DISASTROUS HAILSTORM.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 21, 24 January 1874, Page 2

DISASTROUS HAILSTORM.

We mentioned in a short paragraph the other day that a severe hailstorm had been experienced in the Canterbury Province on Sunday the llth instant, the day, it may be remembered, on which such an extraordinary change in the temperature was noticed in Nelson. The damage done by the storm was so widely extended and of so extraordinary a character that we need offer no apology to our readers for publishing at length the following report furnished to the Canterbury ' Press ' by its local correspondent. He says: — Sunday last will long be remembered by the farmers resident in the Cust and West Eyreton districts, they baving experienced on that day the heaviest \ and most disastrous hailstorm that has ever occurred in this part of Canterbury. Hearing' that the course the storm had taken was rather peculiar, ! insomuch that several parts of different paddocks of corn had been completely broken down and threshed out, while other parts had hardly au ear of corn knocked out by tbe hail, although in some places only a few yards intervened between that which was hurt and the other, we subjoin an account of damage, &c, done. Commencing at the north side of the River Eyre, at the farm belonging to Mr John Pestor, we noticed the first field of corn that had received any damage from the hail on this side of the Eyre, It was a field of wheat, which promised a short time ago to yield at least 40 bushels per acre, 'but now the owner puts ifc down that it will thresh not more than 8 bushels per acre. About 10 acres only have been cut, as it would not pay. Altogether his- loss is 50 acres of wheat, 24 acres barley, 18 acres of oats. Mr Pestor put bis loss in bushels as follows: — Wheat, 1000; barley, 200; and oats, 500. The next we came to was Mr Maindonald'p, where about 20 acres of oats are completely threshed out, and about 30 acres of barley; some of the latter, however, is not so badly hurt. Opposite to this farm is Mr James M'Douall's; the storm here seems to have increased slightly in fury, 25 acres of oats are completely threshed out, some of them being quite green in the straw. Mr A. Barclay's, the adjoining farm, has had more damage done to the cropß than either Mr M'DoualPs or Mr Maindouald's. The whole of his crop, consisting of wheat oats and barley, are completely broken down and knocked ont. These crops looked remarkably well previous to Sunday; the owner put them down at about 25 bushels per acre all round Mr John Horrell, whose farm adjoins the last-named, has about 50 acres of barley very badly broken; his wheat in an adjoining paddock (a magnificent crop) has hardly been touched. On the whole he has [fortunately escaped i the severity of the storm as compared with some of his neighbors. Turning down to the West Eyreton schoolhouse, Messrs Bradley, Jordon, and Robinson have had their respective fields of corn badly shaken, the first-named has, singularly enough, a patch of barley not touched; and adjoining, the wheat and oats are badly threshed out. The strength and fury of the hail then seems to have made across Mr Higgins' paddock, and has destroyed about 50 acres of wheat, which would probably have yielded about 25 bushels per acre. It then appears *to have been at its heaviest, when reaching Mr Dixon's farm. Here the tussocks ore completely broken and strewed about. The appearance of the broken corn was as if a very large mob of sheep hod been driven across it, .Mr Dixon has all his oats completely broken down, and they are not worth reaping. His wheat also is" worse, if anything, than the oats, . and never have we witnessed such a disaster from hail among any crop. The number of acres of wheat are 347, and Mr Dixon says he does not intend cutting much, if any of it, as what corn j'b left would not pay for tying. On bis crop the storm appears to have spent tbe greater portion of its fury, aud it would be most disheartening to any farmer to *see such a fine sample of wheat put so completely beyond his power. In a field of wheat that was intended to have been cut on Monday following, not a single head of corn is standing. As an instance of tho severity of the storm, the stems (of gorse, half an inch in thickness, have been broken off the hedges. Mr Dixon estimates his loss at not less tban £1000. Messrs John Dono van, Lockhart, and Sloane have been heavy losers, their crops having been severely shaken nnd broken. Their loss of wheat and oats will be about 15 bushels per acre on about 150 acres. Messrs Garland, Wajting, Tipping Brothers, and Jordan haye atop lost the whole of their crops on the upper farm. Altogether, we

should think about 250 acres have been destroyed on these farms. Several farms lying between these have escaped unhurt to any great extent. Messrs M'Dooall and Burton have about 120 acres, partly oats and wheat, more or less badly shaken aud broken. Sprotfc Brothers have about 60 acres of wheat badly brokeu down, the greater part of which will not pay for reaping. Messrs Cowans, Hately, and Mussen are also severe losers, especially the latter, whose entire crops are not worth . harvesting. Messrs Poyntz, Ellis, McKeowen, and Mickleburgb, have also lost considerably, fully one-half of their crops being broken down, and knocked out. About 200 acres on these farms have been partially destroyed — an average of about 15 bushels per acre being lost. Mr Morrison and Waglaud and Son have also had fully 10 bushels per acre knocked out of a great portion of their crops. Messrs Guild and Threlkeld have about 100 acres of spring wheat badly shaken and broken down, and 40 acres of oats. The oats are not w<&(s cutting, and the wheat will probably yield about Bto 10 bushels per acre. Mr Collier has about 400 acreß of wheat with fortunately escaped with little or no injury. Some of his crops bave, however, not escaped, but have been/ badly broken in several places. Mr P. Cumming has about thirty acres of barley and about eight of oats more or less damaged. Messrs J. Hodgson and W. Thompson have also theirs badly broken down. Proceeding now through the Cust Valley a crop of wheat belonging to Mr B. /Tipping is completely destroyed, and is not worth reaping. On reaching the North Moeraki Downs we find that the damage that has been done is quite as much but not quite so extended, as on the plains. The principal losers on this side are Messrs Conway, Charles, and M'Clinton. Fully two-thirds of their crops that were standing have been thrashed out. Higbe? up on the Downs, where apparently the heaviest portion of the hail fell, the crops of Messrs Beattie, Atkinson, Baxter, Milne, and R. Thompsoa have been badly shaken and broken, and are hardly worth the trouble of reaping and tying. We should think that fully 2000 acres of wheat, oats, and barley have been destroyed (mofe or less) in the Cust and West Eyreton districts, which would probably have, averaged twenty bushels to the acre The size of the hail stones which fell on Sunday in some parts wero very large, and we Were assured on being weighed some of tbem were found to exceed 3oz.