CONDITIONS NORTH AND SOUTH.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 8, 10 January 1908, Page 5

CONDITIONS NORTH AND SOUTH.

A visitor who has just returned from Hawke's Bay states that everything is looking exceedingly dry in that district and '■■' that many of the farmers are suffering badly ■ for the want of rain. In some cases ripe crops were noticeable xrlach had only grown about ten or twelve inches above the ground.—Standard. 1 Should, the dry season continue, rsays the Wair ar apa Age the; price of store stock must fall appreciably. Station-holders whose intention it was to purchase large store supplies have not the feed available to make it practicable. Several wno bought for forward delivery have already lost considerably, and other losses may occur from the same, cause.

The harvest in the Methven district (writes the correspondent of the Lyttelton Times) may be divided into two' parts': that which is within the range of the north-west showers, arid that on the of country which is beyond their reach. Over that portion which has the 'benefit*, of the showers, there are some fine crops of oats and wheat. They are quite green still, and give promise of a yield of fifty, to sixty bushels of oats and thirty .to thirty-five of wheat. On that piece of the Springfield Estate which was receitly, subdivided, and of which three paddocks were already in wheat when sold, and realised the highest price, namely, £28 10s and £31 10s per acre, there are some very good crops. That belonging to Mr T. Mathewson is very promising, and should thresh nearly forty bushels. On the upper side of Methven there is also a good growth of grass on the pasture lands, which will carry the stock until the root crops are ready. Towards Lyndhurst and Ashburton the conditions are very different. The grai nhas ripened quickly, and the grass is bleached and dry. Keaping is in full swing, but there is a scarcity of hands. Unless rain comes very soon, the root crops are bound to suffer, yet, notwithstanding all this, the yield all round will be much better,than that of 1907.

"The country never looked better," was a remark made by a Winton farmer, and he added, "You can almost see the turnips growing^ while the | oats are splendid, promising a prolific yield, and first-class quality." Southland farmers could not haven been better favoured by the weather than they have this season. There have i been warm days, which have been of ■ such duration as to exercise a bene- ! ficial influence, followed by rain that \ could not pay its attentions in more acceptable measure. But the Winton farmer's remark has general application, a visitor to the eastern and western districts during the holidays having the same bright tale to tell, everything being fresh and green. Shearing operations, which have suffered some slight delay in consequence of the rain, are now proceeding apace, though there is less haste than usual on the part of growers to have the wool taken from the sheeps' backs owing to the unsatisfactory state of the 1 market, though it is reassuring that latest advices show a slight improvement in the Bradford market.

The hot weather in South Canterbury experienced during the past few weeks has brought on the crops rapidly, and harvesting will soon be general. Some oats have already been cut. Taking the district as a whole, the crops are good, wheat being well above the average. About Geraldine, Temuka, "Winchester and Milford ail early sown crops are looking well, and the average wheat yield should be over 30 bushels, perhaps over 35. Late sown crops are not nearly up to the standard of the others, this being accounted for by the caking of the land after the heavy rains of August. Oats have suffered more than wheat from the dry weather, and where the land is light the yields will be much diminished. On the heavier lands, however, there are some excellent crops, one on the Trevenna Estate, Milford, being very heavy, and the average yield for the district should be 30 bushels.

On Rangitata Island the good land has some fine wheat and oats, but on the light lands some of the crops are poor. In Pleasant Valley the wheat and oats are above the average. On the farms between Geraldine and the Upper Orari bridge, the wheat crops are heavy. All the wheat between Winchester and the Orari River should yield heavily, and this part of the district should average over 40 bushels to the acre.

It has been a good season for grass seed, and a fair amount of stripping has been done. Mr C. Hewson, of Orari, and Mr C. McKenzie, of Geraldine, have each some fine Italian ryegrass. Cocksfoot has grown luxuriantly on many of the country roadsides and in the plantations. Potatoes make a fine show, and judging by appearances, there should be no scarcity in any part of the district.

A settler on the Rosewill (Levels)

neighbours' crops are very satisfactory, and they expect good returns from them.