THE FARMER'S MAGAZL\E. 



293 



ol" about GjoOOjOUOlbri. uuuuully, fur sacks, cordage, and 

 carpets. Those used as beasts of burden ar# never 

 shorn, their wool serving the purposes of a pack. 



Thus much for the allied animals ; but it is with 

 the alpaca we have chiefly to deal, which though of 

 inferior s'ze to the llama, produces a much finer and 

 longer fleece. The Peruvians have hitherto guarded 

 this animal with scrupulous jealousy, and en- 

 deavoured to confine it to their own country by 

 the most stringent prohibitions and penalties against 

 its shipment. Mr. Charles Ledger, a merchant who 

 has had more than twenty years' local experience, set j 

 liimself resolutely to overcome the difficulty, and 

 matured a plan, which he ullimately executed, of 

 getting a large flock out of the country over the 

 frontiers into the Argentine republic, and thence to a 

 CItih'an port, for shipment. This was only accomplished, 

 however, after great difficulty and serious loss. The 

 vast success that had attended the introduction of ths 

 Merino sheep into our Australian colonies, and the 

 supposed suitability of its climate and vegetation to the 

 alpaca, led to many attempts being made to introduce 

 them there without success. Mr. Ledger, however, in 

 December, 1858, succeeded in landing a flock of 

 276 at Sydney ; which were sold, in the April follow- 

 ing, to the New South Wales Government. The his- 

 tory of Mr. Ledger's adventures, troubles, expenditure, 

 and ultimate successes were detailed by his brother, 

 Mr. Geo. Ledger, at the meeting of the Society of 

 Arts. 



In endeavouring to estimate the capabilities of a 

 country for the successful and profitable maintenance of 

 an animal new to its history, we must look first to its 

 climate, and secondly to the food which it produces, 

 and see if the one is suitable, and the other supplies 

 what is required by the animal for its full development. 

 An animal cannot be regarded as perfectly acclimatised 

 until it is demonstrated that it can live in the locality 

 to which it is introduced, as well as in its native 

 country; that its produce can be turned to useful pur- 

 poses, and that agriculturists will find their advantage 

 in breeding it on an extensive scale. 



It appears, from the experience of* nearly two years, 

 that the climate and pasturage in Australia (New South 

 Wales particularly) are suited to the alpaca. Even the 

 icJm grass, its favourite herbage in Peru, is found 

 indigenous there. The animals also attain maturity 

 e;irlier than in South America, several instances 

 having occurred of ewes under two years bearing lambs. 

 The course of breeding has already arrived at the 

 fourth cross, and the appearance of the animals, as the 

 breeding progresses, encourages Mr. Ledger to expect 

 that he will ultimately produce a finer animal than the 

 alpaca of Peru. The experiments of the naturalisation 



of the alpaca in Au.stralia have been so fully and success- 

 fully carried out, that the alpaca may now bo looked 

 upon as an Australian animal. 



The idea of conferring on our Australian colonies the 

 immense advantages anticipated to follow from the intro- 

 duction of an animal so valuable as the alpaca, appears 

 to have almost simultaneously presented it to the minds 

 of several individuals. Mr. Ledger, although the most 

 extensive importer, was not the first to introduce them. 

 Mr. Titus Salt has sent out several to South Australia. 

 In March, 1857, four arrived, and were located at 

 Port Lincoln; and in July, 1858, five more were sent 

 out. These, however, have not been so successful, the 

 flock being too small, and several have died. A flock 

 of 38 was brought to London in 1858, by Mr. Gee, from 

 New York, where they had arrived from Panama and 

 Guayaquil ; tea of these were purchased and sent out to 

 Sydney, which they reached safely in November, 1858, 

 and were from thence forwarded on to Brisbane, in 

 Queensland ; while twenty more were purchased and 

 shipped to Melbourne, where up to the present time 

 they have gone on excellently. 



We have thus the facts presented to us of the distri- 

 buti(m of the alpaca in the four leading Australian 

 colonies, and we have no doubt of their increase and 

 progress. Indeed, calculations were laid before the 

 meeting of the ratio of increase which might be antici- 

 pated, from which it was shown that in ten years the 

 flock of 250 would probably be increased to 3,250 : and 

 the experience of the Increase of sheep in the colony was 

 cited as an example of what could be done. In 1801 

 there were 6,757 sheep in New South Wales; now 

 there are about 8,000,000. Notwithstanding the enor- 

 mous draught constantly made on the flocks to supjily 

 the daily demands for food— notwithstanding that whole 

 flocks were consigned to the boilers by their panic- 

 stricken owners — notwithstanding disease (caused and 

 rendered more destructive by desertion) swept away 

 large numbers, they are not now diminished, but show 

 a steady increase. 



The supply of alpaca wool is of no small importance 

 to a particular branch of our woollen manufacture. It 

 is only a quarter of a century ago since it was in- 

 troduced. In the first five years afterwards only about 

 511,0001bs. were received annually ; in the last five 

 years the imports averaged 2,600,0001bs., and that, too, 

 at 2s. Cd. per lb., while at first it only brought lOd. 

 per lb. In the past five years the supply has been 

 almost stationary, and we are informed by Mr, Ledger 

 is more likely to decrease than increase. If by the ex- 

 tended introduction of the animal into our colonies we 

 can add to the supply of this valuable wool, we 

 shall benefit materially both the colonists and our 

 own manufacturers. 



