LOST PASTURES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22030, 9 February 1935, Page 12

LOST PASTURES

CANTERBURY DROUGHT FARMERS' SERIOUS PLIGHT SOME AREAS WITHOUT WATER FIRST TIME FOR 30 YEARS [by telegraih—own correspondent] CHRISTC7IUKCH, Friday The drought in Canterbury has already become for many farmers a calamity. Practically the whole tract of the Canterbury plains from the coast to the foothills and from the Ilangitata River to Kaikoura is so dry that there is hardly a green blade of grass to be s-son. The season lias been a very disappointing one for farmers. There were remarkably generous winter and spring rains, and so plentiful was the growth of grass that it was believed nothing could spoil tho season for grass. But the very early and almost unbroken drought this summer has ruined it. Canterbury farmers expect hot, dry weather in the summer, but they also generally receive occasional rainy days with cool breezes even in midsummer. This year they have had no such relief from the hot sun and scorching noHh-west winds, and the generous grovth which the grass made until mid-No rember has been burned up. Some grasfi has burned so dry that it has almost• powdered into dust. Daiger From Fire Sometimes there remains enough of the dried herbage to show that the spring growth was vigorous. This dry, tangled mass has caused, the gravest I uneasiness because it threatens danger j from fire. There have been many seri- ; ous grass fir e:» and many more have i been beaten cut before any consideri able damage has been done. | Even this anpalatable dried herbage j is readily eaten by sheep and is nutri- ! tious, but to <3at it the sheep must have j water. In most districts water is avail- | able from a water race system, but ! some of the races have failed this year. ; Resideqts saj that no such failure has occurred previously for at least thirty years. Those .sections of the race system which depend on rain-fed streams have failed. The Dig snow-fed rivers have run throughout the summer at the normal level, and races fed by them supply ,plenty of water. Wheat Farmers' Troubles The wheat farmer has had a no less trying time. The autumn season was unfavourable for sowing and many farmers were ur.able to sow the full acreage. They had to postpone sowing until the spring, and again unfavourable weather delated or prevented sowing. Autumn-sowr wheat made very fair growth before the effects of the dry weather were felt and the yield from these crops i nil be reasonably good, j The yield from spring-sown wheat j will he very light. Indeed, some of it j was almost i't total loss and was fed off by stock. There have been a few light showers of rain in widely separated districts during, the past week, but so quickly has hot, parching sunshine followed that the rain has not dene any good Nothing less than a week of rain will serve to rest are the lost pastures. Indeed, it is doubtful whether any amount of rain will restore growth sufficiently to piovide winter feed. In any event, the farmers, have lost a whole producing season. In the Oxford district, where the water racos have failed, fiome farmers have sold lambs at 5s which they should have sold fat at £l. Some of these men have been ruined.