THE MELBOURNE SHOW.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1561, 3 October 1912, Page 10

THE MELBOURNE SHOW.

OPINIONS OF A N.Z. JI'DGE. ■■ (From • Our Special Corresßonflent.) Christchurch, October 1 11r,,8i Seth-Smith,. who went to Melbourne to judge the Lincoln ewt classes jt the recent Alclbo.urjio,- Show, has returncl to New-iZualniitl, «nd'in the couiro of ;v chatty iniorvieu- with a representative of "Tho Press,." ho recounted his.experiences.. -Mr. .Spth-Smith was exceedingly picafrtl' with. the,, sheep, (bat hcjiahilli-d-.nl the show; o :a'nd .vconsidered.'that. for size and wool.the best of the- Lincoln's'he saw excelled the majority of sheep of the breed that are bred in I\ev Zealand. The ram judges of Lincnlns were Mr. W. Perry, of iUas.tcrton, and Mr. Sutherland, an Australian, and tho ewes were judged by Mr. Seth-Smitli and Mr. Bowman. The Australians are iiniloiibledly great judges of. wool, and Mr. Seth-Smith noticed that his colleague ifook very little notice- of the carcasSr.-continiiig his .atlent.ion and.giving all the points to wool alone. iThe Motor on the Farm. The new motive power for farming operations, the oil tractor, was well represented at the show, and some of .(he newest thingsjii.agricultural,motors w.ere" ..shown.. These, machines , are yell , into tho practical fitagc.iiow,' h'n(l,aVHnwfc.i>sbur.y -,College Mr: • Seth-Slnith saw a .21500 'motor-; plough that does very 'good work. Mr. Potts, tho principal of the college, statesthat tho motor-plough can turn'over Kill acres in the twenty-four hours,.- but Mr. Scth-Smith considers that about GO acres would bo nearer the mark;; which' means that in an ordinary workihgllay of eight hours' 2{) acres of -land could be turned over, and as , heavy could bo lutcheil "ori 'behind ths machine,' a good deal of tho cultivation can be dohcatono -stroke. . On hard land these motors arc a distinct success, but they al-o apt to get stuck up ouNsoft or boggy'ground. The Ad'claida'Show.' ;• .: "', • I'ron'i ,!lelbaunie.,Mi-. j Seth-Smith., went.; on to tho Agricultural Sliow at' Adelaide, and liiij-e there Was an,exceptionally iinu display of such nieriiips as are-not often seen in New Zealand. Thess sheep, arid the English breeds as well, arc.shown under rigorous conditions. Special .feeding is flit* sheep not even being.allowed lo run on a lucsrne.padduclC.aiul..So" far as the merinos are concerned, none of tho sheer,, are. .allowed., to bo. :.coy<Sreil.. The show sheep'conip , oft the natural native grasses, and 'n cohimittea.of the- association, officiabitravelled round to' eihibi--tors' esiates a't> frequent -intervals- to «nBiiro that the regulations were not being infringed. ' Any sheep that the committee considers'has been specially fed or covered is ruthlessly thrown out, and this fate overtook a representative'of ono'of .the most noted stud iloeks, whereat tho manager was very wroth, for he swore ; there was Hot a' covey in the placfc , ' TheLincolns nt-'-the -Adelaide' Show-iverb-not i-yery good lot— liOt. neArly''So"goflil-"Ks"'tho Jfelbourne sheep. -."About 'thrce-luindred Lincolns wcro : entered"- in the --'various classes at the latter show froin/;Adelaide, A .Famous Merino. ; . Mr. Seth-Smith went-fop ■an β-itynsive tour saw r tiie fainons iiierino rani "Donald Dimmi" that, cpst ,iei'2lld..■.'"Hb'.'is'niuo.' years" old' now, an'd'.js.' beginning to show- his agea little, .but. he has.been a socd-invest-ment hll tlie faine... ,:TJ]Y ,tb ~(iafe; he ;has got lOdS'lambs'.'ahd.Mr.' Mac Donald sold f-even rams .by.him..at t.ho,.last Adelaide Show for' ;£I2OO. Mr. M T . iJowrie, Ihelate' directou of:.Lincoln. College,.js,. according. to .good work.in. South^Australia, , and is deservedly popular with .all classes, .of fanners; and. pas-. toralists.'. , ' .■•).' ', '.."■'. A Hintoh Wool:Classirtg. .■■-.: .... Tho of. Mines'and 'Industries ,at Adelaide is a splendid institution, and ill the section that.deal's with wool classing they have a system that should commend itself .to fcho tcehn\cat";college authorities., here. Gfangs of pupils' from four toloui--" teen"in.aviuber a : ro .sent out.in charge of a s-eiiior.-'qualified student t.o work at wool classing on the various big stations, and these young nieii do the whole of thework cf. t iulassiag, receiving the.onlinary rate ot r.wages;'" 1 'it is estimated thati«lso,of>o worth of wool'was handled by them last season..and-the actual, increase in tho'value owing'to'the hotter get up of thoUolips' is;nut downat no less thau. «£SOOO, so the instruction they receive Kerns to bo worth while."