THE WEATHER,

Temuka Leader, Issue 2318, 13 February 1892, Page 2

THE WEATHER,

TEMUKA. Everyone must have rejoiced to see that on Friday morning that there was every prospect of fine weather. For the first time for a week the hills were plainly visible, the heavy mists which had hitherto obscured them having completely vanished. The weather-wise prophesied nor’westers, the despondent more showers. iS either happened to be right, for the day continued calm and not too warm. In every paddock hands weie kept busy in shifting stooks, and it is to be hoped that in spite of all a good deal of grain will be saved. The loss of course is severe, both on the community and upon individuals, but let us hope that it does not mean ruin. Probably 50 per cent of decent grain will be saved, and viewing the heavy crops this should keep things moving. The worst feature of the affair is that nobody gets any benefit. One often hears of losses to a particular section of the community, and the consolation offered is that the money lost in one is diverted into another channel. In this case the loss is direct and irreparable. It will not do, however, to sit down and bemoan the loss. To use a sporting phrase, the farmers’ best policy is “to take a suck at the lemon and at it again.” If merchants and others interested in the farmers’ progress, which is really identical with their own. will look at in that light, and co-operate as much as possible, the losses of the present harvest may be still further mitigated. GERALDINE. Ou Thursday the weather became fine, and it has since been almost all that fanners could desire. The cool wind blowing would no doubt prevent the grain from further sprouting and cause the crops to dry very rapidly. Reports are to hand that several farmers who fully believed and asserted that their crops were utterly ruined, on examination on Thursday found that they were not as bad as supposed, and a hope is still held out of saving a good average. In other cases crops are in a very bad state, and we have heard of one case where standing crops are almost matted together with sproutings. We were shown a sample of oats on i hursday thick with sproutings, and of a discolored and rotten appearance. Fanners are busy at work endeavoring to save what Jthey can, and standing crops are once more falling before the reapers. I'he weather yesterday was very dull and mild. It would be a pity if this is a sign of more rain.

On Tuesday last a heavy shower, or rather deluge of rain, fell at Mount Peel. No less than i} ( inches of rain fell between 1.30 p.m. and 3 p.m. All the creeks were flooded at once, and considerable damage done to fences and floodgates. About two miles from the Hon. J. B. A. Acland’s homestead, in a hollow by the roadside, a large heap of hailstones about the size of marbles was found on Wednesday. The heap contained about six drayloads of hail, and was three feet deep when discovered about twenty-four hours after they fell. With the exception of a small heap, about a yard in diameter and a foot deep, no other hailstones were to be seen in the neighborhood. Ashburton, Feb. 10. Saturday was the only fine day we have had for a week. Rain set in last Thursday morning and continued till Saturday morning, and began again on Saturday night. Heavy rain fell all Sunday, with a driving south-west wind. It has rained at intervals ever since. The county grows about one-third part of the colony’s wheat yield, and only from 20 to 25 per cent, is in stack, all the rest being in stook or standing. The grain is sprouted badly everywhere, not only in the stook, but the standing corn as well. Harvest operations, which were in full swing last week, were completely suspended, and hundreds of men are about town idle. The results of the storm are most disastrous to farmers unless favourable weather follows from now. In the latter case the depreciation will be about 4d per bushel on the unsecured crop. The sky still looks watery and unsettled, although the weather is fair and the temperature high. There are no floods in the rivers nor any damage to the roads, &c, Feb. 12. The a eather has taken up again and crop prospects are more hopeful.

Dunedin, Feb. 10. Though some rain fell yesterday morning, the afternoon turned out fine, and it is now hoped all danger of further danr‘g'o i s P ast - The water on the Taieri plain is gradually disappearing, and in a day or two farmers will have the mournful satisfaction of being able to move about and estimate the damage, which in too many instances will be very great. Some idea of what the damage will mean to struggling farmers, may be gathered from the fact that Messrs A. and J, M’Farlane estimate their damage at between £3OO and £4OO. Not only have the grain crops suffered, but a good deal of the potato crop will be rendered useless, while the fate of the turnip crop is very doubtful, _ , Areowtown, Feb. 10. Rain has been falling almost uninterruptedly since Saturdry night last, putting a complete stop to harvesting, which was just becoming general all over the district. Very little of the grain cut is secured, and some of the will be seriously affected. A report is in circulation that an immense landslip came down from the Remarkables, covering up, it is said, 100 acres of wheat belonging to the Kawarau Falls station. The slip is of such proportions as to alter the appearance of the mountains when viewed from Queenstown,

Mr Marmaduke Dixon, of Eyrewell, an amateur rival of Captain Edwin, who has made some remarkably correct weather forecasts in the past, writes that he anticipates a repetition of the same kind of weather as the late storm, about Friday, the 19th inst.