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liable perhaps to drought in a very dry summer; but, taken altogether, is excellent breedingcountry. The winter and summer country on this run are equally distributed—in fact, the whole area, with the exception of about 8,500 acres, may be regarded as ewe country. We estimate the carrying-capacity of Haldon Run at about 11,500 sheep. The average lambing for the past fire years is 73 per cent.; the percentage of deaths very slight. The run is no doubt capable of subdivision. We recommend that it be subdivided into two runs, to be known as Haldon Run and Haldon Run No. 2, of carrying-capacities of 6,000 sheep and 5,500 sheep respectively; the upset rentals to be fixed at £390 and £360 respectively. Mount Cook: Run No. 83. Mount Cook Run is situated on the left bank of the Tasman River, close to and under the shadow of Mount Cook. It contains a total of 25,000 acres, 15,000 acres consisting of bush and exceptionally rough, broken, and barren country. About one-fourth of the grass portion of this run faces the north, and consists of, generally speaking, steep and warm faces. The carryingcapacity is estimated at 6,000 sheep. There are about 1,700 breeding-ewes (merino) on the run. Mount Cook is not suitable for subdivision: it is small enough already. It has attained a good reputation as a safe run, mainly owing to the skilful management of the present lessee ami his father. In less experienced hands, probably, it would have reverted to the Crown. We recommend that Mount Cook Run be reoffered as one pastoral run, at the upset rental of £150 per annum. 11. UPPER ASHBURTON AND RAKAIA. Mesopotamia : Runs Nos. 110 a and 11 Oh. From thirty-five to fifty miles from Mount Somers. These runs contain respectively 4-1,000 acres anil 14,000 acres, the character of the country being high, mountainous, and inaccessible, reaching an elevation of over 8,000 ft. on Two Thumb Range. The runs are situated between Two Thumb Range and an Education endowment of Lincoln Agricultural College, containing 37,900 acres. This endowment absorbs all the low-country frontages to the Rangitata River, thus rendering the Crown runs absolutely valueless to any person other than the lessee of the endowment. Run 110 a consists of 20,000 acres of grass," and 24,000 acres of barren country. Run 110b consists of 1,200 acres of grass, and 12,800 acres of barren country, reaching the glacier region. Both runs are suitable for summer grazing only. The probable carrying-capa-city of these two runs is about 3,600 sheep. We recommend that the runs be grouped and reoffered as one run, to be known as Mesopo* tamia Run 110 a, the upset annual rental to be fixed at £70. Run No. 111. Situated in the fork of the Clyde and Havelock Rivers (the head-waters of the Rangitata River), forty miles from Mount Somers. This run contains 18,500 acres. Of this area only 6,500 carry grass, the remaining 12,000 acres being barren country. This run may be described as precipitous and rocky, attaining an elevation of nearly 8,000 ft. on Peak Range. Belts of snow-grass and tussock grow here and there along the margin of the Havelock and Clyde Rivers. The carrying-capacity of this run is difficult to estimate: probably it will carry about 3,500 sheep throughout the year. It has wintered 4,000 wethers. There is no ewe-country on the run. Run No. 11l is worked in conjunction with Runs No. 110 a and No. 110b (both Crown pastoral leaseholds) and the Lincoln Agricultural College endowment of 37,900 acres. It would undoubtedly prove advantageous from every point of view if this run were grouped with Stron chrubie Run and the two offered as one run. We recommend that this proposal lie approved; that the new run be known as Stronchi übie Run, and that the upset annual rental of the combined runs be fixed at £175. Stkonohkubie : Run No. 112. Situated about thirty-five miles from Mount Somers. The area of this run is 17,000 acres. consisting of about 10,000 acres of grass and 7,000 acres of barren country. The country is high—bare rocks and shingle run up to an altitude of 5,000 ft. On the lower slopes, falling 'into the Clyde and Lawrence Rivers, there is vegetation, consisting of snow-grass and tussock. There is hardly any safe winter country on this run, save the Jumped-up Downs at the lower end of the run. The carrying-capacity of Stronchrubie is about 3,500 sheep-wethers. The country will not winter ewes; wethers can, however, be successfully wintered. We recommend that this run be grouped with Run No. 11l (see our remarks on Run No. 111). and offered as one pastoral run, at an upset rental of £175 per annum. Hakateke : Run No. 113. Situated between the south branch of the Ashburton River and Potts River, and adjoining the Mount Possession Run (Canterbury College endowment of 29,500 acres) on the south ; distant from Mount Somers about fifteen mile's. This run contains 54,700 acres, which may lie fairly described in general terms as high, broken, cold, dangerous country, interspersed with snowgrass table-lands. The elevation of a portion of this run exceeds 7,000 ft. The grass portion of the run contains about 37,000 acres: the purely barren and worthless portion about 17.700

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