RAIN IN TIME

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19919, 22 April 1939, Page 11

RAIN IN TIME

RELIEF FOR FARMERS

FAIR GROWTH LIKELY

FEED SHORTAGE REMAINS

POSITION LESS ACUTE The rain which commenced in the Gisborne high country on Wednesday evening iand reached the* lowlands yesterday morning has come in time to promote <a fair growth in the pastures on the lower levels. The ground is still warm, and after such a long rest of nearly 12 months without much growth the grass should be in a position to shoot away until a cold snap comes.

The acute shortage of feed will not be entirely removed. The stock .should be given a bite of green feed before the winter sets in, but more •than the usual supplies of supplementary feed will be required still to carry through the winter. Before the rain fell, farmers were (facing a disastrous winter. The district had been without adequate rain ior nearly seven months, and had it not been for the fortnight of light rain at the end of January and the beginning of February the position would have been more serious. Little feed was left on any of the pastures on the flats and even on the hills. In fact, some of the hill country appeared to be drier than the lower areas. Dwindling Dairy Production Dairy production was dwindling down to such a level that many men considered that it was hardly worth while milking their cows for the small quantities of butterfat secured, and that it would be better to dry the cows off so that they would have some prospect of maintaining their condition. The loss in the present supplies may not be the worst feature of the situation, for with cows in poor condition now the coming season's production is likely to be affected. Some dairy farmers say that they had so little feed that a proportion of their herds would have to go into the freezing works, one man stating that practically the whole of his herd would have to be slaughtered, because of' his inability to feed the animals. Just how this position will be altered by the rain is difficult to say yet. Hay 'had been practically unprocurable in the district, and it is understood that even in outside areas supplies were very difficult to secure, for the dry weather extended practically throughout the North Island and also to the South Island. This week's rain, however, may ease the position in the outside markets. Root Crops a Failure Root crops this year were a failure in most parts of the district, and the autumn sowings for green crops were also unsuccessful. One farmer states that he planted some oats six weeks ago, and; they were not above the ground a few days ago. As a result, all supplies of supplementary feed are in great demand, which at present, despite the growth

(By "The Gleaner") '.

expected by the rain, appears likely to exceed the available supplies in the district. In the matter of hay, those farmers who usually have supplies available have barely sufficient now *fdr their own requirements. Farmers who had been feeding out willow foliage completely exhausted this emergency ration in most instances before the rainfall.

Maize appears to be one of the few crops Which had done at all well in the district this year. The crops I made a good recovery after the late January rains, and in many instances have cobbed up very well indeed, although the yield in the district generally will be light, on present indications. Crops on Silted Land Some of the best maize crops are seen on the silted 1 land in the Manutuke district. Most of the crops there had a bad start, and by the end of December were only a few inches above the ground, but they are now to a height of Bft. to 9ft. in some instances, large cobs being noticed. Lucerne stood to a number of farmers in the district during the drought, although those with this crop are all too few. Lucerne has had a long season this year, and is still growing well in most cases. Some excellent crops are seen on the silted Manutuke lands, although the invasion of weed seeds are becoming apparent now. Bad Season For Pig- Breeders The failure of root crops and the shortage cf the supply of dairy byproducts brought about by the dry season, was becoming very serious for pig breeders. At a meeting of the Wellington District Pig Council in Palmerston North, the supervisor, Mr. E. P. Neilsen, reported that hundreds of pigs which would normally have reached the slaughterhouse as light baconers would do well if, they arrived as light pork. Farmers who catered for the weaner market had declined to accept the low prices offering, and as an alternative had been feeding the animals heavily on meals with the object of bringing them to light pork condition. This was not likely to yield a very large profit, but in an abnormal season such as the present one, it was a question of making the best of a bad job.