SOUTH CANTERBURY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22204, 6 March 1934, Page 3

SOUTH CANTERBURY

DIFFICULT CONDITIONS With the improved weather conditions, harvesting has been resumed in the Alburv district, and nearly every available man is on the field (says the Tiniaru Poet). Most of the grain crops have been cut and stocked, but so. far not much stacking has been done. Many fanners cut and stocked their own crops, but now that stacking has started there is a shortage of labour. In some instances, farmers did not wait until the stocks were properly drv. and, as a result, their stacks have heated. Rust is present in some crops, but wheat should he as good as last year. Most of the wheat was sown in mid-winter and early spring. This year the springsown wheat has grown better than that sown in the autumn. There are some good oat crops in the district, but many crops contain much tangled straw and no gram. Rape and turnips have had more than sufficient rain, and in favoured patches, they have grown very rank. On sour ground rape has not grown well. A numer of turnip crops were sown late, but even so, these crops seem to be doing well. Green feed crops, including oats and Western Woltha, have grown much better than they did lait year: but, according to present indications, these* crops may not be required. Fine weather lasting for several weeks is urgently needed for fattening lambs. Even in fine weather lambs will not fatten easily, because they have received a check. A number of farmers who have never before sold lambs forward, have done so this year. The prices ranged h etween IBs and 20s a head.