OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3280, 24 January 1917, Page 12

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(Fboii Our Own Correspondent.) THE WEATHER. Sinco despatching to you my last budget wo havo had anything but favourable weather conditions. If my memory is not playing me false, I wrote just before that a grateful, refreshing rain fell over tho greater portion of the island, north as well as south, along the east coast. The ruin took tho form of a thunderstorm in many parts, and the rain which fell was very heavy indeed. Up to 3in were registered in somo districts; but, generally speaking, from lin to was recorded. Then followed a few days of dull, though warm, weather, giving the moisture a chance to soak into the ground. Afterwards came hot, drying winds day after day. The heat was most trying, and work was made as disagreeable as it could be under the conditions that prevailed. In some districts electrical storms of considerable intensity were experienced. In one instance lightning set fire to a gorse fence. Luckily the fence did not burn very long. In various parts of Canterbury severe hailstorms were experienced—storms that did a great deal of damage to standing crops and growing vegetation. Some farmers had paddocks of wheat and oats so completely thrashed out that the stuff is good for nothing, except the match, in order that trio fire may clear the ground for the plough Even in localities where the fitorms did not reach their worst a considerable amount of damage was done, crops being partially destroyed. _ For instance, one neighbourhood considers that all the oats standing uncut had one-third of the grain knocked out. Besides which a good deal of the straw was crippled down, and will do no further good. Hail and rain storms were again followed by parching nor'-westers and almost unbearable heat. At tho time of writing the_ glass has risen. An easterly drizzle has set in, though therfi is not much chance of it coming to anything. The .glass is high and the air is cooler, so that conditons are a little moro enjoyable than they havo been. THE FARM. The showers have improved the prospects for winter feed. Rape and turnips that had got a start before the rain fell are now covering the ground, and are looking fairly healthy and fresh, though each hot windy day makes the leaves wilt pitifully. In tho case of turnips recently sown, where the seed had not yet braided, germination has been slow, and the plants are making very slow progress indeed. The reason is that the ground has become thoroughly caked. There is a crust upon it, which becomes harder with each day's sun and wind, and which almost bars growth of any sort. Where the hail was worst the paddocks were beaten down very much, and a soft rain is needed to give things a chance. The grass paddocks look as brown as over; but there is just a suspicion of growth in them. Harvesting is in full swing, and no time is, being lost. The windy days have acted as a spur to the reapers and binders. A big area of crop must have fallen to tho reaper during the past few days. In many cases the stooking has got hopelessly behind. Whole paddocks of sheaves, as I write, are lying unstooked, and if the present grey slues should give us rain, a lot of good 'stuff will get a thorough wetting. No doubt it is wise to chop down as much ripe grain as possible when heavy winds aro about; but there is also danger in allowing the binders to get too far ahead of the stookers. No doubt tho matter is made all the worse by the fact that when the wind is blowing stooking is often an impossibility—or, at any rate, a futility, while reaping, under some difficulty, may still go on. In North Canterbury some very heavy winds have been experienced, and a good deal of crop was blown out here and there. Tho elements seem to be conspiring to reduce our cereal yield, and no purse, however good, can recompense our farmers for some of the losses they have sustained already. Somo thrashing has been done out of the stookj and no doubt some decent tallies would have been mado by now; if wind and rain had not caused some hindrance. I have not heard of any tallies yet, but I believe that some of the grain is lean or thin. It is thin in the skin, bright and good in every way, except that it is not as plump as usual. That means that tho yield will not be as heavy as the appearance of the straw would lead one to expect. There is a good deal of discussion about .the probable yield. It must be admitted that there are hundreds and thousands of acres of splendid wheat to be seen about — stuff that is stooking up splendidly. The best crop is- being cut first, as the earlier sowings have done fairly well. Some rust and blight are apparent in patches; but the naiiy crons are undoubtedly good, especially in South Canterbury and ulong the hills. In North Canterbury, along the sea ceast, all the crops are poorer. '1 lie spring crops everywhere have not done well, and ;<s m some parts these bulk fairly largely, the average yield must be reduced considerably by them. Some are scarcely worth reaping—in fact, I know of paddocks of both wheat and oats that are nut going tc be liar vested. It is rather sad to see promising crops of oats rusted so much that they are worthless, particularly when oats in any ease will be scarce enough. Returning to wheat yields, a good deal of speculation is being indulged in. It is certain that the high hopes of a couple of mouths ago cannot now be realised. Some still consider that we shall get about 30 bushels an acre: others talk of 25 bushels. Personally I am of opinion that the figure will be somewhere between the two—probably 2-8 bushels an acre. If bad weather had not com.' early last autumn a greater area of winter crop would have been sown, with better results than will obtain from the spring sowings, which were not made as early as they should have been owing to the very wet state of the ground in tho earlv spring. Some marketing of new wheat has been done on the basis of about 5s 6d a bushel at country stations, but there can be no great amount of business pass till tho Govern-

monfc makoa known its intentions regarding the. incoming crop ]t is now times that sonic announcement was made. As in tho caso of the wheat yields, there is a good deal of conjecture among fanners as to tho offer tho Government wilt make. As far as I can gather, the consensus of opinion seems to bo that the figure will be 1 in tho vicinity of 5s 6d a bushel. A good deal of correspondence has appeared in the papers regarding the price asked for by farmers at the recent Ohristchurcn conference, a. good deal of it containing criticism tinged with ignorance of tho real position. The matter is too lengthy and debatable to bo entered upon here, but one cannot help remarking that farmers, though keen business men, are not as a body unpatriotic in any sense; and that the price asked for, though it would only be secured for a small proportion of tho wheat, is not more than on a par with the increased price of wool, meat, and dairy produce—commodities that can be produced much more easily than grain, particularly now that expert farm hands are being called to the colours. Speaking of labour, there has not as yet been a great scarcity of it in connection with_ the harvest. If there is a shortage it will be felt when stacking and thrashing become general, as these are the operations which call for more hands. Luckily, as far as labour is concerned, the harvest is patchy. Rome localities will be practically finished before others begin. This gives men a chance to move from one district to another. Shearing, too. is practically over, and men are coming down from tho big sheds to the harvest paddocks. Farmers are paying in most districts Is 6d an hour and found for harvest work, though in somo localities as much as Is 9<l to 2s is being given.