THE SEASON

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22195, 11 September 1937, Page 11

THE SEASON

SPRING CONDITIONS A GOOD LAMBING The spring is coming in with a rush, and everywhere growth is making rapid headway. With the aid of useful rains, North Canterbury is now commencing to look like its real self. The wheat is coming away well, the advance in growth since mid-August being most marked. The autumn sowing was interrupted to very little extent, and as there is very little spring sowing north 01 the Ashley, or at all events the Kowai, river, it can be said that the crop has made a good get away, crop has made a good get away except in cases where the slug pest has developed. Figures collected of the acreage sown showed some time ago a reduction on that of last year, and the absence of spring sowing will operate against any increase. Travelling along the road the acreage, to casual observation, certainly does not seem any larger. Lambing is now at its peak, and from all accounts the crop so far is very satisfactory. In most cases where tailing has been completed it is well up to the best average. The winter has been an open one. Although feed was not abundant, it was sufficient to carry ewe flocks along satisfactorily. This comment, of course, applies to the low country. Right throughout the limestone belt in North Canterbury feed is coming away, and without any bad weather bursts in the next fortnight losses should be kept down to a minimum. There has rarely been a more favourable season for lambing. The mild conditions of the last month have cleared the snow off the higher hills, but there is still a heavy coating on the high ranges, which, however, is usual at this period of the year. The early winter was extremely severe on the higher stations, and it will be fcund, no doubt, that the improvement in the last month or so has been more than offset by the early bursts.

A statement that five small dairy factories in the South Island had closed down this year and that he knew of six others which had awaited the announcement of the guaranteed price before deciding whether to carry on was made by Mr G. R. Herron. chairman of the awards committee of the South Island Dairy Association at the annual meeting of the Awarua dairy factory. "Probably they will now have to go out," he said.

It is officially estimated that the number of sheep to be shorn in 1937 in the United States of America is 48,122,000. This is about 2 per cent, more than in 1536 and equal to the latest Ave year average.