THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8708, 2 February 1894, Page 6

THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.

In spite of prognostications of returning bad weather, yesterday was an exceptionally good drying day in North Canterbury, Many loads of corn were got into «taokand a good area was threshed from the stook, as the oat straw in crops cut very early, which became weather-beaten, will not be fit for cutting into chaff. The wheat crops in the North Canterbury country are turning in weU. Some crops are being cut in the centre of the Ashley county which look exceptionally good. Our Ellesmere correspondent writes:— Beautiful weather {although, unfortunately, it does not look at all settled) is now being experienced for harvesting. Farmers are very busy stacking, while all the threshing machines, which number sixteen, are busy threshing out of the stook. The wheat is only damaged by the rain in a few isolated cases, last evening (Wednesday) the grain being fairly dry and hard. Oats and barley are threshing in good order, although both are. much discoloured. . A large number of stacks were built on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Since Monday last, writes our correspondent, perfect harvest weather has prevailed at Geraldine. Fanners have taken every advantage of this, and already a great many crops are iv stook.

The spell of clear weather which set in at on Tuesday had but a briof existence, for j-esterday the sky was again ovetc&it. ami the clouds threatened another br«.-uk in harvest operations. There was a litilt- .itizale in the morning, but not sufliiieii-., iutkily, to interfere with cutting, slook:ng .-.ud ctacking, which was prosecu.tU wiih gscal vigour until daikness set iv. Tiu- w: atiier at Waimate is still unfavj.utat .i.- io imryest work, and if the rain and. , .-.u.iir u-cathc-r o£ the last fortnight ia t-ipciieuced during the next few weeks the icsult v. ill prove most disastrous to farmers. In any case the reason has been too vf-r, and toe paddocks on low lands are ii; :-. «>.f.'«j of bog, hardly in keeping with I'tivc.ai vorlr. Tha crops are nearly all yn-od, am! harvesting would in a few days i»cge::<ral if the weather, would only hold nj< Gimss is plentiful ?everywhere, but fcio-.-k do not appear to thrive remarkably ned on it. Turnips on clean paddocks are co-.niug on splendidly, but in many cases the e-u-t.l appears tv iiav« taKen possession of the".■<--'