SPICE OF THE WEATHER

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 20, 25 January 1938, Page 8

SPICE OF THE WEATHER

To slip from one of the warmest spells of weather on record last week into the changed world of chilly, wet blasts from the Antarctic which opened this week is very trying to most people, but at least the effect is bracing, reminding us that halcyon days cannot last for evej. It is often said that mankind i». not happy unless there is something to grumble about, and there is certainly ample scope in the fickleness of the weather. Townsfolk, who were beginning to complain of too much sunshine, have had their fill of the opposite, and will be gratified by the signs of what most people''who have travelled and known other climates agree is the world's best in weather, the days that follow a southerly in Wellington, when everything is fresh and bright and exhilarating, with a breeze tempering the warmth of the sun. Even Aucklanders resident in Wellington come to admit that there is nothing to beat this kind of a day, seen at its best' in Wellington. On the other hand, it is rather surprising to learn that some farmers at least do not appreciate heavy rain at this time of the year even when it follows a hot, dry spell. Speaking at Masterton, the president of the Wairarapa branch of the Farmers' Union (Mr. H. • Morrison) explained how a drop in the weight and quality of wool, coupled with a loss in freezing weight, had resulted from the heavy rain of February, 1936, which, Im said, was followed by an'abnormal growth of grass, which again "ran lo stalk and waste, unduly robbed the -fertility of llie land and left a large amount of indigestible food for stock." The. after-effects of this resulted in poor lambing last year and high mortality, with stock "anaemic and im-

poverished." The conclusion. Mr. Morrison reaches is this: There is no doubt that the East Coast hill country is best served by a hot, dry summer and a good autumn rain, after a normal spring, and it seems that until tlvpse conditions return pastures and stock will' not return to normal. But is there such a thing as normal weather in New Zealand, and, if there were and it came regularly every year, would even the farmer be satisfied? After all, it will probI ably be found that variety is Lhe spice of the weather, as it is of life.