John Hamilton was a Scottish farmer known for pioneering

sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin an ...

in southern

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

and his stewardship of rural properties in the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

. Hamilton was a native of

Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...

where his father was a tailor. In 1888 he participated in the Gran arreo. In the early 1900s Hamilton,Thomas Saunders and Bevil Molesworth formed Sociedad Pastoril de Glencross, legally inscribed in

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

, to administer their lands in the middle course of

Gallegos River The Gallegos River () is a river in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz, on whose estuary lies Río Gallegos city, capital of the province. Given that its basin reaches only the fringes of the Andes mountains it classifies as a sub-Andean r ...

. In total Sociedad Pastoril de Glencross owned 160,500 ha. With Sounders he also owned The Patagonian Land and State Company.Martinic, p. 289 In the 1920s and 1930 he purchased a series of islands around

West Falkland West Falkland ( es, Isla Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by the Falkland Sound. Its area is , 37% of the total area of the islands. Its coastli ...

including

Weddell Island Weddell Island ( es, Isla San José) is one of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, lying off the southwest extremity of West Falkland. It is situated west-northwest of South Georgia Island, north of Livingston Island, northeast of Ca ...

Passage Islands The Passage Islands ( es, Islas del Pasaje) are a group of four islands in the Falkland Islands of the South Atlantic Ocean. They lie off Dunnose Head, West Falkland, at the mouth of King George Bay. Description The largest of the group is ...

, and Saunders Island. John Hamilton administered these islands in an unusual way for the time, reducing sheep numbers, he introduced pasture rotation, replanting of native

tussac grass ''Poa flabellata'', commonly known as tussac grass or just tussac, is a tussock grass native to southern South America, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and other islands in the South Atlantic. There are also two isolated records from the her ...

, introduced '' Cupressus macrocarpa'' as windbreaks and attempted

afforestation Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees (forestation) in an area where there was no previous tree cover. Many government and non-governmental organizations directly engage in afforestation programs to create forests a ...

. From Patagonia he imported

guanaco The guanaco (; ''Lama guanicoe'') is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids, the other being the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations. Etymology The guanaco g ...

s whose descendants numbered about 400 in 2003 in on Staats Island. However, Hamilton's introduction of

gray foxes The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener, the diminutive island fox (''Urocyon litto ...

from Patagonia to some of his and his associates islands proved ecologically disastrous.

References

;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, John Scottish emigrants to Chile Sheep farming in Argentina Sheep farming in Chile Falkland Islands farmers British emigrants to the Falkland Islands People from Caithness 19th-century Scottish farmers 20th-century Scottish farmers

See also

References