Rain Aids Farmers; But More Needed

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31449, 16 August 1967, Page 1

Rain Aids Farmers; But More Needed

Canterbury farmers who have been struggling against the effects of grass grub, porina and dry weather, gained relief yesterday when light but widespread rain fell on most of the province.

Up to 11 p.m. on Monday only .43in of rain had been -♦ tun recorded for the month at the Weather Office at Christchurch Airport but between about 1 a.m. yesterday when the rain began and the time a reading was taken at 9 a.m. a further 23 points was recorded. Between then and noon another .20in was estimated, making almost as

much in 12 hours as for the rest of the month. “The rain will be very welcome to farmers throughout Canterbury, for although it has not been enough it has been steady, soaking rain and will encourage further pasture growth,” said the fields superintendent of the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch (Mr A. R. Dingwall). "This growth is especially important for the lambing season. Many farms in Canterbury are short of green feed and the rain should help to ease the situation,” he said. “The rain will also be beneficial to autumn-sown crops which did have the benefit of earlier rains and to the latersown crops which have been affected by the dry weather,” said Mr Dingwall. Mr S. S. Obery, secretary of North Canterbury Federated Farmers, said the fail was not sufficient for farmers but that it would help to increase the soil moisture and stimulate pasture growth. This view was endorsed by the president of North Canterbury Federated Farmers (Mr R. H. Bedford), who said that with the north-west weather of recent days, the situation was getting desperate.

He said that there was no moisture left in the ground. Even a dog running across a paddock made a dust track. Mr Bedford said that yesterday’s rainfall would assist spring growth but more would be needed to maintain the growth.