LONG DRY SPELL

Evening Star, Issue 20314, 24 October 1929, Page 9

LONG DRY SPELL

DAIRYING PRODUCTION DECREASES For this time of the season, the weather in the South Island has been exceptionally dry, and the Dunedin district ha« not had a plentiful fall of rain for over a month. The dairy farmers are not yet alarmed over t’ e absence of rain, but they are a little perturbed over the dry season, as production is showing a falling off. “ Creese production lias fallen by 20 per cent, compared with the returns for this time last year, and butter production has also decreased,” stated Mr W. G, Wight (secretary of the South'* Island Dairy Association) to a ‘ Star ’ reporter to-day. “ The spring was very backward _ and the cows were late in coining in. Ram is badly wanted, and if we get good rain from now on, there is still time to _ make up the decrease when the height of the dairying season is reached about tbe end of December.” The farmers did not appear to be alarmed yet, as the dry spell could not be called a drought In Otago, no provision was made by fanners for stocks of fodder, and they were feeling the effects of the dry weather through there being little growth so far. The dairying outlook for the season was quite sound, said Mr Wight. Prospects were good, especially for cheese. Quite a number of forward sales had already been made bv cheese factories, mostly to the end of December. The sales had been made at prices up to SJd per lb, f.o.b, That price was very good, although a little lower than that realised last year, when the peak price was 9Jd. The market last year did not justify tho high price, and buyers had very heavy losses at 9jd. Sales of butter were also being made at Is 5Jd per lb, f.0.b., shipments to be made during October and November. Space had been allotted on the Piabo, which sails for England shortly, for 1,000 boxes of butter and 2,000 crates of cheese from the Bluff; 3.500 boxes and 1,000 crates from Dunedin; and 5,000 boxes and 800 crates from Lyttelton. Loading commences next week. “Taking tbe broad view, there is no cause for alaim in the agricultural and pastoral districts.” said the manager of a leading stock and agency firm who has just returned from a visit to the back country of Waitaki, Oamaru. Timaru, and Ashburton districts. “ I have never seen the country looking better. It would be preferable if the rain would bold off for another fortnight to allow the lambing to_ be carried out, as Dunedin’s experience of the past week has been that, with rain, comes cold weather.” Fanners always liked to have some growl, said tho manager, and although he considered the country tn he in wonderful condition, the shepherds in the back country he had visited had said: “It will be bad if we don’t cet rain before long.” At one station, the visiting clergyman had prayed for rain last Sunday, a fact quoted by the shepherd to impress on the visitor the seriousness of the dry season. The Ashburton county, which was liable tn dry up very quickly, was very fresh in appearance. A fortnight or so of dry weather, he said, would rapidly cause burning, but there was nothing s°rious to cause alarm for the present. The continuance of tho dry spell would, in some isolated cases, seriously affect the growing rape for e attening off the lambs. Lambing this season promised to he excellent, the good weather having helped the operation. Fanners could expect lamb prices to be slightly lower, but be expected wool to show a drop of at least 3d per lb again this year. Figures since the last year of the wool commandeer showed a remarkable fluctuation in the' wool market, and another drop this year was indicated.