THE DROUGHT.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15067, 9 May 1919, Page 3

THE DROUGHT.

NORTH ISLAND DISTRICTS AFFECTED.

Nelson and Marlborough districts are not Singular in their misfortune of drought conditions. v

HAWKE'S BAY,

Farmers in Hawke's Bay in the districts north of Waipukurau are at present having a very anxious time owm^ to the continued dry weather. On paddocks where feed is usually fairly plentiful at this time of the near, nothing but dried-up and parched grass can now be seen. The position as regards winter feed is also very acute and some farmers have had to fall back on their winter stocks 'already. The drought has emphasised the great value of lucerne, paddocks of which are,proving very useful to many, and also demonstrates the necessity of providing lucerne and - other special fodder to meet such unexpected conditions. In Poverty Bay there Kas only been five Inches of rain for the four, months' of this year as compared with 24 inches last year. It is 31 years since Gisborne experienced such a dry spell for the same period. Startling as it niay seem, it isne vertheless a fact that sheep in Hawke's Bay this week are being sold as low as 4s each. Some stations there have commenced to boil down, this process giving them a return of 8s per. sheep for the skin and tallow.

It is worthy of remark at the same time that notwithstanding the fall in the price of sheep householders in Na-' pier and Hastings are still paying 4s for a half-leg of mutton—that is, at the rate of 8s per leg. If the rain comes now it will be too late'to do any good, as already there have been some heavy frostsj in the distnct and the heat has gone put of the ground to a considerable extent.

i.... NORTH AUCKLAND. Many of the northern^ settlers are suffering severely, owing to the protracted spell of dry weather, said the j Minister of Publiq Works. (Sir Williau: Fraser), when commenting at Auckland on his recent tour of the Whangarei district.^; Most of, the paddocks", lie said, Were1 very bare," .and the grass was showing no signs of growth. Tliere had been practically no rain for nearly six months, and the crops had suffered equally wtih the pastures. To add to the disaster caused by the lack of rain, he said, frosts were being experienced to a greater extent than usual;; and were preventing growth of any sort. A few warm rains would soon renew the pastures, as there was an excellent winter growth in normal seasons in North Auckland, but the crops in most cases had been irretrievably ruined;