FARM AND STATION. THE LATE RAINFALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1957, 27 August 1891, Page 6

FARM AND STATION. THE LATE RAINFALL.

The rainfall of last week came most opportunely, when the Oamaru people were almost in despair after three years of what we might almost call drought — certainly three years of very deficient moisture. In a lesser degree Timartt, Ashbuxton, and a great part of the Canterbury district, as also the Shag Valley and Central Otago districts, suffered from the same cause, and have now all been greatly benefited by the late 30 or 40 hours' steady rainfall. Oamaru has always managed to do with much less moisture than the other parts of the province, but for a long time there has hardly been any rain at all, and not only was last season's crop deficient by something like half, bnt grass and turnips failed, and stock had to be reduced greatly. Nevertheless a large area of grain, and especially wheat, has been put in, though the ground was so hard and dry that it was exceedingly difficult to plough. Now, a good deal of spring wheat and a considerable area of oats and potatoes will be put in, and instead of operations in farming and grazing coming to a dead standstill as was the outlook only a week ago, there is a very fair prospect indeed of good cereal crops and feed pasture. Now that the drough t has well broken the farmers look forward to a wet season, and in any case they can get on for another month or so with very little more rain. It is difficult to estimate the money value of these opportune showers. Overall Canterbury and northern Otago hundreds of thousands of acres have benefited, and if we calculate the difference between utter failure of crops and pasture and a fair average season's growth some very startling figures would be the result, We do not know that meteorologists can throw any light on these strange climatic changes. How a large patch of country perhaps 20C miles by 100 can for a long period escape rainfall which approaches it on north, south, and west is a puzzle. But again and again cloudy skies have passed and refused to drop their contents on the thirsty ground over this particular area. The Oamaru people at last in despair got out the naval guns to produce by their concussion in firing a break in the clouds, but tbe rain had just begun to fall before the first shot, and it is difficult of belief that so slight a^force could in any case have produced the desired effect, though there are authentic records of heavy bombardments from a number of siege guns being followed by copious rainfall, and we are told in our cablegrams of the astute Yankees producing the same result by dynamite discharged from a balloon. It would require a good number of successful experiments to satisfy most people that the apparent was the real effect. " Post hoc non ergo propter hoc;" and though there is nothing absurd in the idea of disturbing the equilibrium of clouds by some such means, the force employed would surely have to be very considerable. It would certainly pay tbe Oamaru people to keep a balloon

and a stock of dynamite if they could thus rudely but successfully woo the clouds to drop their contents where and when they are so much needed. Meanwhile kind Nature is in more liberal mood, and the sorely tried farmers have been inspired with renewed hope and cheerfulness, and that is something to be thankful for — all the more so that a second failure of crops would have been most disastrous. The outlook as to prices, at least for wheat, is most favourable, and a few months may now see an altogether improved state of matters in our chief agricultural centres. AUSTRALASIAN WOOL PRODUCTIONS : THEIR DISTRIBUTION AND PROSPECTS. In a recent article published in theße columns the probability of a gradual lessening of the volume of Australasian wools annually forwarded for sale in London, and concurrently a corresponding increase of purchases by manufacturers and dealers at the centres of production, was pointed out, and is substantially exemplified by the following figures : — Destination op Wool Sold at Salks in the Colonies, 1890-1,

The total of 581,300 .bales purchased in the looal markets represents considerably oyer one-third of the aggregate production, which was 1,564,629 bales ; and though tbe purchaser compared with those in the preceding 12 months showed a falling off amounting to 30,000 bales, this it is conceded was attributable to the uncertain prospeotß of trade in Great Britain and some important European State? daring the currency of the wool sales in the colonies, an uncertainty caused by strikes in the iron, coal, and other important industries in Great Britain and in several leading trades on the Continent as well. In reference to the table below given iv the Economist, it is remarked :— " The following particulars showing the quantities of wool sold in eaob of the four Australasian colonies during the last 11 years will serve to indioate the enormous growth of tbe Australian wool■elling business daring reoent years." Australian Wool Salks fox Blsvki Yarns.

The increase during the whole period has been 373,000 bales or an average increase of about 34,000 bales a year. ,- The exports of Australasian wool between Ist July 1889 and 30th June 1890 were 1,474,588 bales, as against 1,354,650 bales in the corresponding period of the preceding wool season, an increase of 119,938 bales. The following table shows the exports this season and the last between Ist July and 30th April :— AtrsTßi.ii.suN Wool Bxpobts from Ist July to 30TH APBIL. 1890-91. 1889-90. Colony. Bales. Bales. Vlotorla ... ... 408,193 418,918 New South Walei ... 646,913 461,208 Queensland ... ... 112,801 93,381 South Australia ... 153,552 147.614 Western Australia ... 89,460 23,999 Tasmania ... ... 20,165 19,251 Hew Zealand ... 293,556 264,161 Total ... ...1,664,639 1.428,532 The figures show an exoeus this season over last of 136,097 bales, and virtually represent the comparative total productions for the two seasons, as rarely indeed are stocks of wool held in the colonies after February. In any case the exports arriving during May and June are invariably trivial. With additional sup: plies immediately available, and the likelihood of a heavy clip this season in Australia advised, the result of the third series (June-July) of the London wool sales must be regarded as on the whole very satisfactory. While daily complaints were made in the saleroom that buyers were paying too much for wool, still bidding continued active, and values of sound well grown wool well sustained, although reports as to the oondition of trade at the time in several of the manufacturing centres were not encouraging. On July 2 Messrs Charles Balme and Co , writing of the Bales then.in progress, said : " The satisfactory volume and character of the demand of which the sales continue to afford evidence, are apparently explained by a scale of consumption of very important dimensions, and although the later series of the year promise to be more amply furnished with raw material than they were last season [early in August the arrivals in London of wool for the September-October sales amounted to 342,000 bales.— Ed O. W.], any pressure of supply must b9 largely compensated by such requirements on the part of consumers as at present exist." In reference to classes of wool which receded in price, tbe firm remark : — "Poor Adelaides and New Zealand merinoes, however, still show no recovery from the lower values which have latterly prevailed for such descriptions, and whioh are in a great measure accounted for by intrinsic conditions. Of crosabreds, medium types also remain relatively weak." On tbe same head, Messrs Helmuth Schwarfcze and Co, report : — " The lower olasee-i of Australian are £d per lb cheaper than in April, and the same may be said of New Zealand wools, in whose case the fall is mainly caused by the wasty condition of tbe dip." Regarding the condition of trade in the woollen manufacturing districts, the Bradford correspondent of the Economist reported on July 4 :— " Everythipg has remained without change Bince last week, but the feeling is growing that tbe prices which have to be paid in London for colonial wool, and in the country for English wool, are such that prices here (for manufactures) must shortly rally. At present dealers in this market cannot replace what they sell, except at a loss, Although new busi-

ness is not plentiful, there are circumstances which preclude the expectation of any decline. Stooks are very low everywhere, and the consumption going on in the mills is considerable. There is no speculation, and money is cheap. Whenever a demand springs up there is likely to be an upward movement." Reports of an exactly similar tenor were received from Huddersfield, Leeds, and other centres, so that the position of manufacturers is far from insecure. If they can absorb the heavy supplies to be offereJ in September values of the growing dip will be fairly well assured.

Destination. viotorla. Sydney. Adelaide. Total. Bales. Bales. Bales. Bales. Tnited States and Canada... rorkshire and Scotland 'ranoeand Belglum ... Germany iooal ipeoulation for Bale Id London, local wool tcouring and local m'nuf'oturiDg •pan 29,000 74,500 80,000 34,000 2,000 82,000 97,000 47,000 !} 2,000 11,500 • 16,000 33,000 118,000 I 273,000 i I 29,000 1 51,458 360 15,600 43,800 98,750 1,350 621,100 57,i00 581,300 Total! kdd New Zealan 247,600| 232,800| Grand total

Season. Viotoria New South Walei. South Australia. New Zealand. Total. 1890-91 ... 1889-90 ... 1888-9 ... 1887-8 ... 1886-7 ... 1885-6 ... 1884-5 ... 1883-4 ... 1882-3 ... 1881-2 ... 1880-1 ... Bales. 247.508 279.360 214,876 188,050 180,045 178,655 197,934 189,237 155,850 157,794 132,272 Bales. 232,856 227,699 198,617 162,511 131,017 126,500 112,000 112,000 73,000 90,000 60,000 Bales 43,799 47,298 43,568 34,481 31,320 31.000 33,000 46,000 38,000 38,000 25,000 Bales. 67,166' 57,619 50,303 36,458 38,700 33.000 31,000 30,000 18,000 17,000 11,000 Bales. 581,329 611,776 507.364 421,500 381,082 369.153 876,934 877,227 384,850 302,794 208,272