Highlands

Heep In Ng

Cloud Over Nondugl

From Judy Tudor

LAE, April 22.

JO one quite knows the score at S Nondugl—the 1,200-acre live stock station of the Hallstrom rust in the Eastern Highlands of gw Guinea.

When Mr. and Mrs. N. Blood and lughter Susan returned from leave Australia in mid-April it was ily to pack up at Nondugl and go i to the Korn Farm, near Hagen, lere the Agricultural Department developing an experimental coffee ation. This will be pioneering all er again for the Blood family, lose name is just about synonym is with Nondugl.

The story, locally, is that Sir iward, of refrigerator fame, has st interest in Nondugl since the port of rare birds was prohibited •out six months ago (it was sug sted that they might carry New stle Disease into Australia). Ex rt of birds will probably be re ined soon, however—some birds e booked for the United States May.

The sheep at Nondugl are not ing as well as popular report >uld have us believe. The

quidnuncs are of the opinion that it is only a matter of time before they all die off.

At present there are 900—a con siderable number less than origin ally imported in spite of some natural increase in the early stages.

Reasons given are a worm or a para site infestation and unsuitability of climate and soil at Nondugl, plus

the fact that there has been little of the planned improvement of pastures with imported grasses, which evidently is essential there in the Highlands.

The local veterinary officer of the Department of Agriculture is of the opinion that while European cattle are a sure-fire success in the High lands area, sheep are out of their

-element and it is a continuous battle to try to adapt their environ ment to them.

The sheep that are doing best, he says, are those owned by Mr. Danny Leahy, near Mt. Hagen and at 7,000 feet. They probably would do reason ably well also in an area with only 40 or so inches of rain per year.

Mr. Jim Leahy has a few sheep, just outside of Goroka, which pro duced a dozen lambs in one week in mid-April; but he has not got them in such large numbers that they cannot receive almost indi vidual attention. rpHE terms of the Nondugl Trust JL have always been something of a mystery to the layman; but it was generally understood that the reason for the introduction of sheep was to provide the local natives with blankets and warm clothing. Except to a very limited experimental degree, Nondugl has provided no wool for this purpose— what has been shorn has been sent to Sydney for sale.

The only person to produce blankets in quantity from his own wool is again Danny Leahy, who has taught the natives to spin and to weave the blankets that are given as part of the usual labour issue.

Mr. Jim Leahy has also done a small amount of blanket weaving from wool from his own flock.

Some sheep were given to local natives who either expressed a de sire for them or were persuaded

that they would like them. But they neglected them, did not attempt to shear or drench them, and refused to bring them into the stations for that purpose. Some sheep recently taken back from the natives carried three years’ fleece and when shorn promptly succumbed to the cold.

They are at present advertising for a new manager for Nondugl;

but the cynics say that it will eventually become a bird-collecting centre and little else.

Miss Jacqueline Milne, daughter of Superintendent and Mrs. Milne, of Tavua, Fiji, entertained a num ber of her friends at a party on the occasion of her fourth birthdal on April 26.