SEVERE DROUGHT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 91, 19 April 1939, Page 11

SEVERE DROUGHT

FARMERS ANXIOUS

POSITION IN MARLBOROUGH

(By Telegraph.) (Soeciai to the Evenino Post.")

BLENHEIM, This Day.

It is now 16 weeks since rain of any consequence fell in and around Blenheim, and the whole of Marlborough district bears striking . evidence of severe drought. Pastures have become alarmingly short, and with the ground too hard to permit of cultivation prospects for the coming winter are far from bright. As the result of the unusually hard state of the ground there has been little chance of sowing winter feed, and in cases where seed wat sown little growth has been made.

! Not only is the farmer faced with an [acute shortage of pasture, but he has little or no water to give his sheep, cattle, and horses, and in many cases he has to transport water over long distances. Streams are drying up i-apidly in various parts of the province, and water is very scarce for household use. Every week for the pait month or so Blenheim stock sales have been flooded with sheep put on the market by farmers who, although keen to retain them for next season's wool clip, have had to dispose of them on account of water and feed shortage. Consequently, many cases have been reported where farms are carrying about half the normal capacity. As each day breaks fine and sunny the prospects for rain in the near future become less promising, and all that can be expected is something in the nature of a record for scarcity of rain and abundance of sunshine.

The total of 38 points of rain that has been recorded since the New Year must be very nearly a record for the months of January, February, March, and April. However, the prophecy has been made that there will be no rain until June. If this is the case it will be disastrous for stock and for farmers generally in Marlborough.