OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3443, 9 March 1920, Page 11

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

A BAD BREAK. A fortnight ago the weather broke badly, and for over three days rain foil more or lea intermittently. Indeed, for a wholo week the weather conditions grave ws a good deal of concern, but. fortunately last Vvt-.k was fine practically throughout; and we were able to resume harvest with all the vigour possible. The rain, as usual, did not fail equally over the province. In the south the fall was not as heavy as in the north and that was a good thins, because the harvest was further forward in thenorth than in the south. About 2in fell in South Canterbury, and upwards of half an inch more in the northern portions of the province. Near the hills the rain waa the heaviest, and there the farmers, who had finished ,harvest were few and far between. The rain commenced on Tuesday night and ended on Friday night, and changeable and threatening conditions obtained for some days afterwards. A few nor'-westers set in, and they did an incalculable amount of good to the crops in stook. These winds have been few and far between this year, and they have been generally followed by a blow from the opposite direction that has nearly always brought rain. The nor'-west breezes of last week were not of lengthy duration, and they did give place -to a very cold , and heavy sou'-wester. Luckily, the rain kept away, and right up to last Saturday night the weather continued fine and a good deal of harvesting was done from the middle of the week onwards. The operations wero confined chiefly to stook thrashing and stacking, though there was also some cutting to do. The mills wore busy everywhere; indeed, I am afraid that some of them got a start before they should have • done. But that is usually "the case after* bad weather. Farmers get anxious, .and they think that the weather will never become settled^again; and they feel that they must take advantage of every fine day, ho matter what the stuff is like. • It is a' mistake to lose any time when the grain is ready and fit, but it is a mistake to harvest before the stuff is ready. After a lengthy period of farming and grain-grow-ing one can say that there never was & time when the crcn would not get into condition if given time and if farmers would only exercise a little patience. Once* the grain is in good condition again, noti a- moment should be wasted, and the only limits to the hours worked should be those) of human endurance arid the darkness of night. The stook.-v that were standing vn well during the rain did not get wet through, but the grain, on the outside of the sheaves began to grow more or leas badly, and a great deal of it is sprung, if not actually sprouted. It has also lost its bright colour, and one can very easily pick the erain thai was saved before the rain and that which was thrashed afterwards. It became firm and h af d towards the end of the. week, but it lacked the colour. Instead of stook thrashing so muoh of it, more stacking should undoubtedly have been done in order to recondition it, but we have got so much ; nto the way of stook-thrashing that wn will not return to the stack-thrash-ing if we can possibly help it. However, the stuff that is in/ bags will improve with keeping; tnc! no doubt there will not bo much fault found with it, as wheat is scarce in the country. It is difficult to say what the yield 19 going to average, but I should think that it is not going to be very high. Some are talking of 30 bushels, but that is quite out of the question. IMt goes 27 it is all that can be expected. Indeed, it may be nearer . 25. as there are, many poor crops about. One reads of some heavy yields, but the poor ones get loft tut of the newspaper reports. The country as a whole is looking ei- <K tremely well, and turnips and grass are growing in cood style. There will be any amount of autumn and winter feed.