NEW PLYMOUTH SHOW.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 54, 27 November 1907, Page 4

NEW PLYMOUTH SHOW.

THE ENTRIES. '

•HISTORY- OF THE ; SOCIETY.

(by !seixqvJl£u— special cokeesfojident.;) '.', Nev/ Plymouth, November' 26.

and - P. Shpw/wjll open to-morrow. Tho show of Taranaki's capital town has apparently taken a now lease of "life, and' that it will have this year tho biggest display of Jorscys on rccord.gives it a distinctive national status. That tho chief feature 'should* bo Jersoys is appropriate to this land that floweth with milk, and a parado s oi qighty -members of tho beautiful Jersey brfeod will .make aii ..impos'- , ing spectacle. .'.''' ' ' . '■'.'■'

A regrettable circumstance is the' death on the jorirao'y hither 'froih Palmorstoii of JUlr.' Andrew Buchanan's prize Jersey cow Magnet's Gleam. Owing to a breakdown she was in tho train from 5 o'clock in tho morning to. 9.30" at 'nightyana is., supposed to have been trampled. She fainted on leaving tho truck, and afterwards proceeded as far as the ''bacon factory'^'wh' ere slje..died. •■■She was Valued at £150. ,''. . .'.

Tho total entries of the.sliow number 89G. Tho New-lJlvniduth;, show has had'an oventful career. S6ciety ! !,.was -established , auout> the year 1871. Its membership five years later was forty-eight? and the entries at tlic show number eighty-nine, but at tho following show ;tnfe entriesc' : were doubled. : l'hei bliow for a considcraMb period never seemed to , make'much headway, and in 1903 tnero wero grave, Jfoars that, .it would, expire. The exhibits only numbored 278. The situation was desperate, and a policy of kill or cure was adopted!" • Additional expenso was'risked, ond among other changes Mr. 8.-P. Webster was appointed secretary, l'lio-result was vjjry striking. The entries almost doubled, and the receipts at tjie gate jumped up :o £539. Those good'forftntis wore due largely to increased prize money and the introduction of dairy produfiy.classss.':. . It :is I strange that a Taranaki show, of all places, should ' have been so. ]a£gar:d,ly ,jn. coming up to date in dairy, producev exhibits. > Greatly en L souraged by it's l ''ftew'"'luck';.' tho Society;increased next year's prize money to £370, and thM&ipkebpers collected; £700.. Tho luck,. still followed™ and next, year,' when the prize money was £422, tho gate rose to £852. The growth of membership kept paco with the other extensions,'rising from-100 in 1903 to 500 to-day. ,-■■ ■,;-: : ... ~.. :,. . The entries for last'year and this year are as follow: — .'.■■'' ■. ■ ■ : , Last This, 1 -'■'•■; "■ '•■'■ :'■'!'■ i year. ycav. Horses.,and competitions ... 370 33(3; Cattle 1 ... ... ... 191 21(5 Sheep..,-'...— , ... - 141 ~ 155 Pigs ... ... ...i ... .25 ' 33 Dogs ... . ... 66 , 37 Dairy produce ... ... '••• 37 .5E Home industries ... ... 36 '017' "i.'. ,918 " ]m A' recent interesting .development of the , Society has been'to hold four-,,meetings per annum in the farming" centres' for the reading of papers and discussions. The idea was introduced, in the presidoncy days of Mr. W. Ambury.,' The ■present, president' is .Mr., Newton K.ing".well'known in tho agricultural world. ijjSii Okoy, M/H;K.,is onept'-the chief workers,'and has th'o:Juo;rit-6f having at one time been the Society's secretary as well as president. . .-sriw'n.■:',.', ■ ; *•' An influential. pafty.. .pf judges and .j2x : in .tdwn. ..The : -judges i'ii'ri: as follow: —Thofoiighbre'ds, light horses, and carriage horses, D: Campion (Feilding), J. W. lloss (Brunswick}) draughts and fat cattle, W'M^cnziG-(Miisterton); 'Jerseys, "itt Jiagle, jun. (CartertOn);" Holstein, ,Ayrshire, and grade, and dairy cattle, W. L. Lovelock (Palmerstdii :'.;Nortli); 'sheep, W. Gadsby (Manutahi); pigs, ~J. Itobertspn (Auroa); dogs, A.. TV ;, Aio'ore';- dairy '.produce, Mr. "\Vrighfj-"'Govcromont Grader. (Patea); homo •industries, A. Lyell (Inglewood). New.Plymouth is. in. a very. hopeful state of mind that the proceeding's to-morrow, and / Thursday will reach tho high water mark of success. ■ ' .

TOPICS AT THE SHOW

THE DAIRY SCHOOL,

iwHERB OUGHT-IT: TO BE?

' ' ; THE BUTTER- MEN/ 1 '; They were dairy farmers, gathered for'thp. New Plymouth Show, and they were discus's-' ing the various momentous' questions with ■ which the dairy industry bristles. " -Where ought thp.-dairy--sohooli.-to be?" asked one, suddenly'.!■. ''fFeildiiig,*' "replied another, with. equal 'suddenness." 'Where do' you live?" asked a third, suspiciously. •" 1 live at Foilding," he confessed, and thereafter ho hold his head low, and left the talk to others. . "Where do you live?" was asked of No. 1. "Carterton," he, replied, " and the • dairy school, ought to be at Carterton." It was ,the lilfidj'rutort. "Carteftou hasn't applied," remarked a fifth, " and, after all, the school ■\ oiight-'td~i)'(r"West : -Coast way. I think-it-ought to be at Palmcrston. It is most contral for the students tol-att.qnd, although 1 admitthat Foilelirig has made a big bid for it." But there was a Horowhenua man listening hard: "ItAjnust," he .snid,-■'.'b'e'-at -Levin,-. >' Where thtj. .State are. Both'at. Palmerstqh.'&iid Fella ing they would ha'voto' buy all their milk."''•■ '. .'. ' ; '" "'l've gbt.|a bfctter-idea than that," said another, '< w.herevsr the school is, it,must/be eelf-supporting, like. Lincoln ■ College, .and land must'be secured for that -purpose!' , ' It- : must ho central, so that students can attend without unnecessary expense, and as for Hawera, Stratford, ■*■ and other' Tar.uiaki places, they must hare a-school of their own.". . This statement of the', case mot with general , i^{jproval,i"and': the bunch dispersed with the , air of men who have solved a great problem. ,'■'■<''

JERSEYS FOB PROFIT. ,

COMPARISON

"Jerseys pay," said an eminent Jersey breeder and judge. "They eat littlo. They milk heavily and uniformly, and they give a tost that places them ahead of all- other dairy breeds, and for giving a good profit they have no rival." . . .... k . " How do"'"thcy bbitfjafo with ■ an avorago 1 ' Shorthorn jnilking herd?" asked a Dominion'; representative. •'■ '■ i" "They siiow up to pnormons advantage: ■ T,i. IB easier to got uniform quality in Jereey( milkers thSli in Shoitliorhs. A farm that would carry a hundred Shorthorns would , carry a hundred and fifty Jerseys. I would compare tli'c in this way:—

i ' Shorthorns. Jerseys.' Number o'K'cows ... ...-. 100 i.iO Butter-fat'jjercow per .week 7ilb. 101b.Total fat. per wpblcas , ;■-■*... 7501b. loOOlb." Total value'at. 10:1. per, lh. £31 .is.. £62105: Total. valud..pcr ar.nu.ni .;. £IG2o .£3250

Thus thp : . yiold,of. a v Jersey herd works'out at doubloythat of Sh'prthorns on the-sa,mo area of land, and,.tho.only item to-ho set against isViClflO for'labour .in milking fifty, tfxtm cow«'.' Tik; . .cailres from a Jersey, of Jersoy crafl.p herd arc worth more than the calves from Shorthorns, ''because, the heifers aro worth' Wore for' , the'dairy, arid we cannot. , fljfjqrd to rear the steel's in any case.

LOW GRADE.

WHY THE BTJTTEII IS POOR.

Several references have lately been mado to the low' level at;■'■which Taranaki butter has boon grading for some- weeks past. The. trouble, apparentlyV' • is not peculiar to Taranaki alone. Ai.Wairnrapa dairy fanner who is in'f touch, v/ith lnnny dairy factory; districts told mlr representative at tho Now Plymouth-fehow: thnj;, tho .evil is uiiivorsial;. but,.' fortujiatoly, oii]x,,temporary. ■ He attributes it all to olio,cause, tho uso , of milk' from cows'that are m heat. "Tho milk frora. ; cp.wa iii boat shoiild,": hoi said, "not. be shiit'""to the factories. -It should be iused and;other purposes at' home/ At tho present timo, iinfortuna.toly, tho farmers do not do this, but

send it all to tho factories. Very few peoplo know what effect this milk has. If they could bo induced to keep out all such milk there would be an end to the present outcry "about tainted milk. To prove the cause of tho trouble I told a factory manager that

I would keep out tho milk of all cows in heat, and would find no taint. Ho told me afterwards that mine was the only milk ho received that was not tainted. When it is

known that a quart of milk from a cow in heat will bring on heat in another cow that drinks ,it. thero is no further proof needed to show that thero is'something very powerful in it. The poriod lasts not moife than a day or so,, and there is very little loss involved, because the milk is valuable for the calvos."

LITTLE RATS.'

HOW THE JERSEY SCORED.

/ "Littlo rats," said a cow-man waving his hand contemptuously- toward the Jersoys at a .recont show.'" Nothing of that sort for nioi Give me something that can (ill tlio milk bucket."

' "My man," said a quiet stranger tapping him on tho shoulder; "do you see the first prise Jersey heifer? I'm not a betting man, but I'm willing to give'£2o to the Greytown Hospital if she yields less than soventcon pounds, of butter in the iirst seven • days after I have got her back. Will you give '£20 to tho. hospital if she wins?" But-tho man who had called the cow a

littlo rat had melted, away into the crowd, arid the Greytowu Hospital was poorer by £20.; : . "

■$$£ '.'A FIfcHTING JUDCE

.N. ECHO OF THE GOOD OLD DAYS.

Judgos.at shows were always feasted and mado much of. Thero was a time when a man, to go judging nt a leading show, .re'quircd-'-as much nerve and fighting form as n'rpfereo at a football match. "1 remember the time," said a Now Plymouth judge, "when.old M'Gce, and I had a lively time at Blank. Tho place for our purpose shall remain' nameless.. ~. After the judging was over, a number,aftho boys got around me. and hooted. ! I didn't like the look of things, but 1 was a bit ruffled, so I' said to them. 'If it's fight you're after, wait till my friend. M'Gee/comea'back; ho's a fighting man, and he'sHlopking for ' it.'. . This softened them, and the impression was deepened when M'Gee'arrived. ' He had a nico bull-clog face, anrl tliev took him for a fight.erl all right. A'ftor that'they treated 1 us royally, and' mado a lot of iis, but it was a lona; time before.M'Gee found out where his fighting reputation originated."

A WONDERFUL JERSEY COW

Mr, Eagle, of-Jersey stud fame, has a inoted Jersey cow, Bilberry, which has won' many show honours. Not only is she a winner in tho show ring and a heavy milker, but sho has the rare gift of throwing offsprin»;'thafaro' better milkers .than herself. -Bilberry Fifth- is,'perhaps' the best of her iprogeuy, got by the bull K.C.B. Tins animal, ar.'a four-year-old heifer, is giving over ?181b. of butter a week. .- With such material to work on, it is not wonderful that Mr. Eagle likes the Jersey strain.

BUTTER THAT TAL.KS,

WELLINGTON'S TROUBLE EXPLAINED.

I asked a butter grader, says our special representative at- the New Plymouth Show, why Wellington lias to eat so much inferior butter, and why' oven. ' the best-known branda-»are often tasteless "and .lard-like in texturo.' .■■,..••-• . ■ "•'■''lt's" stale,";,ho .'said; "it has been kept in sforo." •■ ';•:, •-■/ .'•■ •■ .. ..',,■ What is: thev advantage .of storing butter ; .when prices aro so uniform?", asked the 'pressman. . '...'... '••. ■ - .. "Tho,'.storing, ,, , he. replied,' "is .not done by th'c factory owners. The stdring is done by the Avholosalo . grocers and others, who buy in large quantities to savo a halfpenny pci- pound,. ; and then store].,jji, , isfll l '.vantcd. , ' . What is.the remedy? "The-remedy,. I suppose, is to keep \t Could not the date of making bo printed on the papor wrappers? Presumably it is against: , the interests of the makers that their butter should : be offered stalo? . . "That would be'practicable," he replied. "The date could be printed on the paper as easily as-on the box. Milled butter, of course, is the worst of all. It is kept on grocers' coiiritcrs till it begins to talk, and then it is removed and mnslied up with other ljutter to produce a. uniform quality. Some-. ■iitnes :if is used, for inaking pastry."

REARING A VdDCE

■'■• A GOOD SUGGESTION

Tile need of : a supply' of competent young judges to till vacancies that cccur in the oklAschool is generally, recognised. The suggestion to establish a judges , association is not much approved,' but it is held inat greater efforts'must be made td teach the young idea. The young men, however, arc rather elusive. An, old judge says that on one occasion when the candidates in a judging competition had- made an awful mess of things,.he asked.them .all to meet him at a cortaiu hour, and go over the.faults. When the time fixed'arrived'none of them put m an a'pnsaranec, although'ho waited an hour. -i-T Another judge puts forward what appears ti bc.ii good.suggtstion. He yroposes that at all the shows young men who desire to M■coincS judges shall be employed as stewards -.to a'ssfct the judge and hear his criticisms as he handles the. animals. Applications tor '■positions'as judges' stewards should bo invited beforehand. .

DECEPTIVE SYMMETRY

THE ART OF SHEEP-SHOWING

The art of winning a sheep championship has many sides. It is not enough to bring tho animal through the season in tip-top condition with a..marvellous, fleece. This is only .the coar'so raw article. The sheep has .to ho trimmed, or, at least, ho has to compete against other, sheep that have been trimmed into fearful and'wonderful features. Trim-. ming has many aims.. Ono is to remove 'from detection.by the judge's eye all hairs that adulterate tho wool. Another, object is to improve the shape- of the sheep, and give .a semblance of qualities that are not. The ahapo of a champion sheep is not always what it seems. .X;ndosirab\o granulations in the contour of the carcase aro obliterated, by shortening the wool, and ..hollows that ought not to' ho aro ingwiionsly made level. An energetic judgo will probo these questions to the "bottom, separating the wool to sco its length of and examining tho shape of the'mutton itself'. Then, again, all the wool on a champion's back is not necessarily tho growth of only tho past year. The date of shearing Ijns .to be stated, but tho shearer may have left, on an inch and a half of the previous year's fleece. There is a vast dift'erenco between a close crop and a mere trimming, as .thoso of use who patronise harbors know.. .It. is doubtful if even tho enormous ingenuity of ir show coimr.il.tre will ever succeed in gftfiirig absolutely trustworthy information of tho closeness of last year's clip. However, wo do not suggest that any of the sins of. the-shecp exhibitor's art aro fliißrant at New Plymouth. Wo have" every confidence that Taranaki deals so little in sheep that it has kept itself guiltless in theso matters. It is just ono of tho points that farmers aro discussing on this as they do on all other show grounds.

Wednesday, December 11. will bo an important day in the history of Marlon. For some considerables time the Rrowinp; importance of tliu town lias come under notice. Marlon has all the elements necessary to the building of nn important inland (own, and at no distant date'tin , , town is to be tho junction with the Mnin Trunk Railway line. It. μ-iir .reported Inst wool; that fat stock sales were to be established in Marlon.. Apart •from the commercial opportunities, Marlon is a delightful residential spot, and a chance is to be. offered to secure some exceptional residential siten. The building sites aio to be offered by Messrs. liarcoiirt and Co., at Wellington, on the 11th day of next month. All the sites have a frontiiKo on the lmiin road lo the railway station. Tho opportunity- presents itself to everybody to secure a piece of freehold land, upon which to build a home. A lengthy advertisement appears in this issue.