The Drought in New South Wales.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 68, 17 September 1895, Page 2

The Drought in New South Wales.

APPALLING STATE OF THE COUNTRY. % (Extract from a private letter.) Sydney, September 4. "We are experiencing terrible weather for this time of year. At first the change from the coldest winter ever known on the Australian continent to warm days was welcome, but the beat is promising to be as intense as the cold was, and the sadden change is phenomenal. Four weeks ago we had hard frosts and icy pools, now the thermometer rung up to 66 and 78 degrees in the Bhade. As you may imagine, grass feed is very low— in fact, there is scarce a bite for cattle or sheep, and there is much suffering in consequence, and their condition is deplorable.; You will hardly believe me when I tett^you that over the greater part of the colony there has been a total absence of rai|l» and this has been so for the last twelve months. With no feed and no water, stock perished in thousands, and many of the sheep owners put an end to the misery of the sheep by cutting their throats. I have never seen cattle bo gaunt and hungry looking. The sheep stations have lost enormously, and in the papers I see that on one station alone 62,000 sheep have been lost out of 140,000 ; and the lambs have perished in addition. I may say that ploughing is out of the question— it is useless under the circumstances, and, moreover, the land is baked like bricks. In some parts feed is up to (I was going to say) famine prices. At any rate the increase in price "!■ is such as to make it hardly worthwhile *? to keep stock. From the papers you send me I think New Zealand is most fortunate. If you have had cold in the south part and losses in sheep, you have bad a good season, I take it, all round. I expect we shall have to draw supplies from your colony, for Victoria is suffering fearfully from drought, though as yet fire has* not followed. Really, it seems as though a curse was upon the Australasian colonies. We are thirsting for rain, but when it does come it will not be an unmixed blessing I fear. Ton know what fearfnl floods we have after a period of drought. Very likely yon will soon bear of miles of country under water and immense destruction. As things are now it does not matter whether fierce heat or flood is our lot. The churches ate graying for rain. I never saw ministers and congregations more earnest in prayer, but we hope that the windows of heaven will not be thrown open too wide." — Farmer.