An Adverse Season

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 239, 8 October 1941, Page 4

An Adverse Season

The winter and spring of 1940 were exceedingly kindly and with a good autumn in 1941 the season as a whole was a bountiful one. The 1941 winter was entered upon with all stock in good heart, pastures in excellent condition and satisfactory supplies of roots and fodders on hand. Until well into the winter all went well, but late winter and early spring were very cold and the looked-for springtime weather failed to materialise, even as spring advanced into and through September. Certainly growth has been quite fair of late, but the pasturage thus provided has been of disappointing quality. The explanation for this is that it is too watery; that there lias been insufficient sunshine to harden the feed, and to give it nourishing qualities.

As a result of such adverse seasonal factors: overmuch cold, too much wet and lack of sunshine, the Manawatu season is reckoned upon as being now almost a month late. Nor is this district alone in such plight. It is indeed applying over practically the whole North Island. A major result of this is the decrease in dairy production which reduces the income of the farming community. It also renders impossible the prospect of the Dominion meeting in full the British order for 160,000 tons of cheese. A very good summer and autumn may yet help out though such can scarcely be relied upon. Over the years, however, Nature ever tends strongly to work to average out one period with another. The season as yet has had but a minor adverse effect upon the prospective production from the sheep industry, so that side of our farming income appears well assured.