WHEAT SOWING DELAYED

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24899, 12 June 1946, Page 8

WHEAT SOWING DELAYED

EFFECT OF RAINFALL LAST MONTH OBSERVATIONS AT LINCOLN After the heavy fall of rain on May 17, cultivation was restricted and the drilling of autumn-sown cereals was held up, states a report from the Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, commenting on the effects of last month’s weather on farms in the Canterbury district. The top soil had now reached saturation, and a dry spell would be necessary if the projected acreage of wheat, which was well below normal, was to be sown within the next month, the report continued. The warm soil conditions favoured rapid germination and good establishment, and most crops, even those sown just before the heaviest falls, had come away well. Pasture growth continued slowly, but had almost stopped, except for newly-sown pastures on fallowed ground, by the end of the month. Damage to old pastures by Porina and grass grub was severe in some areas, and many fields carried large numbers of gulls during the heavy falls of rain. Although some farmers were able to take measures to control Porina, many others were handicapped by the extreme shortage of the poisons, paris green and arsenate of lead, and of the carrier, bran. The lifting of potato crops was continued in the early part of the month. The feed position for stock was still good, and stock generally were in sound condition.

The weather during May was marked by air and soil temperatures warmer than the average, rainfall almost twice the average, and a high proportion of overcast days. Hours of sunshine were down 10 per cent, on the average, but there were only 10 frosts, the most severe being 11 degrees on May 11. Conditions generally were rather pleasant, in spite of the frequency of southerly winds. A summary of observations taken at the college during the month, with figures for May, 1945, in parenthesis, is given below:— Mean height of barometer, 29.976 in (29.721 in mean humidity, 88.5 per cent. (79.9 per cent.); mean maximum temperature, 56.0 deg. F. (53.6 deg. F.); highest maximum temperature, 72.0

deg. F.. on May 3 (65.2 deg. F.); mean minimum temperature, 39.9 deg. F. (37.6 F.); lowest minimum temperature, 29.1 deg. F. on May 16 (25.0 deg. F.); mean grass minimum temperature, 31.7 deg. F 7 (31.4 deg. F.); lowest grass minimum temperature, 19.3 deg. F., on May 11 (15.3 deg. F.); mean temperature for month, 47.95 deg. F. (45.6 deg. F.); mean range of temperature for month, 16.1 deg. F. (18.0 deg. F.); mean earth temperature 48.5 deg. F. (46.0 deg. F.); days of frost, 10 (13); rainfall. 4.24 in (7.55 in rainfall to date. 9.56 in (17.89 in hours of sunshine, 118.0 (99.4); mean amount of Cloud, 7.3 (6.9); miles of wind, 5079 (6579; mean force of wind, 2.1 (2.8); evaporation for month, 0.749izu