WESTERN DISTRICT NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 17656, 14 February 1916, Page 2

WESTERN DISTRICT NOTES

(From Our Own Correspondent.) The' fat lamb buyers are very busy .iust now amongst farmers’ flocks drafting out the prime "Southlanders.” Fine averages of fats off the mother are being secured, and 6*4(1 per lb, as much as £1 is being received. Consequently breeding ewes are bringing high prices, and will continue to do so. It appears now that those clips which missed the first wool sale are to receive the benefit of a still rising market, and it is anticipated in some quarters that fully Id per lb of an advance will rule at tiie final sale. A number of farmers have not yet managed to “cut out,” as about the' hilly country rain has been of almost daily occurrence during the past fortnight. The Western District got the full benefit of the thunder storms on Thursday, a truly tropical downponr occurring all through the district, but according to the readings of the gentlemen who "take” the rainfall for the responsible Government Department, Otautau must have been the centre of the storm, as four indies of rain was recorded there as the rainfall in six hours. This is equivalent to the average rainfall for a whole month. At Nightcaps, IS points fell in 15 minutes. At Riverton one indi was recored for the 24 hours. There are some splendid crops in the Western Dlstict this year, and harvesting of autumn sown oats commenced over a week ago, and cutting is becoming general now . The heavy downpour of Thursday week put a stopper on the grass harvest, and 1110 unusual sight was met with of grass and oats both in stook at the same time and early in February, too. There are plenty of crops, whoso average height runs to 6ft and the straw is well headed, too. Tliere has never been such weather for turnips and rape in Southland before, and I think that it would be a very' difficult matter to find any farmer who is not sure of an ample snpply of winter feed. Under the circumstances it is difficult to account for easiness of stores at recent stock sales, especially as there is ample feed everywhere at present.