THE WHEAT BELT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21816, 20 November 1940, Page 6

THE WHEAT BELT

MUCH NEEDED FALL OF RAIN By Telegraph—Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, November 19 Rain which relieved the anxieties of city gardeners this evening also fell in all the important cropping areas of the province, particularly where it was most needed along a great deal of the wheat growing area. The fall came at a critical time and there is no doubt that if it continues overnight and for another few hours it will mean the difference between a good wheat crop and a medium one; in other words, the rain, if it continues, will add some bushels an acre to. Canterbury’s wheat crop. The coastal areas received the fall first, the rain gradually working inland to centres where it was needed almost as badly as those along the coastal belt.. At Ashburton, Rakala, Barr Hill and Kaiapoi the rain was fairly general this evening, and at all other centres indications were for the spread of the fall to an extent that it would cover all Canterbury. In areas closer in to the hills the carry over from the nor’west rains on the West Coast has helped considerably to avert the neardrought conditions that have ruled closer down to the coast, but even in those areas the rain was needed to maintain the quality of the crops, particularly wheat. In the city rain threatened for most of the afternoon and started to fall about 5 o’clock. Nearly half an hour later there was a shower of hail, but the fall was not sustained enough to do damage. Late this evening steady ram was still falling.