THE WEATHER.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 17017, 14 December 1920, Page 7

THE WEATHER.

UREAS IN NEW SOTTCH WAISS. (By Cabk—Press Association— Copyright.) (Aiis'»ralian and N.Z. Cable Association.^ SYD>rEY, December 13. Tho weather is fine. Tiie shy is still overcast, but. 13 streaked with blue. j The cyclono, which was centred off the South Coast, is moving east. DAMAGE TO WHEAT CROPS. (Received Deremher 13th, 10.25 p.m.) SYDNEY, De-ember 13. The Minister of Agriculture estimates that the storm caused five n:iliions nonnds worth of damage to the wlicnt" crops. AIT the railway traffic has been restored. snow in eng:land. LONDON. 12. Sno-n- bns falloi in North Wales and the Midlands. There has also been a heavy'fall in tho Isle of Wight. There were four inches in some London suburbs. THE WEEK-END BAINTAIiL IN CANTEKBTJKY. A welcome rain fell at Ashburton during Saturday night, and on Sunday morning O.oOia was registorcd. It had a good effect in frcsiiening ur> the grass pastures and root crops, and it will' also bo highly bonelicial to the grain crops. I The hea.»y rain that set in early on. ' Saturday cv'cning will prove a veritable I Godsend to the Peninsula (writes our I Akaroa correspondent). It lasted throughout the night and well on into Sunday morning. Farmers would havo boon fj'uito content had it lasted another 2-1 hours. Tho hillsides, particularly those, with a sunny aspect, wero becoming caked as the result of the strong westerly winds prevailing during the j past few weeks. The cocksfoot crop will reap immense, benefit from the I downpour. ! On Saturday evening a welcome, ram set in and lasted for a few hours (writes our Geraldino correspondent). Owing to the prevalenco of strong westerly winds, the country was becoming very parched, and tho rain was most i welcome. ! Our Okain's Bay correspondent writ©3 that the rain has renewed sun-scorched pastures, and the farmers are beginning to smile again. After a long period of very dry. hot weather, rain commonced to fall at Methven on Saturday about 3 p.m., and continued up to about midnight. Tho total rainfall amounted to 81 ! points. This will do an incalculable amount of good, as things wore begtninino, to look exceedingly serious, iiie rain fall will add to the yields of both wheat and oats by several bushels per acre. The work of sowing both turnip and rapo crops, which has been held up lately owing to the extreme dryness of the soil, can now be proceeded with, and a good strike is practically assxired. In spite of tho lato dry spell sheep and lambs are looking very well. The weather, which hse during the past fortnight been very dry, with scorching north-west winds, changed on Saturday at Kinveo. The morniugwas gloomy with indications of rain, which began to fall shortly before 7 p.m., and continued steadily till a late hour, .54 inrhos being registered. The rain was badly needed and will do a lot of good. Quito a number of tho later sown crops wore faring very, badly and would have been almost worthless without this ehango. Rape is just showing nicelv, and will be greatly benefited also. These who have been waiting for the rain to fall, and in tho meantime keeping their land stirred with tho cultivator, will now be able to drill their seed, and have tho satisfaction of knowing that they have killed quito a lot of twitch and weeds, during their wait. Some oats have been cut, but the small birds have taken a good toll from these early patches. Mr T. "W. Sim has cut a very fine paddock of Algerian oats, which but for the birds •would have violded anvthinflr from 50 to fiO bnshels per" acre. Some hay has been cut in the Courtenay district, nnd there are also pome fair crops of white clover to be seen, one along tho banks of the "Waimakariri, at tho upner end of Kimberley being exceptionally fine. En in started to fall in the Hororata district nt 5 o'clock on Saturday ptid continued well into tbo night, falling, which trill ; do an 'immense amount of good.