THE DROUGHT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 118, 11 February 1908, Page 7

THE DROUGHT.

% ITS EFFECTS keenly felt. x

, GLOOMY FOREBODINGS.' &he, district, and, in: fact, -the: > - i. West; Coast.. generally, 'are feeling the. effects < of • th'fe-brought' vol? severely. :' Usually one ........ .".of ...thai-most plentifully . watered portions of ■-. the Manawatu has now a landscape as brown' . and ipartfied-looking as that of sun-baked Australia." l Paddocks that a month ago-were :. yielding lnxtiriant'growthsfof succulent grass, . fattening fodder for sheop and'dairy herds, • < ;-are now covered only with .a'dried up herb- . . ago., viTho. iSamo dreary .scenery: meets the ; • . .-. eye on - tho journey to Wellington, 1 and re-' ~ portfe -from other parts of tho Island relate a' ; I : like- state, of- affairs. The Manatvatu river is , ~ lower.;than fit has been- for years,- and tho Otaki and Horowlienua rivers, and others along .the coast 1 " are < little better than .eti earns...' Nunlerous dried up water-courses 1 . v ~-. over. tho xountry'-'indicate •• where ' streams i usually run. '' / Will Tell Severely.' V . : It: hardly needs tci :be said that tho prolonged drought'- will '-tell' soverely ■> oh • the" i countiy'as a ,whole. 1 Instances of personal , loss,..however, are continually cropping up, ' 1 which servo to bring home with greater'forco than_ general teims thq apprehension with which, farmers and those'dependent for their "livelihood,upon the products of the soil vi«w ■ tho cloudless aspect of the sky each snccced- •• ing.dawn.;, Dau-y factories around Palmers- 1 .-,ton fNorthj vFeildiiig,: Dannevirko, Pahiatua, . Mangatamokoj .and Levin .are making half i -■■ quantity ;of butter of, last year; Somo' ■ V. . creameries,. in fact,- will have to: bo closod : dowij' oarlier than, usual thisseason if plonti- • ■ ■ .fuLrain doesmot fall this month.. The nights, .as ,tho season,, advances, will Jbeconio cold, '■: i'.,rain ' will lie ; infused into tho grass, and the cows will . .which means ;■ a diminishing' ' milk hV : supply;..and it lis a well-known,' fact' that once .the .cows? go ..off in milk'they 'rarely • recover- for the season. 1 ' • v

Bush Fires. ' ': 'Bush fires,liavo also boen responsibli} for a . :. Budden uecreaso in the yields. Ono instance ; • supplied Ito • a -Dominion reporter was' that of :... a .factory, in .tho lower Haivko's Bay, whore," .' ln °no day, tho, supply ,fell 500 gallons.- Tho . previous night,a farmer in the locality had :■. l S ono )T to'' bed' believing. his.' property ' secure' ; but- about midnight ho 'awoko tb I . .bntl the. flames blazing on every side, and ' 1 despito < all ,his efforts, everything was swept ! away. Each , day the .milk. tallies are fall- -... ing , lower. -The- unfortunate part is that I , biitter is, now, up to, a phenomenal price at' Home; and;is' > likely .to ris'b still' higher. vS ■ Stock on* Hand. : [ Dealers in stock in many cases,: it is said , will bo:haid hit. The statement is current that one dealer in the Wairarapa has a hundred thousand sheop on his hands, which, to . sell at present prices, would be ruinous. Yet „. , yfhere is grazing, to bo got with tho country 1 in its,.present condition P The sheop liavo to to bo.driven tpm placo to place and pickings . scoured. where possible., Another dealer m , tho has nearly ono thousand head ~, ■ ofc cattlo on. his' hands, on which ho stands to ' ' i°A n ,'^ a - ' jf.he, has to quit them - now. WW which a year ago brought £7 10s. , - apieco,, are going weekly, in tho salo yards along the .Coast' for: 305.. and £2. : Fanners' . have commencod to dry.off<tho less profitable animals. A gentleman,. a com-: ... potent authority., and. .largely. interested- in ' tho produce trade,jwhilo. supplying tho above information and discussing the position gene- / rally, . declared ; that, with fall that" has occurred-m the prices of woo), sheep, lamb, : i flax-at -Some',..'and!,our prospects of .a • Bn . )a '' butter, yield, m which we might: other-, wise- pick, up, ho would not bo surprised to , : sco a -decrease .on the year's producfe; returnn of nearly two millions, sterling : bo • , pessimistic, but his, sentiments, from all accounts, seem to be largely echoed iii tho country. ■. ~ r.