DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11629, 10 May 1912, Page 4

DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA.

[By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.] (Per Press Association.) Received May 10, at 9.25 a.m. • Sydney, May 10. The continued drought is having a serious effect in the' Southern Riverma. Lambing particularly is a failure, there being great mortality amongst '.he ewes. The most serious aspect of the present drv spell in the district is the; shortage of' water for stock and domestic purposes. Many farmers are very short, and some have been carrying water for some miles for their stock. This is mi expensive proceeding, and in some cases can last only a very short time. Grass is fairly plentiful, lutt is o'F a very dry character, and there is very little nutriment for sheep and stock. The average rainfall "for the first four hiontlis of the year was less than three-quarters'of an inch per month, and the natural consequence, is that the ground: is exceedingly hard to plough. Ploughing operations are at a general standstill, and the fear is expressed that when _rain conies there will not be enough time to get aiiy land, which.is now cleared, turned over for sowing this season. This will mean a large decrease in the. area cultivated, because many paddocks which were stripped of wheat last season are being allowed to rest this year. Fallowed land is thejonly kind'that can'be treated now, an« paddocks', which were sown last month will, it is feared, have to be re.sown when rain conies. Chaff is increasing in price almost daily, and the outlook for the stockowner is anything but encouraging. A fall of a couple of inches would do an inestimable amount of good.

The drover of a flock of sheep along the Sydney road was compelled 'to pay £l2 for two tons of hav for fodder. In the 1902 drought chaff was £lO a ton and corn reached 10s a bushel: Chaff cannot be landed in Moree to-day at much under £8 a ton, and. lucerne hay at £5 5s- a ton : while maize costs about 6s Gd a bushel at Moree. and the winter has not yet commenced.