Volume 01: Production and resources of the northern and western districts of New South Wales, 1854 [ca. 1850-1857] - Page 404
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232
STEAMING & BOILING DOWN ESTABLISHMENTS
The prices at five dock farm for slaughtering the sheep and preparing the fat for market was advertised at one shilling per head.
For slaughtering sheep preparing the tallow fit for
exportation finding Casks & Coopering one Shilling & three pence, per head.
for salting & Curing the hams finding the salt three pence each.
Mr Armstrong states that St Johns farm consists of two thousand acres with plenty of good grass and a constant supply of water. That upon the arrival of a flock of sheep on the farm, the Butchers of Sydney and Parramatta are first invited to inspect them, when if a sale is effected, a charge of five per cent is made. When there is no demand they are immediately boiled down, and their products of tallow & wool prepared for the market.
Boiling down & putting the tallow in a marketable
state nine pence per head for the sheep. For washing taking off and packing the wool three pence per head, Carriage to Sydney & brokerage.
Casks and wool bags at cost prices.
An advance of £28 per ton has been offered by a respectable broker in Sydney for tallow prepared at this establishment.
Advertisements appear in connection with the process from Merchants in Sydney for the sale of casks suitable to contain the tallow for exportation to England also from the Coppersmiths for the sale of vessels from 50 to 800 gallons.
On the 5th of July Mr John Rostron gives a statement in the Herald of 21 5[?] they boiled down averaging five shillings per head.
Henry O Brien Esq. publishes a letter in the Herald dated the 12th July he states that the experiments tried on lean & wretched sheep by the boiling down process have given upward of seven shillings each & that but a month ago, the flock owner had to take prices for his stock averaging from one and sixpence to two shillings & sixpence whereas hundreds could not have been sold at any price.
Mr OBrien states that the flock owner may now pause and take his choice between the butcher and the exporter to change his surplus flocks into an article of export, & to pressure through his agent from the Banks an advance for his tallow.
In the leading article of the Herald of the 24th July, 1843, The Editor states that as a proof of the increases value given to sheep we may remark that Mr OBrien