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EE 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, July 12 1988 Drought causing farmers concern The people of Scugog Town- nally - Temperatures near the 100 de- ship finally got some relief Mon- gree F. mark, along with high hu- day morning when a light rain and ~~ midity had made things very un- cooler temperatures ended the sear- comfortable for several days. ing heat wave that covered mos While most people are breath- of southern Ontario. - ing a bit easier this week, area SN) Worms barrow deep to avoid heat, making bait dealers squirm The lack of rain in southern Ontario is beginning to take its toll, as crops are withering up in the fields, but farming is not the only industry being hurt this unusual drought. Worm harvesters, and retailers are beginning to feel the pinch as dew worms become harder and harder to get. In the Port Perry area, there are at least three bait dealers and when the Star spoke with one of them on Sunday, he said that "supplies of worms are all but dried-up". On this particular day, Harold of Scugog Tackle and Bait drove all the way to Mississauga to purchase about 2,000 worms, as his 26 suppliers are unable to supply him. Fishermen, who come to Port Perry and area to purchase bait, are finding they have to dig deeper into their pockets to buy the worms, as the extreme shortage is driving prices up. It is estimated that the long hot, dry spell has driven the dew worms deep into the ground where they can get moisture. Some estimates indicate they are going as far as 15 feet into the ground to escape the heat. And this has sent the prices rising by esti- mates of 50% to 100% in different parts of Ontario. When the Star asked Harold what reaction he was getting from fishermen who are having to pay higher prices for the worms he. said that he has not had any complaints. "They are more disap- pointed if you don't have any worms", he said. In addition to the shortage of worms in bait shops, Harold also told the Star that Leopard Frogs, which normally are found in moist grass, have returned to the swamps to keep wet and this is effecting the supply of the frogs. Y | pn | | on | on |p| op | | pn | go | po | gu og |p | po Take Tek Tein Tate Te Tn i ot he] [nk ||| en en np pap npn pn | mgm | pn | gn | op oy | Es a al Can a ieee sal Ce aa aa A SM RCL | o---_---- --- -- for the , well dressed ~ knight TT tn [ate [te [ate {we [we | we | wh | wn | wn | wn | hn | win | at | wh TT Ln Lon nn ! nT TTT eT Ten Tn Tie te eT Bt tc BHD wn o-oo -- SWEATERS Jantzen - Jockey - Sundays farmers are still worried about many crops this summer. The sudden shower that hit Scugog Sunday afternoon and the light rain that evening and early Monday moming has helped, but more rain would be welcome. Joel Bagg, farm management specialist with the Provincial Ag- riculture Minisry said last week that farms "north of the ridges" where the soil is sandy, are more vulnerable to the hot, dry weather, than farms in the south where the heavier clay soil tends to retain moisture better. Basically, there are two areas of concern for farmers right now: increased prices for such things as hay and other feed; and depressed livestock prices as farmers are shipping more animals to market. The price of corn has already jumped to about $150/tonne, due mainly to the serious drought con- ditions in the American mid-west. Soy meal feed has jumped more than 70 per cent over last year's prices, and the cost of hay at about $100/tonne is up $30 over last year. . There are some 70,000 acres of land in Durham Region in hay this year. Not only did many farmers miss the usual second cut because of the dry weather, first cut yields were not as good as usual. While corn crops in the area are generally holding up in the dry conditions, other field crops such wheat, oats and barley are suffer- ing and badly need a steady rain that lasts a couple of days. The high temperatures have an ES" at HOT'... ® = JANTZEN SPORTS- WEAR SUMMER Leo Chevalier effect on livestock as well. Milk production, especially butterfat drops, while hogs lose their appe- tite in the heat and don't gain the necessary weight. . One area hog farmer told the Star last week that the price of hogs has dropped about $30 over last year, and a further indication that more animals are on the mar- ket now is the fact that the price of breeding stock is also dropping. Strawberry growers in the Township report this year's berries are smaller than usual, and the picking season has been shortened by about a week. Poldie Mair of Mair's Berry Farm north of Port Perry, told the Star Monday morning there are still some berries left for picking "if you know how to pick," but she said this year's crop is no- where near the size or quality of last year. At Willowtree Farm just east of Utica, Rod McKay told the Star the berry crop was pretty good, thanks to the fact he was able to irrigate eight acres during the dry spell. While farmers are concerned about the long term impact of a summer on crop and livestock rices, living in the country dur- ing the heat spell had at least one major compensation. Scugog did not experience the devestating smog that hit Toronto and Hamilton last week forcing many people with breathing and other health problems to remain indoors. Community Memorial Hospi- tal reported no serious admissions directly related to the high temper- atures and humidity. Temperatures are expected to remain at moderate levels through this week in the Township. Meanwhile, organizers of the annual Festival Days in Port Per- ry with this year's British theme, are hoping for cool, dry weather. Festival Days gets underway this Thursday evening and runs through to Saturday night. See the ads in this week's Star for a com- plete list of all the events, times and locations. Hopefully, the weatherman will co-operate. MACKEY & BAILEY BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS Saturday Mornings - 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon Lake Scugog Lumber Building (a16) 985-739 1 ; Oshawa Rd., Port Perry ICC he [ate [de [le | JCC op | ap | apm [ap | gm [pe [ape [pm [apm [am [ « i | ode [ ae | he | who [we [wie | ain | ICCC [whe | he | whe | he | an | cn | he | we | CCCI 3 [whe | whe] ow | ln | ACC he | whe | wh | whe | wh | hn | we | we ah | Assorted 20303030 C0 CC CC CCC CCC CII ICICICICICICC » [| ac tn he | cn | [Tn Tn hn | |e wn ne cn i Tn ee he | ie wie win wie | wie whe | he | in| kn hn] hn] he a mk] ke [ke] TTT a ap a ap ap ap ap a ie we We A GE WE | ye a. 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