MALVERN.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13879, 2 November 1910, Page 7

MALVERN.

Tho state of tho weather is still causing uneasiness in tho district, and , not without reason. For the oast two j months there has been so little rain i that most people recogniso that wo are ! experiencing a drought. Nor'-wcst , gales havo been almost a, daily occur- j rcnce, an occasional change to the sou'- j west raising hopes of rain falling, but j nothing of the sort has materialised j yet. Tho sou-westers havo been of j short duration, and havo fizzled out as j they have come in dry. Another such ex- j perience took place last Friday, after a j particularly disagreeable day. A sou'- j wester set in about 7 p.m.. and for an i hour or so rain appeared probable. | None, however, fell, and tho night j being clear and calm, a sharp frost was ; experienced, cutting back potatoes and j completing tho work of destruction in | the orchards. It is almost safe to say j that there will not be a hundredweight j of stone fruit nicked hero this season. On Sunday afternoon another gale from j the nor'-west set in, increasing in vio- I lenco during the night, and j yesterday the wind was blow- i ing with hurricane force, tho | country being enveloped in dust. Grass , is fast becoming a minus quantity, and i autumn-sown crops are now coming into j ear, although not a foot high. Unless rain falls immediately it will bo impossible to harvest what little crop is likely to mature, as tho reaper will go over the tops of the crops. Numbers I of farmers are turning their stock into their crop, and under present circumstances this, undoubtedly is the wisest course. On the heavy In ml, along tho banks of the VTnimakariri, somo very promising crops of oats and wheat are to be seen, but immediately the river j is left, nothing but a stunted growth ( meets the eye. On Tuesday afternoon a light easterly rain set in, and hopes are entertained that it will prove tho forerunner of a thorough soaking, of which the whole countryside is sorely in need. For October .28 inch of rain was registered at Dnrfield, ns against 5.37 inches for October Inst year, and 2.99 inches for Octobor, 190 S.