Australian Harvest Prospect.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 17, 29 October 1874, Page 4

Australian Harvest Prospect.

Seeing- that the interests of farmers lipre are so much affected, and the. price of produce throughout the Colony generally so largely influenced by the Australian markets, reports of the present state of the crop* and harvest prospects there must prove both faltertesting and useful to our readers. We therefore give the following latent tb> counts from the undermentioned districts. The * Australasian * says :~Tbe aspect of the sky was probably never more anxiously scanned than at present, in the hope of a copious rainfall. The total for the year, up to the present time, has bpen a trifle above the average, but those who have watched the weather indications for a number of years have read With anxiety the experience of the recent exploring- parties in the interior, especially their statements with regard to the, drought in ihose latitudes It is regarded as nearly certain that in the absence^ of rains in the northern and central portion of the continent nothing more than coast rains are likely to occur, and it must 1)e acknowledged that appearances are just now decidedly unfavorable. Another steady rainfall would insure all the early wheats, aud probably the rest of them, excepting only the very latest. If we get such a rain within a fortnight farmers, who have water for their, stock will be able to rub along throusrh the season, even though it should prove dry for some months afterwards, nut the number who are thus prepared is few. On the Wimmera alarm is already felt. The correspondent of the * Pleasant Creek News' relates tha% "On the Richardson and Wimmera, heat and drought have &et in with a vengeance The bulk of the orops are only Cm. high, and are withering nwav under the hot wind and fierce rasre of the sun. Selections and pastoral runs are overstocked, and grass is consequently scarce. Mr Clapperton wa«. offered 40,P00< young shorn sheep (some at 4s, the others at 4s M per head) a few days ago, in the Avon Plains district. "Many of the selectors are deeply in debt," havirg Ixought sheep nnd cattle at a hieh figure, and now have not feed for them Others have put in th^ir crop*, depending- on them for rent and maintenance, and the crops are withering away. Storekeepers who have advanced to' needy selectors a^e heffinninsr to realise thnir position." This is confirmed by the * Ararat Advertiser' : — " The jump whi'-h spring has made into summer will, if the present weather continue*, prove most disastrous to the crops Those who esteem themselves weather- wise, think tli at there is every prospect of a dry summer thi* year A species of very small Mack fly, which' have been remsirked as hnrhhigrMrst of preceding- dry j seasons, have put in an appearance. When these ins«w>t* Inst visited this j part of the country tbev proved an in- ! tolerable, nuisance to cattle of Jill demotions, while the season at the time ; of their vkitation was one of the driest on record '*n the Wimmera the se- ; lectors are likely to be very badly off j before loner. In many ofth^ir selections there is no provision made for any i water, and where dams have been ' erected there is not sufficient, to last, for above, n week or two The general cry up th^re at present is to travel the ; sheep, and we hear that many are even , now adoptinc rhis course : bu* where they are. to travel to is one of the mysteries to be hereafter explained " From Horsham comes a brief complaint of the want of more rain. Around Maryborough, says the ' Advertiser' ot the 9th inst.. " the sudden change in the weather from winter frost to summer hear has had a prejudicial effect upon the late crops, which have suffered very considerably. The crops far advanced are safe up to the present. Yesterday and the previous day's heat were very great, considering the season of the year.'* The * Pastoral Times' writes in similar strain : — " The weather at Deniliquin has set ia warm, too warm for the season ; it changed rapidly from winter to summer, and had a very depressing effect «n many of the piopla of these parts. The thermometer was 86 deg. in the shade, all veg-etation is droopiner and losing its green hue. We are evidently in for a good genuine Riverine summer, with heat that salamanders might enjoy. The few crops around Deniliquin look tolerably well ; the heaviest that we have seen is close to the town, being self-sown— i-one of the many anomalies of this very anomalous country." The s Kyneton Observer' has a highly favourable report of the crops around Rochester and Bunn}'mede, Goornong, and Echuea. From Muckleford, also, come good reports of the wheats, but the frosts are said to have affected the oats and barley. On the Goulburn, the wheats on the 1 Oth were looking, well. On the Loddon, about Bridgewater and Newbridge, the wheats were healthy and good, but would require rain a week later. The Kyneton Guardian reports very favorably of the appearance of the crops and pastures, but mentions that " the warm weather, unless accompanied by rain, will have an injurious effect upon the more backward crops. In the Redesdale district both oats and wheat are looking very well, and give promise of at lea^t an average harvest, and the same remark applies to ftaynton, except that the crops letfs forward. Around Carlsruhe end Piper's .Creek there are j snmft yery fair looking crops, . whilst ' cjkbers appear to be still suffering from

the Jonff-continued ''ftj&ts. ' At tiew* li*l^,4tt^f|^pchfor4 a jyftimprovement and at vaStas iTi^ nre beginning, to^k^Jipiway.^At Tylden, as ;a >rple, jbff crops are very backward. yTfajpoughout the district, also, the crops^ are most promising, but the ground having- been run 1 together by the abundant .'spring rains,-, , is now parchecl and again needs moistening. Such, indeed, is the general tone of the country reports, and it is to' be hop-ed that the threatening aspect now assumed by the sky may not pass away until the much desired downpour has occurred.