Farms again very dry

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32803, 31 December 1971, Page 1

Farms again very dry

Canterbury’s farmlands are again very dry, but with many lambs away to freezing works, others weaned off their mothers, and ewes on light rations, the feed situation is short but not critical.

“At this time of the year we do not require a lot,” said one farm advisory officer of the Department of Agriculture last evening. Recent dry conditions have, however, been more

serious for crops and while many areas- have had some rain in the last week it is doubtful if there was enough to do much good. It may have been too late for some crops, particularly wheat. Conditions, however, vary over the province. In the Waimate district, where there has been useful rain recently, Mr J. L. Symons, of the Department of Agriculture, said last evening that crops were looking a picture and prospects were very good. But a farmer near the coast in Mid-Canterbury said that whereas about two months ago it looked as if the area would have a fairly good cropping season, the dry conditions might have cut back his crop yields by a quarter, particularly wheat which semed to have suffered more than barley. It was probably now too late for crops to benefit from rain in this area.

To yesterday the rainfall in this district for the year was 20.78 in and only a little more than the fall of slightly more than 18in recorded a year or two ago in the driest! season since 1923. I Mr N. H. Greaves, a farm; advisory officer of the De-' partment of Agriculture at Timaru, said that in the northern part of South Canterbury where there had been aphis damage and dry conditions, it was likely that the harvest, now coming in quickly would not be as good as expected. In North Canterbury, Mr A. S. Brown, a farm advisory officer at Rangiora, said it had been hoped there would be rain in the last week to fill out crops. Although it was doubtful whether the rain had done much good, it was still expected yields would be average. Some grass has been cut and threshed for seed already and a start has been made with the grain harvest. Merchants in Christchurch already having seen samples of barley and oats from the North Canterbury and ChristChurch areas, and the representatives of two firms yesterday described them as good. '