DROUGHT CONDITIONS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2263, 24 September 1914, Page 8

DROUGHT CONDITIONS

; ; ! iWHERE ABE THE RAINS OF ' ' T;;v;.- -- \ -SPRING? ... - ,; : .,•':■ v, drought! storied that are reaching ; .ns.from certain:'parts'of Australia make : 'it-pretty "'clear-that the coming season ■ AniiUio Commonwealth will show an allY: round shortage.-Mr.'A..W. Rutherford. : of Meiidip Hills, who recently returned from Australia, went over a good deal Lot the I .,back-country of. New. South :■'/Wales,■■•and for. hundreds of miles found ; ;.the; country quite bare of verdure' of ianyjiiiidjland'beyond help for the sea- ; son even if rain did fa 11.,: 'In:other dis'■.tricte.'the cattle had been turned into' ; tho stunted and withered crops, arid' wTuin faced a great many of the farm-. ■: ing people. Fortunately a drought can-' i- not obtain in New Zealand—not a Vdrought in; the .Australian , , acceptation of the term'.: If. we'have a month with-out-rain, it is customary to speak .of ..drought.. We have out dry spells, and in harmony-, with the : conditions ' prevailing in Australia, are suffering from one at , the present time. August only ■jgave us 1-Jin. of rain, which constituted ■a record for.that month in, Wellington. .Instead of cold southerlies and 'heavy • ; rain, we .enjoyed bright, warm, sunny. : days and clear blue skies. >: " ■ ' ; .'■;'.■. ."Beautiful' weather 1 , - , said everyone::.in town. "Shockingly fine!"'said the ■ exasperated man. on the land. . With . /the continuance of these abnormally,fine! conditions three parts through Septem-" .:ber, the farmer, particularly in the /'south, -is beginning to. worry,-a little, and to recall those times ; when rainmakiiii; experiments were seriously conducted, in South Canterbury. Welling.tpn is sharing in the prevniling dryness, Vaiid.:the entire district is badly in need ■vof.'rain:'. A dry spring lias.a disastrous /effect, on the dairy pastures in the ensiting summer, and if v the. dryness 'extends into the summer it means a ourkilmcht .of the season,, and possibly a 'rushing of some of tho stock to-the '. meat works. It is, perhaps, a littlp .early to anticipate any trouble of that ."-kind: hi this district, but the present . con'ditions are abnormal, nnd therefore '■.'unwelcome.. A week's solid rain would ;do ; the whole country a power of good.

. (By. Telegraph.—Special Correeponflent; :".■"■ . Palmorstoii N., September- 23. ! Tlie prospect of early rain is regarded by all. farmers' with hope. Some. have, been/ carting water to their -stock in -Kairanga, Pohangina, Rangiotu, and other places, which is almost unprecedented . for September.,.. An .enoriynnr. gro\yth, of grass' is anticipated .:-.!; 1 1; a result of the first rain on the warm dc" •soil.. • j - ..