CROPS IN THE SOUTH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 120, 13 February 1908, Page 2

CROPS IN THE SOUTH.

EFFECTS OF DROUGHT. A REVIEW. (BT telegraph—SPECtAL CORRESPONDENT.) •• - Chrlstchuroh, February 12. In South" Canterbury;. according 'to the ; "Press's" special reporter, the dry weather is having anything but a desirable influence on the tarm, though it has one redeeming feature—it has enabled the crops to he; , harvested in good condition, not a bushel of grain having boon spoiled by. wet weather up tp tho present time. The majority of the : crops have: been cut, and in a good jnany , parts. threshing is proceeding, a large quantity of grain being threshed this year direct from the : stook. The crops, taken, oh the whole, are,very ..fair. ■ •: i .- The wheat is not So full berried as. in an ordinary . season, and, the oats- are thhw though some very good crops of well-filled' Gartons havo been, harvested. . . These, are . worth from 2s. to 2s. Id. per bushel at , country sidings, sacks extra> . Danish oats . are worth Is. lid. at country sidings, arid , duns, of which there is a large quantity, on: * offer,, are commanding 25., .delivored at Timaru. For South Canterbury , grown wheat, local millers aro offering 4s. 3d. at country • sidings, but farmers .who can afford to, hold are not disposed'toUccopt ,this, believing that before long the price: Will go. to 55.. For, a particularly prime . line ;of milling .whedt -. grown at Hakataramea, which was on saloat Timaru last week, 4s. s}d. was refused/ - There are numbers' of crops of wheat which will yield fully 60 or : 70' 'bushels'.'to the acre. ' The average' wheat yield over the whole of South Canterbury is set down, . at a-rough .estimate, as 'between- 25and 30 ; bushels per acre,'while the average for oats is set down at between-35 and 40 bushels. Root' crops' are' suffering; severely, ■ and; unIdss rain comes . the ' outlook 'for. water .will be a very, gloomy one. ' Everywhere tho'turnip. orops'iare. _sbeii< in different/ stages :- of'' growth, sorno just breaking through tho ground, while , others are well advanced, "but - without rairi they cannot come' to maturity. The rape crops are : V6r£ poorj'and. not.nearly so many lambs will bo fattened as'was anti- 1 cipated a few weeks'agO. '.. <i ■ : -V . ; Potato crops are".now ; ,-boing' lifted,, and they are turning out very fairly. " They, are. free from blight, and are ia good sound Oondition. . • v;i