THE FARMERS' FESTIVAL.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 710, 28 February 1922, Page 5

THE FARMERS ' FESTIVAL.

FRANKLIN A. & P. SHOW.

FINE DISPLAY OF STOCK..

RECORD ENTRIES,

PEOPLE’S DAY WET.

The great autumn event? of the Auckland Province, the Franklin A. and P. Society’s Show, was held at Pukekohe on Friday and Saturday of last week. It was the 37th annual exhibition, and from all points of view was the record show since the inception of the Society. That the Society has made rapid progress since its inauguration is a well-founded fact, and if it continues to forge ahead in the future as it has done in the pas:: the autumn show will be looked upon as the greatest show in the Dominion, in lieu of the great show of the Province,.

The membership of the Society at its inception consisted of a meie handful, but continued efforts on the part of those in authority were fruitful, and to-day the membership is approaching 1200. Pukekohe, the location of the show, is, 'the centre of one of the most beautiful and richest districts in the Dominion, and it is estimated that within als mile radius of Pukekohe the population is in the vicinity of 20,000. The districts which are' included in the Franklin Show' are.?, consist of the famous fertile Aka Aka- Swamp, the Otaua plains, the rolling downs of Waiuku, the .dairying and sheep hands of Onewhero and Pukeekawa, the dairying and fruit country of Tuakau, the potato and dairying lana of Bombay, and the centre itself, which is recognised as the land of early potatoes and onions, as well as an extensive dairying district. Then there is the Buckland district,, famous for producing pedigree stock, particularly Shorthorns, as well as -dairy produce and great root and cereal crops. In a direction north to north-west there is the Karaka, which onlyi a few years ago was more or less banen, waste land, but which was converted into great pastural areas, and is now a good sheep farming and dairying area. Great improvements are beingeffected, and shortly the Karaka land will become famous. Patumahoe is the centre of much very valuable land, and is a great dairying district. These (districts support the show loyally, while solid support hails from Drury in the Franklin County and Cevedon, Papakura, Takanini, Papatoejtoe and Mangere in the Manukau County. Besides the above mentioned places, solid support is forthcoming from the Waikato and other parts of (the Auckland Province.

This year the Society is endeavouring to increase its membership by 1000, and residents in such a progressive district should respond to the appeal for new members.

Above it was stated that the 1922 event was a.record one. This fadt is borne out in many ways. The attendance was laige, but not quite as large as that of last year, when it must be remembered the presence of the Governor-General, Lord Jellicoe, and the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey, member for the district, attracted many people. Last year the Society was favoured with brilliant weather, whereas on this occasion fthe weather was dull and threatening, while light rain commenced to fall about mid-day. The dull weather no doubt prevented many from attending who otherwise would have been present? had old “sol’s” rays shone out. The entries constituted a record, 2400 being received, as against 200 less lasti year. This is one record. Another record established was that concerning the quality of the stock, which was the best seen in Franklin and which would have done credit to

any metropolitan show. As regards entries in- the cattle section the Jerseys held pride of place, about 167 coming forward. Taking them on the whole there were some beautiful animals in spite of the fact that some of the best breeders were n<*t exhibiting. The judge, Mr Frank Ranford, of Stratford, stated that there was no outstanding cow in the open/ cow class. The two-year-old heifers comprised an excellent class, and, the winner of the yearling class was a nice heifer and of a very good type. She was a very even animal’ Hp was favourably impressed with the grade Jerpr'vs. stating the! the fl-year-old was the best be had ever seer,. The nrlbir,g Shorthorns are coming back by lb? number of en-

tries and the type of the strain exhibited, There were 113 entries and among them were some magnificent animals. The champion bull and cow were typical of the breed and should he successful elsewhere. The Friesinns and Ayrshire?, were stronger than last year, some excellent beasts being shown. There is not the shadow of a doubt- that the milking Shorthorns are gaining popularity, and next year may turn the tables for pride of place with 'the Jersey. Jersey breeders had on exhibition 14 cows and heifers with butter-fat records under semi-official test ranging from 609.14!bs to 4041bs of fat. The e J i '.c exhibits on the whole showed a marked improvement on previous years as regards quality and it is very evident that the farmers are realising that money expended on high grade stock is well invested. A. and P. Shows should help to improve the breeds of cattle. The sheep and pig sections, although not very large, show an advance on previous years. The quality, however, showed marked improvement. The grazing and fat cattle was a weak section. Large entries were received for the dairy section, principally from 'the districts’ breeders. Judging from expressions of opinion of some Waikato breeders, these people will not risk bringing a cow in milk so far. They gave it as their opinion that tiavelling Ito and from the show, as well as shifting the animals about the grounds did not do a heavy milking cow any goodj. In faejt it had a harmful tendency. This is the reason for ft he absence of some of the best milking cows in the Waikato,. The strong feature of the show was the horse section, 556 entries being catalogued. This is a record as far as the horses are concerned. Irght horses, ponies and -draughts were well represented in all classes. The 15st hack drew an entry of 9 ; the 13st. hack 22 ; the list, hack 20 ; maiden hack up 'to 13st 12 ; horse suitable for mounted rifles 17 : cavalry remount 16; weight-carrying cob 10; and best-paced hack 16. Huge entries were received for the hunters’ competition as follows : Maiden 26; pony hunte~ 14 ; heavy weight 22; lady’s hunter 13; champion hunter 26 : and light weight hunter 33. The judge of the light horses and hunters was favourably impressed with the horses that came before him. The champion hack, he declared, as the easiest horse he has ridden.

Mr O. McElroy, of Feilding, judge of the light harness horses, stated that the harness ponies were strong and the quality good. They were as strong as had' ever seen. Touching on the harness horses, he said <that they were alto very strong, some of them could compete with credit in any show ring in the Dominion. They were particularly good in style and action. In fact they were that good that he had difficulty in separating them. Mr W. B. Campbell, of Hastings, judge of the draught horses, was loud in his praise of] the animals •that he had to deliberate o». Mr Campbell said the yearjfng filly was well grown and of a beautiful type. She was the making of a great mare. She was typical in every way. The two-year-old filly, owned by Mr S'.. B. Grant, was a very flash filly, standing on a gireat set of feet and legs. “This filly has a wonderful outlook,” he said, “she would be hal’d to beat in any metropolitan show.” Coninuing, Mr Campbell said tha the .brood mare owned by Mr H. Aitkenhead, was a good, roomy, and a beautiful type of a mare, with wejll set legs and a lovely action. She had perfect feet. Speaking of the dry mares, he sstid that Messrs A> McNical and Co. possessed a beautiful mare that should have won her class* When shown she exhibited signs of lameness, but on the following day was perfectly sound. On account of lameness she had to be thrown out. The cause was due to an accident on the

train. Messrs MeNieol _and Co. exhibited some, beautiful fillies, well rrcvvi’., shown, and witli should be he.rail to beat at the lea-dins shows.- The whole draught section. •■>(» i-meloded, was a credit to the (iaoric•.•'<! won!-1 bo har-d o beat any of tk * North Island shows.

CHAMPIONSHIPS

HORSES

SHE" ’

The hunting horses were a fine lot. and some good jumping was

witessed, in spite of the greasy nature of the ground. The champion hunter, Nigger, chit a purticuarly fine round when he won the bit event. He jumped , peerfectly with good style and seemed to enjoy the outing- Quite a number of the horses whit (. jumped well lord points through going too fast. The events weie hunters' classes and not steeplechases. Dolly an.cl Lady Nora jumped well, but in the writer's opinion had too much pace on for a hunter’s event Tills is a mistake that quite a number of ride:s should rectify before they can expect their charges to carry off hunters’ events of any consequence. The management' of the Show was perfect, and officials carried out their duties to a line point, not the slightest hitch occur; ing throughout excepting that tne events on Hie People’s Day got behind time somewhat/ The ;din and the large fields were accountable lor this. The jicrges w&re loud in their praise for the) manner in which the stewards discharged their duties. One in particular remarking that they were a very efficient lot, and were deserving of credit. It was difficult to estimate the attendance because people were moving to and from the grounds between the showers. Between 5000 and 7000 people would be a fair estimate. The success of the Show is due to the work of the President and Secretary, and officials who worthed assiduously throughout. On Saturday the members of the Pukekohe Municipal Band, in their new uniforms, rendered a programme of music, which enlived proceedings considerably. Following arc the awards:—

Champion Entire : J„ P.. Sinclair ’s Chesterfield. Champion Blood Mare: W. Townsend’s Heatwave.

Champ.; ;n Hack: John Townsend’s Dan., Resreve: Miss M. Nicholls’ Aided rah.

Champion Harness Horse : R. H Townsend’s Nancy. Reserve: J. Banks.

Champion Harness Pony: P. Dun’s Bob. Reserve, V. S. Roberts’ Nuke,

Champion Saddle Pony: Roy Fulton’s Moira. Reserve, H. Hetlley’settle Jewel Bin.

Champion Hunter: R. D. Neals

Nigger. Champion Draught Mare: S. B. Grant's Rose Everest. CATTLE. Pedigree Shorthorns: Bull, S. Lyes’ Newstead Comet. Pedigree Milking Shorthorn: Bull, R. W. Hollingsworth’s Dominion Peter of Ruakura. ( Reserve, Henry Dyer’s Baron of Pukerimu. Cow, A. J. Melville’s Dilworth Bridget. Pedigrtee Friesiant': Bull, Jolly Bros/ Holland Queen’s Grandson. Reserve, W. Louden’s Dutch Belted Domino! Cow: W. Louden’s | Monavale Ruby Paxton. Reserve, W. Louden’s Rivenlea Fainnount Queen. Pedigree Jerseys: Bull, D. Watkins’ Rajah of Bulla. Reserve, T. Pollock, jun.’s Golden Joy. Cow, R. Reid’s Pencarrow’s Charity. Reserve, Ei. L. Roose’s Belvedere Silver Dot.

Pedigree Ayrshires : Bull: W. K. Lawton’s Ei Gallo. Reserve, W. K. Lawton’s KiLiarney.

Champion Dairy Cow W. Louden s Monavale Ruby Paxtc-•

Lincolns : Ram, S I. Barriball. Ewe, S. M. Barriball. Border Leicester: ham, W. J. Hyde, English Leicester: Ram, John Schlaepfer. Ewe. T. Bellamy. Romney Marsh: Ram, Wilfred Johnstone. Ewe, Wilfred Johnstone. Shropshire Downs : Ram, Eber Barribcill. Ewe, Eber Barriball. PIGS. Berkshire®: Boar, A. T. Rogcis. Sow, E. J. Rogers. Yorkshires : Boar. E. J. Rogers. Sow, E. J. Rogers. Tamworth: Boar, E. J. Rogers. Sow, A. T. Rogers. Devon: Boar, E. J. Rogers. Sow, E. J. Rogers. COMPETITIONS. Maiden Hunters : John Cathcait 1, W Purs ell 2, J. A. Short o. Pony Hunter: John Catheart 1, H. Burnaby 2. A.. A. Higgins 3. Heavy-weight Hunter: Miss A. Kelsol, R D. Neal Neal 2, W. L. Carr 3. Amateur Boy Rider : Bruce Jonnstone 1, Ei. P. Higgins a- Ahan Wright 3. Lady’s Hunter: W. A. Fisher’s Tui 1. Ai A. Higgins, 2. T. C. Patou

THE PRIZE LIST

HORSES,

Girl Rider : Lilac Whitehead 1, Marjorie Cummins 2, lone Moor 3. Champion Stallion : J. P. Sinclair’s Cues ter field. Champion Thoroughbred Mate : V/. Tcwnsen d‘ s Heatwave. Champion Harness Horse: R. H. Townsend's Nancy. J. Banks reserve champian. Champicn Harness Pony: F. Duff. Reserve champion, V. S Roberts. Cram [Pen Saddle Pony: Roy Fulton’s Moira. Reserve champion, H. Healey. Champion Hack : John Townsend’s Dan. Reserve champion, Miss M. Nicholas Aldtbrah. Bending Competition: Paul Speech- I. R. Dalton 2, Doris Melville 3. Best Lady or Gentleman Driver : Miss Adams 1. Miss Jessie Angus 2, S. J. Bright. 3. Chn m p ion Hunt ir g C m petition : R, D. Nerd’s Nigger 1. MBs A Kelso’s Laddie 2. Miss A. Kelso’s Patch 3, C. J. Hoskii g’s Cyclone 4. Stockmen’s Competition : M. Little I. A. White 2. V. S. Robe 'is 3. L : ght-wcight Hunte-;: Miss A Kelso’s Patch 1, A..-A. Higgins 2, R. Ml Pm ness 3. Lady Rider, over fences : Miss M. Briggs 1. Miss Millington 2. Miss Elliot 3 Leaping Match: J. Dromgool 1. C. J. Spinier 2. Hunter’s Long Jump: C. J. Hosking 1. C. J. Spinier 2, T. Paton 3. Gentleman Rider: T. C. Paton 1, J. V. Patten 2. J. Dufty 3. Consolation Hunter.: yE. C. Barriball’s Bluebell 1, Wilfred Johnstone’s Sniper 2.

Blood Stock, entire 3 years old or over: I. P, Sinclair's Chesterfield 1, E. E. Deed’s Reamer 2 ; mare, with foal at foot : W. Townsend’s Heatwave 1. N-. A. Brown 2 ; mare, dry, 4 years,/or over : N,. A. Brown 1, filly or gelding, 3 years : W. Taylor’s Blanch Abbey I, Paul Speedy 2 : filly or gelding, 2 years :' John Townsend I ; colt, filly or gelding, yearling, W. Townsend 1, PL Clark 2, T, K. I. Clark 3. Hacks : Thoroughbred entire, I. P. Sinclair's Chesterfield 1, E. E. Deed’s Reamer 2; mare, suitable breeding hacks : John Townsend’s Lindabelle 1. R. M. Furness’ Doily 2, Miss L. Litchfield’s Mavourneen 3; yearling filly or gelding : W. Holmes 1. ; foal, Dan Jamieson 1, N. A. Brown 2 ; hack, up to 15st : John Townsend’s Dan 1, B. Roulston’s Victory 2, R. H. Townsend’s Perfection 3. Hack up to 13st : Miss M. Nicholl’s Aldebrah 1, Miss L. Litchfield’s Mavourneen 2, R. M. Furness’ Dolly 3: llsjt hack: R. H. Townsend’s Rocket 1, R. Kenwood’s Paddy 2. W. Holmes 1 Possom 3 ; hack up to ,13s t (maiden), W. TPalmer’s Laddy 1, E. A. Fraser 2, E. C; Riggal 2; mare or gelding, calculated /to make a hunter, C. J. Hosking 1, E. A. Fraser 2 ; mare or gelding, suitable for artillery- purposes, R. M. McMilan 1, F., KM rich 2,, F. G. Deed 3 J mare or gelding, suitable mounted rifles under 15.3 hands, T, C. Patou’s Lady Norah 1, Miss A. Kelso 2, John Townsend 3 ; mare or gelding, suitable for cavalry remount, 15.3 hands or over?: J. Banjks I, B. Roulston 2. J. Cathcart 3; best paced hack, Miss M Nicholls’s Aldebrah 1, Miss L. Lichfield’s Mavourneen 2, R. M. Furness’ Dolly 3; weight-carrying cob : R. Dalton 1, Roy Fulton 2, M. D. Lawton 3; lady’s hack, Miss M. Nicholls 1, R. H. Townsend 2, Miss L. Litchfield 3; lady’s hack (nouice) R. Henwood 1, E. A. Fraser 2, W. J. Rutherford 3.