THE WEATHER AND THE HARVEST.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 8095, 11 February 1892, Page 5

THE WEATHER AND THE HARVEST.

Yesterday the weather, which has shown signs of clearing up, again broke down iv the Northern district about midday, and rain fell more or less heavily until the evening. Appearances then did not favor the impression that it would clear up, and naturally the farmers arc gloomy in consequence. Though th 3 rain was not heavy it stopped carting. OurjLeeston correspondent writes:-—Wed-nesday has turned out a winter's day, instead of harvest weather. Early on Wednesday morning it turned very cold, with a south-west wind, and frequent showers fell during the day, but fortunately the rain was not heavy. Harvest operations are all thrown back. Stacking will now be delayed several days longer. Reports are coming in that tho wheat, ia sprouting in the stooks, and the rain to-day will make a largo quantity of wheat sprout to a certainty. Farmers are anxiously looking for a favourable change in the weather. A large number of farmers were busy stacking on Wednesday until knocked off with, the rain at noon, a good many uqw stacks being erected on a number of farms, The weather cleared up nicely at Ashburton on Tuesday night, but showers fell again yesterday, with a warm, muggy atmosphere. At Alford station 2.50 in of rain fell from Thursday morning till Tuesday evening, but in many parts of the district the fall was atill heavier , . ' ; At the meeting of ,the Geraldine Count} Council yesterday the Engineers and Ranger reported that the heavy rains had done no damage to tho water-races or head works in the Council's jurisdictionl As soon aa tho flood waters subiide a thorough inspection is to be made. ■ ..-...■■■■

On Tuesday night (states our Temuka correspondent) more drizzling rain fell, and Wednesday morning was again wet, jklthough there was signs oi the wea,ther,,toiproving. The farmers, however, have boon able to do little towards securing, thoir grain, and- a very large area, of wheats standing in stook. The grain enumerators say that they never recollect so' large an area of good crops, but mnoh of this will be spoiled. The town is full of threshing machine hands, and farmere complain that they cannot get the requisite faboiif for stroking and stacking. The men are asking a shilling in hour, and refuso to fcafce the work at .contract rate. It was suggested that farmers should combine not to thresh until all grain is safely stacked, in which case th» machine men would probably join with ordinary harvest hands, and not risk being idle for a considerableporiod. The floodahave donebutrlittledamage to nJad&and bridges, but a few acres of crop have beqn submerged ty overflowing creeke. , T&e head works of the water supply ayatein haye all stood well, and any little damage dam to races will bo easily repaired. A couple of boat* were washed down the Opihi rivei on Monday, but on Tuesday one itfas secured neat- the railway aud the other is believed to ba atrandefl on tKe beach. The are not known. When the river subsided a good mauy trout \%4te left high and di-y, and many are left vi isolated pools. Only a very |ew ehee'p hftve been drowned. The rivm-a w« now fairly fordable, but there is little informatke* from the back country.

The mast exciting incident of the fldod on Monday, wye the «' Otago Timesf' was the rescue of Mr David Walker, [a small settler, who was farming an"' \tea, .oi 27 acres at the junction of the Sliag rlvei with Muddy creak. The aarno «tf)ttkr<,l)a) been flooded out on more than ono previous occasion, and the position of bin holding almost invites calamity, for whan the Shag is swollen a quantity of its surplus watei is backed up the creek until the lattej also ie in flood. Mr Thornae Short, of the Nocth-East Valley, -who. wa» an eyfe-witness of the occurrence, inforaec ouf reporter that on Monday morning there was only sft or 6fb of water inMu44y Crock, and that an hour later ho saw mnobe curling from Mr Walker's chimney. Up till 7 a-ja., when there was about Bft oJ water in the creek, >fr Walker and hii family could have got oat of the hove» without assistance, but from that time the water rose rapidly till the depth was JSfC. At 10 a.m. signals for help wore displayed by Mr Walker, who had by knocking a, iutk iv the roof of hia house got on to the ridge, and in response to the appeal a boat vim conveyed from Shat? Point. Manned by Messrs Stewart, Frew and others, the bo** made two journeys to the house, removing four women in the firet load and three men in the second. The cattle were left standing up to their backs in water, and they escaped, being found yesterday morning in a district road. Toe family, on returning to the house, found that one of the pigs haft taken possession of a bed, end was calmly surveying the damage. The flood has been the death of many of tbe rabbits in the Shag Valley district. It is stated that about 300 of them were hemmed in at the Sh»g bridge on Monday, and that all were destroyed. (f&SSS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) OAMABU, February 10. Details of damage caused by the flood* are coming to hand. The first matt through from Kurow reports terrible ravages in that district. Tons of grain have been destroyed. The bridges at Wharekuri, Awaktno, Qfciake. and Otekaike are down, a* well as those at Kurow and Armtroon. The railway ie badly damaged at several place* on the Kerawliiwaad tl» i»m«i •!»« Knro»; -«5» P*»."» SS3vr.artittT« fine wfth a brisk BreesEe.