CANTERBURY WEATHER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 23

CANTERBURY WEATHER.

FAVOURABLE FARMING OUTLOOK. fFaoit Oxjb Own Corbespoitoent.) CHRISTCHURCH, August 9. The phenomenally fine weather of the pafit few weeks shows no signs of break- ! ing, and the province is enjoying a succession of bright, sunny days and sharp • nights, with very little wind. The Waimate correspondent of the 'Press states that residents in that district have to look back to the sixties to match the weather experienced this winter. One feature of the no.w closing winter, hsadds, has been the unprecedentedly long continuance of calm weather. With the exception of one or two nights there has • been no wind stronger than gentle j bree/.es for the last seven or eight months. One result of this unusuaily j calm weather has been the retention cf _ ! moisture in the land after the moderate ! rain of June and occasional dampness of July, thus stopping for some weeks on level lands and hollows the work of tillage. But preparatory tillage had been well advanced in the fine weather of lat« autumn and early winter. On Saturday morning a dry south-west wind with bright sunshine began to dry up the moist places, and plough, harrow, disc, and drill will again be at work. As in other parts of Canterbury, farmers have all extended their area under v. heat, and a larger extent of land throughout the country than ever has been sown with winter wheat, and the work has been carried out under highly favourable circumstances. A large area owing to the dampness of the soil, has been held over for spring wheat sowing, which has now commenced. In North Canterbury the protracted spell of fine weather has been favourable to sheepfarmers who are raising early lambs, but in the case of arable farms, which have been extensively planted- with wheat, the outlook is not so satisfactory. There is a want of moisture in the upper soil, and vain to forward the growth of the crops is greatly needed at present It is a rather anxious time for some on the plains. If rain is late in coming, many of the wheat, crops on the light plains land will be a rather patchy crop. Lambing is becoming general all over the province.