Parched Farmlands Respond To Rain

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31975, 30 April 1969, Page 1

Parched Farmlands Respond To Rain

Parched farmlands in central and northern Canterbury have already begun to improve with the rains that have fallen in the last week.

The chairman of the North Canterbury Drought Relief Committee (Mr R. A. Milne) said yesterday he had noticed that subterranean clover had started to strike and turnips and greenfeed crops were re- ! viving. i! Mr Milne and Mr R. G. • Jolly, who is chairman of the [ Central Canterbury Drought Relief Committee, however,; emphasised that the extent of the recovery would depend on whether the weather remained reasonably mild or became cold. Mr Milne said that even if the weather remained mild ['for another month, drought feeding would have to be continued for a period. Mr Milne and Mr Jolly said that farmers would be concerned with

i building up feed supplies for the critical pre-lambing and I lambing periods, and Mr I Milne said that they would s have to decide when they ■ should begin to use the feed supplies they were growing. Even with the extra rain !; that had fallen this week, Mr ! Milne said, the amount of . snow on the mountains had : not seemed to increase. 1 Mr Jolly said that even on the light land there was a • tinge of green now. The two drought relief ’ committees will meet next I Tuesday and afterwards, the : two chairmen said, they - hoped to issue statements givi ing details of the forms of - relief available and how i farmers might seek it.