THE RECENT FLOOD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4406, 25 January 1930, Page 3

THE RECENT FLOOD.

The average pex-son does not fully realise the tremendous amount of damage caused by floods in the Moutoa and Wlhirokino districts, but it does not require a very careful survey of the nistricts affected by the last Hood to convince anyone of the dire necessity for something in the nature of flood protection in these localities. To-day there is very little, if any feed left in the areas inundated at the beginning of the month and it will be some time before these paddocks will be capable of carrying their normal amount of stock again. The grass, which in many cases, was long and succulent prior to the flood is 'nothing but a mass of rotted vegetation. Foxtail is the only grass which appears to be capable to surviving a flood to any extent and this is showing- up in certain localities. Even the water grass is a dead, brown filthy mass which can be smelt afar off. The economic waste alone must fully justify some method of flood px-o-teetion. Floods have cost farmers in this district thousands of pounds already and the flood menace is getting no better, each successive •year seeming to bring more floods, the slightest of which appear to have more devasting effects as time goes on, due no doubt to more intensive banking schemes higher up. Just before the last flood a local farmer had 107 head of bullocks on 97 acres of land just outside the borough. 'The flood came down and all but. a small area of high land was inundated, the stock being removed to another paddock. When the paddocks cleared it was impossible to stock them again, except for putting a few head on the piece of high ground, owing to the vegetation bding in a rotten state. In six weeks time the farmer hopes to he able to place more stock in the paddjoek but anticipates that the spring will be here before the paddock will be half stocked again.