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tract of inferior country prevails, being
low, honey-combed, and much inter-
sected by swamps. What is exceptional
to this description is found on the West
banks of the Oreti and the East banks
of the Aparima, where, especially on
the latter, belts of superior grass of
considerable area are found.

To the North of the Oreti Plains are
the Taringtura Downs. Here the pas-
turage is generally of good quality for
sheep, the Northern and Eastern slopes
having dry and superior herbage, while
the Western and Southern have what
may come under the denomination of
good. The exceptional tracts are in
the vicinity of the Taringtura Moss and
Dipton Creek. The drawback to these
downs is in the scarcity of timber ; yet
I believe that sufficiency will be found
for pastoral purposes.

¥ North-west from the Taringtura
Downs lies Mount Hamilton and its
proximate ranges, spurs, and ridges.
This country is diversified with good
and inferior grasses. The level tops of
the ridges have very frequently exten-
sive mosses on them, while the slopes
and valleys bear grass of good quality.
I would infer, from the position of this
tract being between two high ranges,
viz., the Takitimo and Eyre mountains,
that it is much subject to violent winds
and drifting showers, yet there is every-
where abundant shelter for stock upon it.

Commencing again near the sea coast
at Jacob’s River, where it divides into
two branches, called the Aparima and
the Omut, generally a fine tract of pas-
ture exists, and bounded as it is on the
westward by the Longwood range, it is
well sheltered from the prevailing winds.
On this tract in the vicinity of Opork
Creek and Groper’s Bush, the grasses
are good, while on Omut Creek they
become inferior, being much overrun
with fern.

To the northward, on the slopes of
Mount Pleasant, Ferndunlaw, and Bald
Hill, the country assumes an inferior
character, being much overrun with
fern ; but to the north of the Otautau
Creek, which bounds these, the fern
disappears, and grasses of partly good
and partly inferior qualities take its
place. To the east of Woodlaw and
Wairio Hill the pasturage is generally
inferior, but the northern aspect of the
congeries of hills to which these belong
bears generally good grass, mixed at
times with fern.

To the west of these is the Orawia
River, which possesses a good pastoral
district, especially about the middle
part of its course. Here limestone
ridges prevail (as stated before) as far
as the Limestone Gorge of the Waiau.
The northern districts of the Orawia,
called the Wairaki Downs, are scrubby,
and appear cold and inferior. Proceed-
ing to the Waiau River, in the vicinity
of the same, and stretching as far as the
Wairarak, grasses of superior quality
prevail on spacious terraces here exist-
ing ; but stretching towards Marshburn
and its sources, the country rapidly de-
generates ; the grass being scanty and
covered with flax. The district in the
vicinity of the Wairarak, and north-
wards to the base of the Takitimo
mountains, improves, the grasses ap-
parently being abundant, and of good
quality.

In closing this description of the
Pasturage of these districts, it will be
useful to state that superior grasses are
estimated in the Land Office to carry
one sheep to two acres—good grasses
one sheep to three acres—and inferior,
one sheep to four or five acres.

AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES.

The Agricultural Lands are estimated
in the preceding portion of this Report
at 400 square miles, but this must be
accepted under the following explana-
tion, that in assigning the boundaries
of these and the Pastoral, the present
circumstances of the colony are taken
into account. Under present circum-
stances lands distant from water carriage,
or nuclei of population, while they may
be of value to the flockowner, are value-
less to the agriculturist, for it must be
evident that the light and costly pro-
ductions of the former can bear a great
deal heavier carriage expenses than the
bulky stuffs of the latter ; consequently,
however well adapted from climate
or soil, it would be useless to class as
agricultural what cannot now be used
as such. Before agricultural opera-
tions can be successfully extended into
the interior—and much of it is well adapted
for the same—population must have
increased, and communication have been
improved ; conditions that require time
or unforeseen events to develope. The
district that has been classed as agri-
cultural is that contained within the
tracts around Invercargill, Campbelltown, and Jacob’s River. Here is easy
access to markets by means of water
communication or short land stages.