RIVERLEA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 11 October 1926, Page 8

RIVERLEA.

(.From Our Own- Correspui i<le lit)

METEOROLOGICAL.

September this year, though a very changeable month and at times rough and boisterous, was a great improvement indeed on the corresponding month of last year with only half the rainfall experienced that month. The first four days of the month were fine or fair, but from then to the 26th broken conditions prevailed, though the 9th, lOth, and lltli were dry and there were six other rainless days at intervals. On a few occasions very cold weather was experienced culminating in that or the 16th when there was considerable hail and sleet and a few flakes of snow. Indeed this was undoubtedly the coldest day of the year and at the time of the snowfall the thermometer in the shade outside, but under cover from the weather, fell to 35 dgrees faihr. for a few minutes. Three frosts were recorded, viz., on the 4th, sth, and 17th. Wind, generally, was rather strong and chiefly of a westerly inclination, blowing from the west on 12 days; north-west on five days; south-west on two days;’north on two; south on two; east on two and south-east on five. There were no calm and no cloudless days. Gales were recorded and on no less than eight days, being moderate on the 6th, Bth, 12th, 13th, loth, and 19th, and heavy on the 9tli and 16th. Seven days during; the month were fine to fair; eight fair; seven fair to cloudy and no less than eight completely overcast. The barometer, despite the somewhat unsettled conditions, did not show a very great range, but ran from a minimum reading of 29.00 on the 16th to 29.70 on the 24th, with a mean for the month of 29.35. During the storm of the 16th it fell from 29.20 at 6a.m. to 28.60 at 3p.m., but by 10 p.pi. it had risen again to 28.90 and at 9 a.m. on the 17th stood at 29.20 and was still rising. The thermometer ranged from 43 degrees fahr. on the 17th to 61 degrees fahr. on the 30th, the last few days of the month being very wild. During the month rain fell on 15 days to a total of 4.95 inches which is slightly above the average of 4.4925 for the month, but is much below last year’s total when 9.79 inches fell on 26 days and which is the wettest September in my records. The driest is that of 1914 when 2.39 inches fell on only eight days. The maximum precipitation for September this year was 1.26 inches which fell on the 15 and the minimum was 0.01 inches which fell on the3oth. There were two other days with over half an inch of rain: the 12th, with 0.70 and the 19th, with 0.72. For the quarter jusb ended the rainfall totalled 21.38 inches on 58 days against 18.01 inches on 63 days last year and an average for the quarter of 16.16 inches. For the first three quarters of the year the precipitation lias totalled 55.11 inches on

150 days which is considerably above the average of 45.885 inches for that period and also above last year’s total which was 46.01 inches and which fell on 155 days. So far we have had 9.10 inches more than last year, but five less wet' day*. SOME COMPARISONS, A little while ago I received the gazette extract issued to ail meteorological stations containing the records for May which was the wettest month in the local records and evidently we didn’t have it all our own way. Tne wettest place in Taranaki was Upper Mangorei, where they got 30.45 inches on 23 days (Riveriea, by the way, iiad 12.40 on 25 days, Opunake 9.01 on 22 days, and Hawera Post Office 7.09 on 23 days). Stratford Rost Office also did fairly well, having 16.85 inches on 20 days," and Riversdale (Inglewood; had 19.71 inches on 25 days. . From Wh angamomona back to Tauniarumii heavy falls, ranging from 13.53 at Raetihi to 16.19 at Mangaparua, were recorded, and all down the whole west coast from Cape Maria. Van Diemen the rainfall was very heavy. Auckland city recorded 13.70 on 22 days, Ruakura farm 10.07 on 20 days, Waihi ’19.35 on 20 days, New Plymouth 10.13 on 24 days. Further- south, and at Napier, the rainfall was much lighter, being only 6.97 on 18 days at Palmerston North, 4.77 inches on 20 days at Wellington, and 3.18 at Napier on 14 days. North Auckland showed many records of over ten inches, and so did the Waikato and east coast. The west coast of the South Island, however, as usual held its own, and Otira, as is also usual, sits solidly in the seat of greatness with a precipitation of 39.49 inches on 19 days. (Please note that it is not so much the number of wet days as the amount of the rainfall). Arthur’s Pass is in the usual position of runner-up with 34.31, on, however, only 15 days. All other places lag hopelessly behind, Lake.

Kanieri, with 20.72 inches in 21 days, being a poor third in the south. What about this for a contrast, though: Aitutaki Island (Cook group) 0.08 inch on one day. Truly “There is a better land not far away,” and Aitutaki seems to be it. No wonder these isles are called “The Islands of the Blessed.” A USEFUL HINT.

The following has been given to me by a lover of dogs, .who clipped it from a southern paper and thinks it might be of use to anyone whose canine friends may have contracted the influenza reported to he rife amongst dogs in various parts of the Dominion. “In connection with the epidemic among dogs at present, the following remedy has been proved to be successful, and as it may not be generallv known I would like to pass it on to others who are experiencing the trouble. It is a simple remedy, and one that has been used successfully by one who has had much experience with certain diseases of dogs : Apart from keeping the dog warm, etc., oour about a cupful of kerosene down the nostrils, and repeat each dav, perhaps with lesser quantities, for a time This, apart from what other effects ’it may have on the disease, clears the discharge from the head and helps to make the breathing easier. This has proved successful with my own dog, and with nourishing liquid foods and careful attention to other functions of the body, will prove so in other cases.”