were introduced into Australia was that the climate would be too hot, and Mr. Ledger! selected the Maneroo district because he found | that the thermometer in the evening ranged only from twenty-four to thirty-one degrees. After the lecture in London one of the gentlemen present expressed his fears that Australia would be found too hot for the alpacas. " If they looked at the locality in which these " animals originated—they lived in extremely " mountainous regions, almost within the v reach of perpetual snow. The vicuna lived "in the highest regions of all. In Australia " they heard of snowy ranges, but those "were mountains which were covered with A' snow only during certain portions of the " 3 rear. Snow did not exist there over any "great extent of country for any great length "of time, and in such localities as it most "existed the country was rather barren and Ci rocky. It was true these animals could v live upon hard fare, but they could not live " upon mere rocks. The Snowy Mountains of " Australia were, to a great extent, of a rocky " nature, and the quantity of grass was smalL " They had been told of the country explored ''by Mr Stuart, but it should at the; same ''time have been stated that it was a country ' of intense heat, and these were not animals " to stand great heat, but were rather adapted " for cold climates. No doubt they would " live up to their bellies in snow, but he lor "•one did not look forward with the hope that " some did to the propagation of this animal " hi Australia." i

These fears have not been realised; the sheep have progressed remarkably in New \ South Wales, but certainly the Otajjo climate | will not be found too cold. The Alpaca thrives t upon all kinds of grass, upon shrub^ and upon scrub. "The construction of the "mouth and tusks .enables them to cut short upon.the ground,,and. with ,the ? . aid of " the tongue and cleft lip they can reach and 4 cull herbage growing in interstices of rock."

The Acclimatisation Society, in the introduction to Mr? Ledger's lecture, which was published under its remarks that the value of the Alpaca is to be regarded, not because of its "superseding the sheep or any "other stock now depasturing amongst us " but rather as feeding over the sheep's head, " eating herbage that nothiug else will eat, " and from its little use of water beiug adapted "to occupy millions of acres unfit for any "other purpose."