THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9602, 17 December 1896, Page 6

THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.

Our Leeston correspondent writes:—l have held over my report on the crops now for some three weeks, hoping that rain would come before I wrote, which would have altered the condition of the country most materially. At the time of writing rain appears as far off as it did two weeks ago. The country is in a bad condition and, unless rain comes within a few days, hundreds of acres of grain will prove a failure/ The -wVt cold spring made all the crops very late, and in numerous cases the soil ran and baked, and although the seed germinated the ground was too cold and rough to allow, it to continue growing. During September, October, and part of November the crops were at a standstill, and in numbers of cases perishing. During November the warm weather, with showers of rain, caused a very rapid growth, but Btill more rain was wanted to make the crops stool out and cover the ground. As it is, the growth has been very spindly and thin. In very few cases is the ground well covered. The flag leaf of the plant is yellow, and generally the plant is a bad colour. Taking the country, light and heavy, as a whole, it looks bad. Since I have been corresponding on crops I have never seen it looking so bad at this season of the year. If rain—"gocd, heavy rain"— comes before Christmas a number of the crops "will recover and be up to the average yet. The heavy, wet swamp lands round Brookside, Killinchy, Lakeside, Springston, Greenpark and Tai Tapu will do without rain, and in those distriots the crops are looking very well, and will yield up to the average. The good, heavy, dry lands where the best crops are grown is where the rain failure comes in. This isf specially noticeable where there is a heavy and clay subsoil. On the Plains, DunsandelRakaia country, rain is much wanted. Here the crops are gone and going off. The yield here, even with rain, will be small. Fortunately the area in grain is not increased this year. About the same number of fat lambs (which, by the way, are opening up at a very satisfactory figure) are grown this season as last. Dairying, thanks to the capable management of the central, has largely, increased, while there is a good acreage shut up for clover and ryegrass crops. The ryegrass crop will be a light one. I estimate.that there will be one-third the quantity harvested that tht-re was last season. The seed will be of good quality and much cleaner than in other seasons. Stock, both cattle and sheep, are looking well. Feed is now getting short, but so far not seriously. A noticeable feature in the crops this year, whether on poor or rich lands, is that the worst-looking paddocks are those that have been heavily cropped some years back. The good crops are all on lands that bave not been cropped heavily. Oar Temuka correspondent writes :—The weather still keeps very dry, and we have not had rain to do any good for months, and aa a result the crops on the.light lands have been seriously damaged, and the grass paddocks are very nearly burnt up. Some crops will not be worth cutting, having "shot" before growing to any height, ana already the farmers are utilising the worst of them by turning their stock into them.

(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND, December 16. The present dry weather shows no. signs of breaking up. Thermometric readings l show the hottest December for ten years. I Garden hose licenses have been cancelled by" I the city authorities. I NELSON, December 16. ■ Much needed rain has now set in. A INVERCARGILL, December 16. ■ After an excessively wet spring there is

now a general outcry for rain. Even the grtss is getting parched, which is a veryunusual thing in Southland. There is no sign of a change.