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DISTRIBUTION. About three-fifths of the entire forest-area are comprised in the north-western section of the district, and form the Oxford, Waimakariri, and Alford Forests. The larger portion of the remainder lies in the south-western section, chiefly in the mountain-valleys of the Makaroro, Wilkin, and Hunter Eivers. A still smaller quantity is comprised in the south-eastern section, and consists chiefly of small blocks at Waimate, Peel, Geraldine, and on Banks Peninsula. With these trivial exceptions, amounting at most to about 9,000 acres, the vast district from Lake Ohau to Lake Ellesmere, a distance of nearly a hundred and fifty miles, is destitute of natural forest. The Makaeoea Valley. The Acting Commissioner of Crown Lands, Mr. W. Kitson, kindly placed at my disposal a copy of an excellent report on the forests of this district by Mr. J. H. Baker, Chief Surveyor, which enabled me to make the most of the restricted opportunities afforded by a hasty visit, attended by continuous heavy rain and flooded rivers. The lower part of the Makarora Valley is destitute of forest for fully six miles from the head of Lake Wanaka. At a little above this point much of the forest has been worked out by a sawmill now abandoned, although a block of about 100 or 120 acres —chiefly red-pine, matai, and totara, mixed with silver-beech—has been left untouched, probably from its having passed into private hands. Above this point the forest consists chiefly of silver-beech (Fagus fusca), here called whitebirch, mixed with kamai. Here and there a totara or black-pine of small dimensions may be met with, and small mountain-toatoa on the road to the Haast Pass. Cedar (Libocedrus Bidwilln) maybe found, but the staple is everywhere the silver-beech, which, on the river-flats and lower slopes, is of large size and excellent quality, but gradually diminishes in dimensions as it ascends the mountainsides. Ironwood or mountain-rata is plentiful some miles up the valley, and occasionally of large growth, often growing in inaccessible situations. I have nowhere seen silver-beech of better quality. Its fissile properties are most remarkable : it may be split into thin even shingles with the greatest of ease —more easily, in fact, than many of the pines, and for roofing purposes will last as long as ordinary red-pine. Practically it is the only timber available in the district for general work. I anticipate that it will form a special export before the lapse of any lengthened period. The flooded state of the Makarora prevented me from crossing that river to examine the valley of the Wilkin, where, I was informed that a sawmill was in operation, logs being obtained from Government forests without the formality of paying royalty. For all practical purposes this district is without supervision, its isolated position and the difficulty of access render it unprofitable to send a Eanger to collect the trivial sum that would accrue from royalty, and prevent infringment of Crown rights. In view, however of the prospective advance in the value of silver-beech for special purposes, it will be less difficult to exercise proper supervision, OXFOED FOEEST. The Oxford Forest may be described as occupying the southern slope of Oxford Hill, and extending in a north-westerly direction from the Eiver Ashley to the Waimakariri, a distance of sixteen or seventeen miles. Its area was originally about 57,000 acres, but such large portions have been alienated that the area remaining in the hands of the Crown is comparatively small, and comprises but little timber of first-class quality, all the lower portions of the forest having been disposed of, only the higher slopes remaining in the hands of the Crown. Oxford Forest is essentially a beech-forest, composed of a single species—the entire-leaved beech (Fagus Solandri), which ascends from the plains to the crest of the hills. On flats by the edge of the river it is mixed with red- and white-pine, occasionally a little matai and totara, but entire-leaved beech is the prevailing tree throughout, with the exception, perhaps, of a few isolated, patches : pokaka, small mountain-toatoa, &c, occur sparingly. Practically the lowland flats have been cut out, but a large quantity of good timber remains in wide, open gullies. In situations of this kind the trunks vary from 35ft. to 40ft. in length and from 18in. to 30in. in diameter. Occasionally trees 60ft. or 70ft. high may be found with trunks 36in. or more in diameter, but they are decidedly rare, although I was assured that formerly they were plentiful on the flats. In exposed places and on the higher slopes the trees are, of course, smaller, often not exceeding 20ft. to 25ft. in length and 12in. or 13in. in diameter. Young trees with smooth bark are termed "white-birch;" when the bark becomes corrugated and black the tree is the " black-birch " of the bushman ; if with a tinge of brown or red it is "brown-birch" or "red-birch;" occasionally trees are found carrying a yellow lichen, and are termed " yellow-birch." The terms most generally applied were " white-birch " and " black-birch." As the entire-leaved beech is the only species found in the Oxford Forest, it would be difficult to find a more striking instance of the uncertainty attending the use of ordinary names. Considerable difference of opinion has been expressed with regard to the value of the timber of entire-leaved beech. Instances are to be seen in all directions about Oxford, in which fences of this timber have perished after an existence of five or six years ;so also with sleepers, piles, &c. On the other hand, I have seen fences that have stood for twenty years, and will last for another year or possibly for two. At View Hill I examined a sheep-yard fence which had been erected for twentyone years, and appears likely to last for ten or twelve years longer. Gate-posts, piles, &c, give the same result with regard to durability. The use of immature timber, or of timber cut during the summer months, or of timber grown in wet situations, may possibly account for some instances of early decay, although neither cause can possibly cover the entire ground. In all probability this premature decay originates in the use pf unripe timber. The time required for maturation after the tree has attained full dimensions is