RIVERLEA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 9 November 1927, Page 8

RIVERLEA.

(From Oar Own Correspondent.) ( , AIETEORO LOGICAL. The month of October just past was in one way an extraordinary one in that their occurred a. dry .spell (taking in five days at the end of September), of 18 rainless days, the longest, bar one, ever recorded here, though had there been no break in the records between 1919 and 1925 there would also have been the dry spell of July, 1920, when .there were 20 frosts recorded. The longest rainless period in my records, however, was in the dry March of 191", when no rain fell from February 28 until March 21, giving 21 rainless dayc-. Another long rainless period was between December 21, 1913, and January 6, 1914, giving 16 rainless days. However, perhaps in January and March, and .sometimes also in July, dry spells may be expected, but October is nearly always a broken and showery month, ancl in no case is there a. record previously of a longer rainless spell during the month than six days. Unfortunately when the rain did come it was accompanied by raw and drying westerly Winds, which undid much of the good done, by the vain. On the 22nd a heavy north-westerly gale was followed in the early morning by very heavy rain, which again was unfortunately followed by extremely bad weather conditions, a. bitterly cold S.S.AV. wind bringing sleet and hail and snow on. the high lands. The following evening similar conditions prevailed, with heavier snow, and even a. few flakes falling here and lower towards the Sheet Road. After the 14th the weather was very broken, rain falling on 12 days of the remaining 17. Winds, decidedly of a westerly preponderance, were -mostly strong to fresh breezes, with moderate gales on the 9th, 20th, and 31st. and a heavy gale on the 22nd. Wind direction was from west on 15 days; north-west on seven days; south-east on five days; south on two; south-west and north-east on one each. .There were no absolutely calm days recorded. There was one cloudless day, hut though there were .so many dry days there were really only five fine days, in all. No less than 21 days were, fair, one was cloudy, .and four were completely overcast. The thermometer for the month ranged at 9 a.m. from 45 degrees Fahr. on the 24th to 60 degrees on the 13th. giving a mean of 52.5 degrees, which, was two degrees, below the September mean of 54.5 degrees and only four degrees above tbe August average of 48.5 degrees. The actual minimum temperature was 34 degrees on the 25th, and' the actual maximum was 66 degrees, these being three degrees lower in tbe first and two degrees higher in the second than September, and giving an actual mean temperature of 50 degrees Fahr.. which was below tbe September actual mean of 50.5 degrees. Tbe barometer ranged from 29.10 on the 23rd to 20.85 on tbe 27th. giving a mean reading of 29.475. Rain fell during the month on 12 days to a total of 4.56 inches, which was nearlv an inch below the average. The maximum precipitation during the month was on the 22nd. when 1.35 inches were recorded, and the minimum fell on the 19th and 30th. when 0.02 inch was' recorded. On the 23rd there Was another fall of 0.99 inch. Last yeai*. for the corresponding month, no less than 9.75 inches were recorded on 25 daws, and this was also the wettest October vet recorded. The maximum precipitation in that- month was 2.88 inches on the 28th. Tn 1925 there was a rainfall for October of 4.79 inches on 19 da vs. whilst the driest corresponding month was in 1914. when- only 3.43 inches fell on 12 da vs. with a maximum o F 1.10 on the 10th. The average for October was 5.91 inches, so that over an inch less than the average was recorded this year. The .total rainfall for the- year to the end of October was 58.40 inches. which has fallen on 188 days. Last year 64.86 inches fell during the same period of t ime on 175 da vs. The effects of the lower rn Jnfnll /liirmo* tlie pnst SepfpTnand October nre to he seen when , it is realised that at the end of Au<m*t this vear was above last in rainfall. < having 50.21 _ inches on 158 davs against 60.16 inches- on 135 days for 1995. thus having 0.05 inches more < rain and 23 mire wet davs two months ] ago. bet now has- no less than 6.46 (

irt"lie= less ram thnn last rear and ■only 13 more wet- davs. having gained 10 dry days arid fallen behind 6.41 inches in rainfall since the end of Alienist. DAYLIGHT SAVING. Daylight saving was nsihered in on. Sunday, -when the “anti” of the Taranaki Farmers’ Union received strong support from the Riverlea cows, which, in some cases, gave their milk with much reluctance, not onlv giving as much as 1751 b ' less' than usual, hut also hanging on to it hard and being extra ' difficult to milk. As a result of this exhibition of undoubted bonne intelligence, it is now proposed to start an agitation to give all cows which reward their owners by producing more than 2501 b of butter-fat per annum the right, irrespective of age, to vote at next election, so that no more will the “townie” he able to put a dirty one across them. This will he great news for the Country Party, who should greatly increase their voting strength thereby. Tt seems their only hone—unless the Waikato cows should let them down.