OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3014, 20 December 1911, Page 20

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(Feom Oub Own Cobhespondent.) THE "WEATHER AND GENERAL. We experienced a variety of weather conditions last week, including dr ? ln " north-west galea, frosts up to 6deg, hail, heavy rain, and snow in the hill country. ' In the first place, the north-west winds were responsible for wilting vegetation and generally parching the surface of the soil, more particularly; that under cultivation, and the heavy rain that commenced to fall on Friday will consequently prove very beneficial, and will successfully tide" the cereal crops over the critical stage by inducing them to shoot well out mtoi ear. One extraordinary feature of the weather is the low temperature that has been so frequently experienced of late, and this has had a marked, effect in cheokiingl the growth of late-sown cereal crops. Then, again, snow at this period of the year is altogether a phenomenal occurrence — indeed, some of the oldest residents in the province state that they cannot remember a similar experience. The ranges were practically free from snow on Thursday, but on Saturday morning," when the weather temporarily cleared, it was seen that the hills were covered with a fairly thick coat well down to their base. This is bound! to be responsible for the occurrence of frosts and subsequent floods in the rivers. At this period of the season the experience of frosts over Bdeg would inflict considerable damage to fruit crops and tender vegetation, and the loss to farmers, orchardista, and others would necessarily bo very great. While the rain will have a most beneficial effect on the pastures, cultivated land, and torops, Friday .night's unseasonable blizzard—for siich it must be termed—has been responsible for inflicting h eav y losses among shorn sheep, and reports that came to hand on Saturday show that the mo|f--tality among the flocks has been very serious. One grazier at "Valetta, Mid-Canter-bury, i» reported to have lost close on 1000 sheep, and other losses, although not so great, are, nevertheless, very heavy in various parts of the province. A passenger by the Mount Somere train to Ashburton on Saturday informed me that he had observed the carcases of dead sheep in quite a number of paddocks close to the line, and he added that the deathis among newly-born sheep all over the country are bound to have a result very serious to graziers, more particularly to those in the upper districts, where shearing has been in full swing during the earlier part of the week. ... Writing on Saturday morning, the Mayfield correspondent of the Ashburton Guardian save: : "A rain of an exceptionally heavy character commenced at Mayfield at 1 p.m.- on Friday, and continued until far into the night. During the first four and a-half houfs of the fall 175 points were registered, and _ at the time of writing on Saturday morning the gauge gave a total of 2in 45 points of rain. It will put shearing at a standstill, but the good to farmers in. regard to.'the. growing crops of cereals,, rape, and turnips cannot be estimated. Already the crops in this locality are looking' remarkably well. Heavy rain and hail has since fallen in the same locality." The experience in Mid-Canterbury has been general in the districts around;Christchurch. On Thursday in the Malvern district at about 3 p.m. a smart thunderstorm commenced, heavy .thunder (preceding a severe hailstorm. Hail the .size of pigeon's eggs fell for a time. The storm was, fortunately, not of long duration, otherwise, it must have caused, immense damage to standing crops. As it is, a fair amount of damage was done to crops "which were well in ear, and to gardens, fruit trees especially suffering. Yesterday throughout the North Canterbury district there was a heavy rain for about two hours in the afternoon. Many of the 'fields of wheat look most promising, not being too heavy in straw, and occasional fains will go very far towards the filling of the ears. A thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy rain ■ and hail, passed over the Greendale district early on Thursday afternoon. For a short time the hailstones were of a considerable size, but fortunately the storm did not last long enough to do much damage. Haymaking has now commenced, and farmers are also "getting reapers ready for grass-cutting. Early oat crops are suffering from the small birds, which appear to be unusually numerous. • ; A heavy hailstorm passed over the Ashburton County on Saturday afternoon, and as far as I have been able to ascertain the damage inflicted on the cereal crops is very serious, The country affected is several miles in length and 'at least two miles in width, and if the whole of the cereal crops have been treated in a manner indicated by a sample of green grain in the ear that was shown to me on Sunday, many of the crops will hardly pay for reaping. The grain in the ears shown to me had been literally battered but, and my informant, a threshing machine proprietor, who happened to be in the part of the country affected at the time of the storm, says the appearance of many of the fields of grain is most distressing. Fortunately, the country below the Main Trunk railway line escaped 'the etorm, which lasted about three-quarters of an hour. The hailstones are said to have been as large as starlings* eggs. The weather yesterday was very wintry. and heavy thunder showeirjj fell at intervals. In a conversation I had with Mr John Lambie (chairman of the Ashburton County Council) on Friday, I learnt that ' he had recently motored ove.r practically ■ the whole of the northern end of the province. Mr Lambie expressed the opinion i that the cereal crops in the Ashburton County, and in South Canterbury, were far superior to those in bhe districts surrounding Chrdstohurch. Ho had recently paid a visit to Lincoln College, and the crops on the college farm would not bear comparison with those at the southern end. Mr W. T. Lill (a. member of the council), who was also present, remarked that, the cereal crops in the Willowby and Longj beach districts were particularly good j in fact, foe had not seen things agricultural looking bettor and more promising for many yeaxa past. Mr -George Murdoch, speaking on the- condition of the country, said that although the pestilential fly had commenced to attack the turoip crops in a mild form in some of "the lower districts, the crops in the upper districts had. not been interfered with up till the present. Mr Murdoch added that the prospects in his district (Mayfield) were very eneouragJnau

Farmers and graziers are jubilant in regard to the marked improvement in prices that -was recorded at the wool sales that were held at Cihristc'buri'h and Timaru last week, and as the bulk of the wool is still unsold farmers will reap the full benefit of the rise, which those in a tion to advance an authoritative opinion contend will prove x^ermanenfc. In the matter of getting good prices for its output this season, the Ashburton Dairy "Factory Company has done remarkably well. The bulk of the November surplus has been sold at Is f.o.b., Lyttelton, and the whole of the December surplus at the same figure. The sale of the January output was completed last week, and the high prices for and December were again secured. .It 19 believed that the price obtained has not been equalled in the Dominion, for the period named. With the high prices ruling at present, in the Home market it does not pay to sell in the local market. Haymaking is now in full swing, and some particularly fin© crops have been reaped, but, unfortunately, comparatively little has been safely stacked as a result of the oatchy weather. Should the weather hot take up shortly much of the hay will be damaged. Grass seed is rapidly maturing but very little will be ready for saving till the beginning of the year. Blight is making its appearance in the early-sown potato crops, but only in a mild form. As a whole, the potato crops are looking well, and judging by the strong and healthy appearance of the shaws the yields should be very satisfactory. Store sheep are still hard to quit, and prices ha,ve not materially- hardened; while values for fat stock last week were slightly easier, mainly in consequence of the increased supply. Judging by the prices given for small lots that have changed hands for retail butchering purposes, there is every prospect of the fat lamb market opening satisfactorily for the coming season. Dairy cows are selling remarkably well, and the same remark is applicable to store cattle. The A&hburton County Council at its last meeting discussed the advisableness of merging the road boards in the county (nine in number) and making the council the sole administrative body. It is contended that by the initiation of such a scheme the cost of administration would bo more economical and efficient, as dual control and overlapping would be abolished. Several of the road boards are agreeable to the proposed reform being carried into effect, while Others are strongly opposed to it. Should tine abolition of the road bbards be vetoed, the council proposes to adopt the ward system, the - accounts in each ward to be kept separate, and it is safe to assume that thle latter scheme will meet with much favour at the hands of the majority of the ratepayers, and will tend to dispel the agitation in favour of the subdivision of the county. The excitement that rose to fever heat in connection with the general election has almost subsided, and there were several features associated with it thai were very outstanding, some of which were the revulsion of feeling that has occurred among the working men in regard* to the Ward Admku strati on, the rek'gioua element .which was introduced into the elections, and the desire among- r a large section of Crown tenants and members of the civil service for a .change in the Government. After the severe setback the Government has received, which was very obvious to ; those who make a study of public opinion, I should imagine that the writers of some of the leading articles in the chief Government organs will feel veiry ridiculous in face of the astonishing predictions, they have .been pleased to make with such boldness during the past few weeks. "The rift in the lute" in respect of the papers indicated since last Thursday is very palpable, and, to say the least, intensely ingMonday morning. Heavy rain is still falling this morning, and there are no. signs of the weather clearing. Since Friday 128 points were registered at the Ashburton weather station, but" the fall nearer the hills has been much heavier.