Sheep production on the mountain country of Ashburton County

Abstract

The sheep-runs of the Ashburton County cover roughly 590,000 acres of river-flat, foothill, and high mountainous country bounded on the south by the Rangitata River (with the exception of the Mesopotamia run of Butler’s Erewhon fame). On the northern side the boundary is formed by the Rakaia River, and a straight line from the Rangitata through Mount Somers and Staveley Townships to the Rakaia roughly demarcates the plains land from the hills on the east, while westerly the runs extend back thirty and forty miles to the main ranges of the Alps. On account of the extreme roughness of the country and the lack of suitable vegetation, the sheep do not graze on the high faces of the main range. Nevertheless, the Merino is mustered from the summer country at levels between 7,000 ft. and 8,000 ft., and within the shadow of the glaciers. An important feature of the hill country of this county is the abrupt commencement of the high hills and the small amount of foothill country i.e., there is very little of that type of country which is sufficiently good and free from snow to maintain a ewe flock the year round and to dispose of wether lambs and surplus ewes for fat-lamb production on the plains.