A BAD SEASON.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 23 May 1919, Page 6

A BAD SEASON.

SHORTAGE OF FEED IN MANAWATU The special correspondent of the Manawatu Standard says there is a shortage of feed in the district around Palmerston North, hut inquiries made go to show that conditions are nothing like^as serious as they are in Hawke's Bay. The scarcity of feed and water have', however, shown their effects on the stock markets, which are decidedly sluggish, more especially where cattle are concerned. Although ' this is certainly the worst season experienced for ' many years, sheep are still in fair con-

dition, but owing to the inactivity at the freezing works arising from the' shortage of .shipping space many lines which were fit for export are going back m condition. The lighter lands at Marton, Bulls, Feildiug and Foxton are suffering mostly from the drought, tho grass having quite a burnt-up appearance, and having but little sustenance, while water is very scarce. Between Palmerston and the Pohangina district, more especially along the river flats, the shortage of feed is not so apparent, but the supply of milk is falling off at the factories, and in the down lands water is scarce. On the Fitzherbert side of the Manawatu River, feed is very scarce, and water even more so. At the Kahutarewa Creek, near the bridge, the traffic is so great, caused by the people carting water, that the locality resembles, a busy railway station. Further down, ] at Makeroa, the swamp, which at this ' tim© of the year generally has six or seven inches of water over it, is as dry as a board, and owing to the clay subsoil the ground is as hard as brick. The Kairanga district, although drier than it has been for years, does^hot show the plethora of feed which it promised to earlier in the year, and while the grass is very short there is apparently ft good deal of nutriment in it, as the stock are not showing any appreciable loss in condition. Down ! the line towards Shannon the heavy swamp lands are retaining their . moisture, and the grass is fairly abun- | dant, and stock are looking well. The farmers in the Manawatu district"have ' been so accustomed to look for sufficient moisture and an abundance of winter : feed that, with few exceptions, they , have been caught quite unprepared, ! and very little hay has been saved or l root crops grown to provide for such an emergency as has happened in the

present instance. In ihis connection it is interesting to note that in November last Mr C. N. C&usen, of Palmerston North, drew attention to the prolific flowering of the cabbage trees, which was so noticeable last spring, and strongly recommended farmers not to depend upon grass for feed, but to go in for sowing feed which could he stored for the winter. As the spring was a very wet one, his suggestion was made light of in certain quarters, and now unfortunately Mr Clausen's prognostications have been more than fulfilled.