UNFRIENDLY SEASON

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 36, 4 January 1946, Page 5

UNFRIENDLY SEASON

HEAT, FROSTS, RAIN, DRY SPELL

UNUSUAL EXTREMES EXPERIENCED

Christmas 1945 will long be. remembered as one of the most unusual within recent years. Commencing with bright sunny weather which had been experienced over the past tAvo months almost without a break the weather suddenly became unsettled giving way to fitful showers of rain, and, most unkind of all to bitingly cold winds from the south which.were backed up by two distinct frosts and .several showers of hail.

The last rainfall of any conse--quence was in October when on 29th half an inch was recorded in the "town. Since then November over the whole period registered only .(>8 inches the lowest on record. Serious -concern was felt throughout the county where falling butterfat production had grave repercussions in -a dozen different directions. December has shown only a slight improvement on the general parched conditions obtains everywhere in the countryside. The. total for the month was only 1.35 inches compared with nearly 4 inches last year. For the last two months of the year the total rainfall was 2.03 inches.!

Heavy Farm Losses

The effect of the. prolonged dry • spell will be a heavy falling off in .production everywhere for the i'arm■er. Already the plains arc bare where the "sandy nature of the soil -cannot retain the moisture. Particularly is this, noticeable at Onepu and in parts of Awakeri and western Edgecumbe, where the burnt up pastures present a dreary spectacle. There is not a blade of green to be .seen, and the better grade stock has ■ been removed to kindlier districts. One farmer who was interviewed by ..a BEACON representative claimed that not only was his butterfat production down by about half its normal yield t but that he had lost £2OO in pigs alone being unable to fatten the usual number owing to the .shortage of skim milk which at this .time of the year he normally has in abundance This is fairly general on the Plains and the Dairy Company output over the whole season .must suffer.

A Galatea farmer stated yesterday that in bis district the pumice lands -3iad dried up some time ago, bnt that root crops were standing the istrain well and that many farmers finding supplementary feed a ■wonderful asset. Those who had failed to make tins provision were of course suffering in consequence.

Destructive Frosts

The two successive frosts over the .last wee'kend caused more comment ,even than the dry spell. On the Rangitaiki, they were sufficiently severe to cut back many maize crops which were already weakened by the continued absence of rain. Acres were noticed shrivelled and browned by motorists passing through during the new year. Maori farmers sit Ruatoki also complain that the frost played havoc with the kumara crops in that district. Potatoes also in this respect. A well ! known Edgecumbc farmer says he cannot recollect ever having .experienced two such frosts in the middle of summer during the whole .of his 30 years experience on the Plains.

Campers Discomforted

Campers at Oliope and elsewhere though they have few complaints to make, were considerably discomforted in the early holidays by the. changeable nature of the weather. The weekend following the Christmas break brought with it the cold blustering southerly wind which depended a rapid change of clothing and for two days ? an almost complete absence of bathing. Cold squalls swept over the beach send-* ing everyone flying for shelter. The chilly wind was responsible for the prevalence of colds and chills particularly amongst children, many of whom insisted on bathing when the adult population remained indoors Jn many instances by open fires which had been kindled for warmth.

Compensating Sunshine

The warmer days which followed

have compensated to a large extent the unseasonable period of extreme ' heat and cold. Glorious sunny days have made it possible for residents throughout the Whakatane district to camp tour and to picnic beside

their favourite beauty spots. Lake Rotoma is more popular than ever. Every bach is occupied and a smaVl fleet of launches and fishing craft plough the still waters at all times. If we are to believe one Whakatanean Rotoma has had settled Aveather for the whole of the holiday period!