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.[Show full abstract]
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