OTAGO FARMING

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 43, 14 November 1940, Page 6

OTAGO FARMING

Rain Urgently Needed

CROPS THREATENED

Dominion Special Service.

DUNEDIN, November 13.

"Not. yet really serious, but distinctly

threatening’’ just about sums up the

position into which the weather 11:

led farming in Otago this season. The mildness of the winter and the

early spring were things on wide

Otago, almost alone of the provinces in New Zealand, was able to congratulate itself. But as one day of sunshine succeeded another and then there was a succession of strong, drying winds, worry arose that rain would not come soon enough for the wheat and oat crops and to provide sufficiently moist seed beds for turnips.

That worry is now very real. Rain is needed urgently in all parts of the province. North . Otago and South Taleri are probably in the most difficult straits at present, and, unless there is a good rain very soon, the effects will be evident in the harvest. In more than one district turnips, sown three or four weeks ago, have not yet come through the ground, qnd in all probability will have to be resown. In other districts the sowing of turnips has been held up altogether so far, and farmers are waiting anxiously for adequate rain. There is time enough yet for them, but the position is becoming more and more serious. There has been a fair amount of rain in parts of South Otago. Paddocks .are still, looking particularly well on most of Taieri. but there, too, rain is now an urgent need. Elax crops in the districts are also badly in need of rain. About 1000 acres have been sown in the former district and 1500 acres near Tapanui. Germination has been excellent in most cases, and it is evident that farmers have gone to particular trouble to sow the seed under the best possible conditions. The most forward crops are now four or five inches in height, but their continued good progress is dependent on an adequate supply of moisture. In other parts of the province hilly country 7 is already looking brown and pastures are definitely suffering. In short the stage has been reached that, unless there is a steady downpour soon, farmers will have serious difficulty in filling their winter feed requirements, and the harvest will not be by any means up to the expectations that earlier conditions justified.