DRY SPELL

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21529, 16 December 1939, Page 8

DRY SPELL

PRODUCTION AFFECTED Seripus effects on crops from the dry weather conditions obtaining during the past month were described by Mr A. J. Davey, president, in his monthly review to the South Canterbury Executive of the Farmers’ Union yesterday. It seemed there would be a low volume of production, he said, despite the efforts of farmers to make that volume high. During the period under review the weather had been very dry. Nor’west gales had done much damage, drying the soil of moisture and causing pastures to burn up, said Mr Davey. Stockmen were much concerned about the feeding of stock in the immediate future, as well as for the provision of winter feed. The ground at present was so dry that there was little prospect of crops of small seeds being a success. Cereal crops, too, had suffered severely. The late sown crops would be of little value and in some cases they had already been fed off. Earlier sown crops, some of which were dying off. would not now yield well, and unless it rained soon the grain harvested would be, at best, under grade. Crops of hay, except on the heavy land, would be light. Indeed, some areas shut up for that purpose were so light and the immediate needs of stock so great, that the areas were now being used for feed. Areas set aside for grass-seed crops were naturally small and that crop should prove profitable to the farmers who were able to harvest it. Mr Davey said that the effect of the abnormally dry season was a serious matter, for farmers in the first instance, and of course, for the whole production. The largest volume of production possible was desired from a national as well as the farming point of view and had there been a little higher rainfall the present season would undoubtedly have been a good one. As it was, unless the rainfall for the present month is higher than that recorded for the last month or two, it appeared that South Canterbury was likely to establish a new lowlevel record rainfall and a consequent low volume of primary production, notwithstanding the efforts of farmers to make that volume high.