H.—2l

17

Babbits. —Poisoning" was carried out generally during last winter, and followed up by other means, such as trapping, shooting, dogging, and hand-working ferrets. Natural enemy neglected here. Considerable difficulty has been experienced in getting many landowners to effectually deal with the rabbit pest,?and proceedings under the Rabbit Act had to be taken in such cases. There is certainly a decided decrease in some parts of the district, but in other parts, owing to the favourable nature of the country for harbouring rabbits and the want of energy on the part of the owners, no great headway has been made. Arrangements are now being effected for a thorough and systematic poisoning throughout the district, and I hope for the best results. Naseby. J. C. Millee.

Lake Division. Sheep. —Health good ;no disease in the district; the lambing exceptionally good—6s per cent, in merinoes, and 85 in cross-breds. 'Wool. —The clip of wool very good and in sound condition. Cattle. —Health good; condition low, owing to the scarcity of grass, having had an exceptionally dry summer. Have had two cases of cancer brought under my notice, and both animals were destroyed. Horses. —Health good ; class very inferior. Babbits. —I am pleased to be able to report a considerable decrease in the number of rabbits, especially in Lake County and the high country in Vincent County. The low country, and more especially the Molyneux Valley, show little if any decrease, although there has been a larger number destroyed than in any previous year. The rabbits are very numerous in the Landsborough, Westland County, all along the river flats. The natural enemy, ferrets, stoats and weasels, are increasing and spreading all over the district. Weasels are very plentiful in the Wanaka district, likewise up the Hunter. I have seen a number of rabbits freshly killed by them. The means adopted for the destruction of the pest are phosphorized grain in winter; trapping, ferreting, shooting, fumigating and flooding-out the burrows in summer. The most of the landowners have done good work in coping with the pest through the summer. There have been a few exceptions, necessitating proceedings under the Rabbit Nuisance Act. Crops. —The crops have been below the average, owing to the very dry summer. There are no pests in this district but the small birds. The Hessian fly has not been seen. Clyde. ——■ A. leonside.

Tapanui-Lawrence Division. Sheep. —The sheep as a whole are looking extremely well, although the grass is not as plentiful as last season at this time of the year, and I am sorry to say the outlook for the winter is not nearly so bright on account of the turnip crops (except in a few cases) being poor—in fact, quite failures. Wool. —The clip for the past season was a good one, the average weight per sheep being about 71b. This, when the number of merinoes in the district is taken into consideration, is a good average. Lambing. —The lambing was, as far as I can learn, 70 per cent. Diseases in the flocks have been very little—a few cases of lungworm, for which the usual remedies were applied with good results. Cattle are looking well, and though some time back there was a good demand for fats and stores, now they have dropped back to a rather low price. One case of cancer was reported to me, but on inspection I found that the so-called cancer was simply a large knob of horn formed by the animal being branded too deeply. There was no discharge of any kind, so I did not destroy the animal. Babbits. —Taken as a whole, the district is not so much infested as last year. There are certain patches that are very bad ; these, in most cases, are places where people were waiting to see what the rabbit factories were going to do this season, and allowed the rabbits to increase. The breeding season was also very favourable to the rabbits, no floods occurring to drown the litters. Owners are now working consistently at the pest, and, with a favourable poisoning season, I hope to see the rabbits get such a thinning that they will not recover next season. Crops. —The crops in the district are, as a rule, light this season. Some very heavy crops, however, were harvested at Crookston, Waikaia, and Waikoikoi. The only pests to crops that I know of are the Hessian fly and small birds. The Hessian fly has worked up as far as Lawrence, where I saw a field or two badly damaged. Am glad to report that it has not as yet shown in any other part of my district. I mean that the Crookston, Beaumont, Roxburgh, Waikaia, Wendon, Waikoikoi, and Tapanui districts are still free of the fly. The small birds have done a deal of damage, and are yearly getting worse; they are particularly bad in the Waikaia District. Tapanui. R. H. Hassall.

Balclutha-Tokomairiro Division.. Sheep.— On the whole, I consider the sheep healthy. During the last season there has been a slight mortality amongst both newly-shorn sheep and lambs newly cut and tailed, particularly in the Lovells Flat and Waiwera districts. In company with Government Veterinary Inspector McClean, I went through the district, but we came to no definite decision as to the cause. We could not get any fresh cases, but I think dirty sheds and yards were principally the cause of it. Lambing.— The lambing has been good, being about 95 per cent, for the cross-bred and 65 per cent, for merinoes. Wool. —Strong, and a good clip. I have as yet seen no lungworm this season, and very little foot-rot. There have been several cases of sheep infected with lice in the sale-yards, also unbranded sheep. In every case informations have been laid and convictions obtained, with a good result, 3—H 21.