CONDITION OF STOCK ON EAST COAST

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14573, 17 January 1948, Page 4

CONDITION OF STOCK ON EAST COAST

EFFECT OF DRY WEATHER

Problem Of Water

Supply

Hill Pastures Firming Nicely

Stock in the Gisborne district is in good heart and shows few signs of the effect of the dry weather of the past few months. Dairy cattle are the exception, especially where adequate provision could not be made to meet the requirements of a dry season, says the Gisborne Herald. Some sheep and cattle men with poor watering facilities have been busy shifting their stock in the hill country, but that is not general. 'All of our back country is in splendid heart," said the East Coast Commissioner, Mr J. S. Jessep at Matawhero recently. "It has not been necessary to shift anything yet. The feed is firming nicely and the stock looking remarkably well. "Some people with a possible shortage of water have their worries with cattle, but they are not short yet, although that stage is getting fairly near. "If it doesn't rain by the end of March it will be very bad," he continued, adding that naturally the farmer had to look ahead.

"The Tolaga Bay area always worries me under these conditions, but there is a man here who will be buying today for that district and that shows that we are not very frightened this year," Mr Jessep concluded.

Reports from other sources state that dairy production on some farms has been cut in half in the past few weeks. Other dairy farmers with plenty of/ shade, their own water and supplementary feed have shown cnly a slight decline to date. Unfortunately, it was stated, the latter class would be in the minority. In Other Districts

A short review of the situation in other districts was given by another prominent Gisborne farmer who has just concluded a tour. He said most districts had sent good drafts of lambs away to the works. Killings always relieved the situation up to a point.

There was a considerable area throughout Hawke's Bay in rape this season. The first crops were satisfactory, but later crops were starting to wilt off before coming to maturity. Pastures in the Manawatu still retained a green tinge, but the bottom of the pastures were starting to weaken considerably in the last week or 10 days. If there was no rain in the Manawatu within a fortnight the food position would deteriorate rapidly, he said.

The bulk of the lambs in the Waikato were killed before Christmas. The season there had been good, but the pastures were now starting to dry out. The sheep-farmers were well provided for in the matter of feed. It was mainly the dairy people who had something to fear. The Bay of Plenty was said to be greener than it had been at this time of the season for many years. The rain before Christmas had carried the farmers over very well.