SHEEP FOR PATAGONIA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20109, 30 March 1928, Page 9

SHEEP FOR PATAGONIA

FLOCKS FROM L-3MINION

CORRIEDALES DOING WELL. For the improvement of its lastgrowing sheep flocks Patagonia is looking to New Zealand for animals of stud quality. Mr D. M. Philip, o. the Dunedin branch of Dalgcty an»d Company. Ltd., returned to Aucklanu by the liemuera this week, after having ma»J!C his third trip to this southern extremity of the Argentine Republic with sheep from the Dominion. Mr Philip left Port Chalmers on December 23 with 455 stud Corriedale and Romney sheep bought by his firm on behalf of a number of Patagonia sheep-owners. With the loss of only one, which died just as the ship reach eu tiie roadsteaa of the shallow harbour of Punta Arenas, on the Pacific Coast, the Hock arrived in good con dition. In all,. Mr Philip nas iiotv taken to Patagonia about 1006 sheep, mostly New Zealand Corriedales, with a sprinkling of Australian Merino rams. Sheep-farming in these low latitudes of South America, said Mr Philip, is developing rapidly, although as yet it has not assumed nearly its New Zealand proportions, and Patagonia continues to look to the Dominion tor accretions to its quality flocks. A record season, with a prolific lambing, has been experienced there this season. Mr Philip, by way of illustrating- this, said that in ewe docks of 100,000 to 500,000 the lambing percentages, this spring had averaged from 101 to 107 per cent. —a result which, taken over such large numbers of sheep, was calculated to create envy in the mind of the New Zealand pastoralist. A land of low winter temperatures conductive to copious snowfalls, Patagonia, said Mr Philip, had its climatic problems as grazing country, because supplementary fodders and crops for fattening purposes were not easily grown. One result was that surplus stock not fit for export in the season were simply killed for boiling-down purposes, for there were not the facilities which existed in New Zealand for bringing their condition up to export standard. Not a few of the holdings were of huge proportions, the property of large companies, which owned several areas that correspond to New Zealand “runs.” But those wore so great in acreage as to each carry 80,000 to 100,000 sheep. Shearing was done for the most part by Chilean natives, who used machines of the type common in this country. Soil of a light, porous nature and a low rainfall of 12in. to 15in. a year admirably suited the Corriedale breed, which was now firmly established in the favour of South American sheep men. That there exists scope for the expansion of sheep farming in this region is indicated by works of reference on Patagonia. The country east of the Cordilleras consists of vast plains traversed by low ranges of hills and easterly-flowing rivers. Although a deal of the country is sterile and much of the surface is covered by stony layers alternating with sand dunes, the land toward the Straits of Magellan is more fertile and wooded. Fresh water in many areas is scarce, but many salt or brackish lakes and pools’ occur. The western or Andean region is particularly fertile and the valleys and coast region afford tracts suitable for tillage or pasture. An interesting provision named by Mr Philip as an attempt by the Republic to prevent outside capital gaining an undue influence in Patagonia was a provision that 75 per cent, of the share capital of the companies running sheep should be helid by native interests.