OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3415, 29 August 1919, Page 12

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(Fbom Oub Own Cobbespondent.) SPRING FLOODS. Daring the last week or two there has been a good deal of rain, and once or twice the rivers and creeks have had. a considerable amount of water in them. Tho heaviest rain that we have had for some time fell at the beginning of last week after a day or two of showers. The land was evidently fairly full of water, because the watercourses were soon running bank to bank. For fully 21- hours the rain fell incessantly. At times a very heavy burst would take place, and the atmosphere was cold for the duration of the rain. Lucidly no snow fell, except on the rapges, and then only on the tops. It is believed that further back ther© was some snow, but reports state that there was nothing serious about it. Tho rivers had all their fords destroyed, and in some cases the creek crossings were also spoiled. There will be a good deal of work i-p do for council and road board surfacemen for a few days put ting things to right again. Luckily there was not a great deal of damage done to bridges or fences, and all that is needed is the expenditure of a few pounds here and there in labour. The rain was followed by lovely spring weather, and an almost total absence of frosts. The glass rose fair'y high, but notwithstanding there was a breeze from the hilb which dried up the land and the roads considerably. At this time of the year the effects of the rams soon pass away if the sun and wind combine to dry things up. Still the land is very wet, and it will take some time for it to dry up properly. SPRING WORK. A start was made with the work of putting in the spring crop when the rains came, and that has now come to a standstill for a few days. Farmers were naturally anxious to get on with this work, as the time is running on. It is usual to get as much of the spring crop drilled in during tho month of August.as possible, so that it may get above the ground some time in September. Rain was not wanted just now, but farmers recognise that if they are to get through' the season safely more rain was needed than fell during the winter. Thereforo, although the rain, has caused a good deal of hindrance, it has been accepted philosophically under tho belief that

it will all be needed later on when the nor'westers get to work properly. Every hollow and creek is now full of water, and tho subsoil must have got a good soaking. The grass and the crops are coming away nicely, and there has been more growth during the last few. days than during the earlier portion of the month. On. light land and on sunny facings both crops and grass are making a show, and the paddocks are getting quite green. Early oats that were put in for sheep feed are pushing out their shoots, and turnips are putting on second growth. When one opens the potato pit one finds that the tubers are putting out long shoots, and we can safely say that the spring has come at last. The willows are tinged with green, and the spring flowers in the gardens are making rapid growth. The weeds axe coming away too, and the eternal battle against them must shortly commence again. Work is more backward than one likes, but the ploughing is well forward, and that is something. It is useless, to put the cultivating implements to work when the land is too wet. Ground that is worked wet never does much good. It is liable to bake when the dry weather comes, and then plant life is at a standstill. However, the plough is kept going wherever and whenever possible, and when the paddocks get dry enough harrows, cultivators, discs, drills, and perhaps the rollers can be got to work. In the meantime all hands are still busy tidying up and puttings things to rights on the farm, so that there will be little hindrances when the teams can get steadily into the yoke. A good deal of gorse-grubbing and cutting has been done during the winter and spring, and the country certainly looks the better for it. During the war this work was at a standstill in many districts, and the farms were Retting very untidy in appearance. Wire fences, too, are being strained up and posts renewed where necessary. Gateways are being renovated, and altogether there seems to be a desire to make the farms more presentable than they have been for some time. Shingle is being carted, to some of the muddiest spots, especially where the riverbed is not far away. It is wonderful how farmers put up with mud and slush when a few loads of shingle would .make all the difference. Even a few loads of straw put around the sheds keep things dry and comfortable, and good manure is formed for the swede or the mangel patch. Gateways have a knack of getting hollow in the centre owing to the alternate formation of mud and dust, and tho result is that when rain comes there is a small lake in tho centre of the gateway, and no one can get in or out without getting very dirty if not very wet. All these things are being attended to now that the teams have to keep off the land for a few days. A great deal of firewood has been cut clown during the last month or two, and some of that is being carted to the homestead in spare time ready for use. In some cases there.is a large enough supply for the next 12 months, and in those eases the coal shortage, as far as household nse is concerned, has few terrors. What will happen when thrashing is on remains to be seen. It is to be hoped that things will be righted by that time. The railway restrictions are being received with a good grace for the most part, except where some stupid regulation or rule is adhered to too sloscly without regard to the local circumstances. Some of the , branch lines have two or three trains a

week, and these trains are being run lighter than they were before the coal shortage. Timber and other necessities are badly wanted in some of the inland towns, and dairy cattle have been bought and will have to be conveyed by train, yet light loads are being run. It takes nearly as much coal to run a lightly-loaded train as it does to pull a full load, yet it is with the utmost difficulty that some of the essential goods required on the farm and station can be carried. Alcoholic beverages, however, can bo carried, and some of the up-country publicans aro getting in a good store while they have the chance. The latest trouble is the carriage of children who have been sent to boarding schools, but the regulations have now been relaxed somewhat. STOCK DOING WELL. In spite of the wet, stock is for the most part doing fairly well. It is true that turnips are scarce, but the few that are about are'holding out well. The sheep have been kept on for a few hours only at a time, and in the wet weather they were kept off altogether. There is a little spring in the grass, and the stock is watching every blade as it comes if they have nothing else to eat. Where turnips are available the stock is kept off the grass paddocks as much as possible in order that the grass pay get a chance. The roots are still keepings their quality, the only regret is that there are so few of them in the country. However, it is satisfactory to note that sheep for the most part are in fair condition, except where overstocking has been allowed. Hoggets aro now losing their milk teeth, and the green feed that is coming away will be welcomed by them. The wheat that was sown in the winter and the autumn is making a show, and it will now bo many weeks before it can be stocked with the hoggets. It is better to eat the wheat down than to let it go too much to straw. Feeding down does the croo good, and comes in very useful for the stock in the spring. Even spring-sown crops-may be fed down later on if they show signs of strong growth. The sheep that were taken down from the high country to the lower levels for the winter are now finding their way back to their own country, and they appear to have put in a fairly good winter, lhey are not quite as good as they were last year, when they were travelling back, but that may not be a disadvantage. .Last.season some of them died as the result of being too fat while heavy in lamb. Prices 'are good, and still show a rising tendency. Some have done ve™ well out of their autumn speculations, while otheis who.were forced to keep their sheep and lambs over the winter now realise that they are not going to lose anything by their inability to sell at the proper time Iho wool is in irood order for the most part, and it should be fairly clean, as there was very little mud about in the winter. Dairv cattle-are now beginning to come in and not before time. There has- been a famine m butter, and some fnjmers have been without for some time Needless to say, when a cow comes in she is heartily welcomed.