AUTUMN SHOW.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 785, 7 April 1910, Page 8

AUTUMN SHOW.

HAWKE'S BAY A- & P. ASSOCIATION.

RECORD ENTRIES: EXCELLENT QUALITY,

, ; -PRINCIPAL PRIZE WINNERS. -.:(By Telegraph-Special Reporter.) ■' •- . Napier, April 6. ' -The ninth" auiuinn sliow-.oft'he Jlawke's ,■ ■■ Bay A, and ,P. Association was. held on the Hastings Show Ground to-day, in wea ther. Last year's record in the Mai. of' entries v;as badly broken, ; And taken' generally quality of the . exhibits, was excellent;, The feature of !th© show was the Iruit. and vegetable Gectiotts, in which competition was keen; wid. many capital displays, t iverie made. • "Great;- interest centred ■ around!-'"the district .exhibits of . produce, ..where the "Hastings and Puketapu branches of the - Farmers 1 Union eclipscd- all previous^ * records in"t-heir endeavours to beat one another. There \ras* ; a capital showing of poultry, and., tho .White .. (Rocks-ware:in the'judge's opinion/about i.:y, ■ the-finest he has seen at any show. The *. home industries and produce classes were > .-well filled.' The classed for fat.steefc, dc- / . spite the reputation of the district, eel-. . . -.donr Tbring out , much competition, and .ithis'-.year the entries were fewer than ever.- The dampness of the' season : Has' •made it unfavourable for topping off ; . stock in-first-class., condition, and.there •' can. be no doubt that 1 a' : good' part; of . the entries badly required finishing. As a Joca.l stock-raiser remarked, a thoroughly droughty season suits Hawke's Bay about - as well as anything for stock fattening .purposes. \ The beautiful afternoon attracted a largo attendance to outness the. competitions, and visitors from far and near 'Came streaming in by .excursioai trains, >buggies, and motor-cars. - Last year the , 'attendance-Avas about 8600, and this year's > • .figures are.'- expected to; be a good deal . ilarger. the afternoon, the ' Hastings :. ißand played on the lawn, . ' • Live Stock. The live stock section was the one un- . crowded portion c-f the; show, and the ifew-exhibits stood'forlornly in the midst . of; the associations, big array of pens. In classes for fat.cattle there were' ' only fifteen entries all-told, th® honours being divided fairly evenly between W. ■Bndgman and A. S.G. Canyon. In the . opinion of the; judge*. ptr. R. Stevens, of. Danneyirke, • only; in v two' :classes' were tho exhibits up to show standard. There'was even less competition ,in fat sheep than. last. year. The: principal ex- : uiibitor. .was .. Mr." o.' ""Nelson, who had' . imatters pretty well, all. his . own way • {throughout, wiri<niiig out of the 15 first •prizes awarded. '. ■ ■ " In the' pig section; there was. a credit-. • able showing, but unfortunately some of : v •: the best pigs. had to. be excluded, &£ they ran up '301b. over the bacon liinit. of ' ; 1401b, .First prizes for pigs were won" by i >James Barry, E. I. Elliott, and. Ambrose < iVvellwooU; ' • • ; v ' *

It was noticeablc that tho farmers' _;S classes . for fat sheep brought out little < competition, despite, the special .prizes ottered. A. miller had ;two entries in ■ one: class, 0.-'-jrCiitchebn onei.ih another,< - . a , third class v.-as empty.' Poultry. ' r - J-.Currie, who. judged the poultry, uas particularly struck';with the quality - Bocks shown:by Messrs. Beamish and. Pifckaringl The'entries in the poultry were better throughout than - case nst: 3" ear - 'J-'he■ only ex--iJubitfr-of Hamburgs was W. Gigg. In (games, J. Brady and Miss B. Wakely [divided honours, as did S. Curd and 0. P erress in bantams. Thp bantams were I a rather backward lot. .I.' Hunt' had isome nice brown leghorns -on view, his cockerel being an especially fine bird. B. X. M'Cormick's -jvhite leghorn! carried off the honours. Competition in wyandotles was fairly keen, and the showing,! was of fair quality. Mrs. E.; Baldwin was here ,tne most successful exhibitor. ■'There was a good showing of buif orpingtons, the it" r,'i "owever, not being yet. in feather. ' '/r ~ Fitzpatrick car- .. [Tied off the first, prizes.'. The Indian ■ irunnej-s ducks were a noticeably good Jot, It. Smith's entries v being unusually enne birds. .In Aylesburys Mrs. E. Bald-. ,win,. and in Pekins, .1. Smith, caught •the ]udge.s eye v Misses Elsie-.Williams and Sweeney were the ' only : exhibitors . -• of turkeys. ■ Indoor. Exhibits. ' The indoor exhibits were attractively displayed and well arranged throughout. Great interest was taken by country in the old-standing-rivalry beftween the. Hastings, and Puketapu ■ ! |jriches of the Farmers' Union in the . .'district exhibit competition for the best (and most comprehensive collection of ; • !farm produce. This competition is open ■ I j clubs, etc.,-in the province,. | and iis_ limited to farm-made produce ,idrawn_from within a-radius of 15 miles J 0 !? c ™ s headquarters. Two large "'W,™ arranged by tho two rival, '.exhibitors and the' displays ; were effectively arranged. --In; fact 'the members of - tbß. branches: had spent between two and , v?.|.- ys -' le , m ?re: grouping of, their inhibits, and readers can imagine how ln 12! i w ent to their' making. The . 'articles, shown ranged from mounted istags heads to wedding cakes of attractive design. Out of a possible total of 455 points, Puketapu came off first with 1 ' ? nd Hnsti "es a close second, \ i.with 331J points.

Fine Display of Grapes. ' Between the two Farmers' Union stalls Tras a space of thirty-five, feet in which farm made • what is r probably the best display of- table grapes . that has ever been seen ,in New Zealand. ihome .33' varieties lvere shown, many of them being recentintroductions,bv the. 'department from the principal viticul- . t " ra , l : colleges; in -Europe., In ; its vineyard at. Arataki; the Department has'between iti and 80 varieties of table, and ■ ? ins grapes with which it is experiment"g and also propagating on phylloxeraresisting stocks for distribution among vignerous. Ihe Arataki Farm is under the management of Mr. "\V. Ellis formerly of the Howlong Viticultural Station in New South Wales, the largest ]n Australasia. The grapes on view were a magnificent collection and it was diffii t. ev o that the whole of them ,'had beengTown out.in the open without ifjr protection whatever from, the wea- • ther. ,rnero was a particularly fine £fto«rms of Chasselas grapes and. the good [keeping qualities of those were made evitho fact that numbers of the bunchs had been picked between-five and aL x Among the -black varieties j i Tr black Tokay, gros moroc, and black Hamburg wort, if anything, : the finest. 1 lie black Tokay is stated by Mr, Ellis to be a splendid grape for standing wet weather. : The ccnten- . Tual, the, largest variety of white-grapo, comes on too late iu the season to ripen .properly m tho open at Arataki-

Apples. Hawke's Bay orchards are noted all aver New Zealand, and needless to say the quality of tho exhibits from them this .season was excellent. .Owing to tho • advanced -stage" of tho season, the stone fruits, however, were mostly over. There were seven entries for the 'champion collection of dessert apples, in which each exhibitor had to show twelve apples of each of six varieties.

Mr. James Cushing, of Riverside, Clive was first, and won tho championship. His collection comprised the foilowiii" varieties, which' were .grown on a ; dark loam soil with a sandy subsoil Cox's Orange Pippin, John Sharp, Mon'a Hay Shepherd's Perfection, Ladv Hcnniker and Couper's Market. " ' ..The second prize was won by Mr E E. Howard, of Havelock'North, with"'tho following varieties:—Ribston Pippin, Cox's Orange Pippin, Takapunn Russet, Jonathan. Adam's Pearmain, and Cliff Seedling.

Mr. Howard's orchard is on a light black Joam with subsoil described as "chocolate co 'n» r with clay in places." i • iV ■' > . c ' ors > of' Waipawa, was third, r IS , c , 0l ' ccfl:)11 consisting of: Delicious, Jonathan, Senator, Boston russet, Sharp's ■Late lied, and Springdale. These were grown °n a heavy loam soil with a 'siibsou of the same nature. i.. r,; A s - Dunnage had the/best collection ot Cox's Orange Pippins, aiid Messrs. A. Mooro and E. E. Howard won first prize for American Golden Kitsset and ' 'nt, oll respectively. were twenty-ono entries in . the any other variety" class, and here Mr. , ™ again headed the list. Mlv W. Austin s case of dessert apples was adjudged the best. .

In. cooking apples the championship was again carried off by .Mr. .Cushingi with a collection of Warner's King Sharps, Late Bed, Ohinemuri, Wolf River, Maiden's islush, Prince Albert. Mr. E. E. Howard's sec6nd ; prize collection comprised Stunner Pippin, Commerce, Home, Beauty,' Ballarat Seedling, Lord Wolseley, and Cleopatra. .The .third place-' was .gained by Guthrie Bros., of Havelock North, -\rith Lane's; Prince Albert, Romo Beauty, Reinette Du Canada, Ohinemuri, Prince Bismarck, and Mrs. Jones. These uere grown, on a light soil with a sandy subsoil. .

. classes for separate varietiesthe following came first:—Reinette Du Canada, ,T. Flanders; Munroe's Favourite for Ohinemuri);.A. H. Russelland Stunner Pippin, Guthrie Bros. ."•••- / Pears. ' There was a good collection of pears, and the principal prize-winners were:— Beurreßosc, J. Clairgeau, H. Miliary Beurfe Diel, J. Cushing; Winter Nelio, J. Rich; any other variety. J.. JFlanders. - Other Fruit. •■-JU;*the tniiscellaneous - fruit, classes: B. Chambers ebowertYsoitfe nice persimmons, and Douglas 3rLean was adjudged the best- of the nine entries of lemons ana the three of oranges. "W; Alderman had a fine showing of freestono peaches, and E. E. Howard's exhibit . was noticeable lii the: Clingstone class. '

•'-. - Vi Vi j7"';V,Vegetables.',,- j ' A .representative collection of melons was shown. . ' . ■ • . The vegetables this year."were stated to be . easily the best showing ever made m Hawke's Bay.,. A, big. advance both in quantity 'aiid quality- was noticeable over last year's show. '.---v.; Some huge purapkins..were shown, the largest grown by the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing' Company running up to 1711b. The second" heaviest pumpkin was grown by W. Kinross White, and weighed 1421b'.. . In onions B. Chalmers carried off the heavy-weight prize with a-sample scaling 20Jlb. The most successful exhibitors in the ■vegetable, classes', were.; -B;;. : Chambers, D. B. Hill, Guthrie Brothers, E. :E. Howard, Douglas ! M'Lean, - and A, H. liusseil. . , . . r. - Tho prizo for ,the'• best collection ■of vegetables./was won by E. E. Howard, and for the best amateur, collection by D. T. Gigg. 1 Agricultural Produce. •The exhibition of. agricultural produce was a large and representative one! The seeds shown were particularly bright, considering the dampness of the season. .. There was- an excellent' selection iii

ryegrass, in which first place was given to the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Co-opera-tive. Associntiou v for .'a . sample of . seed scaling 421b. per. bushel', , ryegrass ordirisarjly. running;, at about 341b. Tho same ' firm" also showed. ail''excellent sample of cocksfoot. ■ -Messrs. Williams and kettle soc ffi.s < l ;,some nice lots of 'maize and'Cap'e barley. .. The root classes were unusually strong ;tliis_ year. There was a large, showing ; and 'tJie honours'were pretty evenly distributed, the most successful exhibitor probably being- the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Company. In the fi?ld classes the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Company was awprded'first prize for tho best ten acres of drilled field mangolds grown within the province. For an' acre of mangolds, 0. M'Huteheon,' of Grecnmeadows, was first,, as 'was W. Culling, of Hatuma, for a ten-acre field of turnips. In the classes for five acres of turnips, W. Culling gained first place' again with a portion of his ten-acre lot. ....

School Exhibits. v.A creditable display' of vegetables was made by the, ; State' School pupils from their . school plots. 'The-most successful exhibitors were the Taradale, Pakowhai, and Umutaroa Schools, and Petane School showed a carefully-arranged collection of named weeds. .

I. . Dairy Produce. I .111 dairy produce, factory butter showed an improvement over last year, but there' was a-i'alling-off in the farmers'. classes in consequence, if; 'is said, of the fact that most of the previous exhibitors aro now sending their milk..tothe factories.. There was, however, a poor showing in the specially-reserved farmers' classes. , _ In almost every section in. the catalogue first and. second places, for factory-made cheese were given to the Norsewood Cooperative Company, there < being /no other entry/ There were seven entries of factory butter, Cheltenham winning here, Awahuri second, and Niels ATikolaison .nurd. ■ Cheltenham alsovcame first with , its-:entry'-- of factory - powdered but--1 ter.. '

• ■ The principal winners in dairy butter J - C. Watts, D. E. Davis, and Miss Kilkenny. The honey "exhibit was. a much' better one than last year. Honours in this class were between A. Currow and 0. R. Bostock.- . . ■ J^ r - Basii Jones,-who, judged the classes, said he considered, tho collection of jams the finest■ he had ever seeu anywhere. Ihe first prize for jam was won by Miss A. Russell: ' . In the .wine classes the,.fiye first prizes were won by the Mata Vineyard. . The collection of . bread,vf scones, and cakes was a large/one, arid-the most successful entries ,wero : tlib'si' of Mrs. J i oung. poultry and' eggs, competition lay • mainly-.-, between? N. J, Wakelyand J"; Flanders: u,The,'.only- exhibits'' of hams and bacon- vrero those of Gallagher Carr, and Co. • . - ■ Pox Plants. In the open classes' for.'pot plants H. Poole .had somo". beaiitiftjU exhibits. J. j ~ Murdoch showed some magnificent dahlias, and Mrs. Biircroft's collection of cut flowers was strikingly' arranged. In (he amateur horticultural- classes the most successful exhibitors';were -T. H. G Murdoch, S.-Miller, Mrs. 1 Tosswill, Mrs; J. Iviven, Miss Dorothy ioole, and Mfs. A. (j. Jjallantyne,. - . • • ■ ■

Horses. The .ivinners of' the horse competitions were as follow:— Girls' pony jump—Mip? Mackersey, 1; Miss Janet-Russell, 2; Miss Ethel Macjiiven, 3. Best 'turn-out—C. Stubbs, 1; J. Walden, 2; 0. Jefferson, 3. Ladies' motor-driving—Mrs. H. Jf. Campbell, 1; Mrs. H. Nelson, 2; Mrs. A. H. Russell, 3. ' Best four-in-hand turn-out—Graham an'd Gibbie,' 1. Mounted potato competition—O. Nelson, 1; J. H. Tuxford, 2; B. T. Wellwood, 3. Ladies' jump—C'. Ifart's Playboy,' 1; Hassall,.and. Trbutbeck's Lady Madcap, 2; Mrs. Redpath's Bill, 3. Pony .jump—Miss Mackersey, lj Sam Hoe, 2; J. Myers, Ladies' musical chairs (mounted)— Miss Dorothy Macniveii, 1; Miss M. Macniven, 2; Miss M. Weil by, 3. Dismounting anil mounting—Hoy Eood, 1; Sam Roe, 2; Arthur Grooiho, 3.

Maiden jump—Hassall and Troutbeck's Lady Madcap, 1; Arthur-Groome, 2; C. 11. Hamlin, 3.

Largo numbers of modern and up-to-daie cowsheds are in course of construction in Auckland Province this year, and many of the smaller dairy farmers, who nave not,, before been able •to afford • a good plant, are now building new and substantial .sheds.