COURTENAY PLOUGHING MATCH.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 44, 21 July 1874, Page 4

COURTENAY PLOUGHING MATCH.

Committee —The Hon Colonel Brett, Captain Gorle, Messrs W. B. Tosswill, N. Kingdon, H-. J. Matthias, Palmer, H. McClellanJ, Coutts, Henderson, Lord, Robertson, and Lennox.

Ground Committee—Messrs Coutts, Kingdon, and Robertson.

Judges—(Ploughing) Messrs Wm White, M.P.C, A. Kerr, and J. Bruce. Judges (Extra prizes) Messrs Seaton, Mangin, and Sanderson. Hon Secretary—Mr F. G. Stedman ; hon treasurer, Mr A.McNae. The weather-wise on Thursday night last who foretold a repetition of " Lincoln" weather for this the second ploughing match of the season, must have been agreeably surprised when Friday morning ushered in sunny, clear, but intensely cold, and with all the appearance of ripening into one of the finest davs wehavehad this winter; and such it proved to be, for a more beautiful day it would be impossible to desire. To the visitor from town, the journey was a perfect treat, for once out into the open plain the road was not near so bad as might have been expected, and to the lover of Alpine scenery the West ranges, completely covered with snow, and looking so deceptively near and silvery, presented a very grand appearance.

Arrived at Courtenay, and looking more practically at matters, it was found that the very liberal prize list, both in value and number of prizes, put forward by the committee, had been very meagrely responded to by the district, for only sixteen entries had been made as against forty-one the previous year, and fifty-three in 1872. This very great falling off in the number of entries must not, however, be taken to imply that the district has comparatively declined in its prosperity ; on the contrary, with the disadvantage to contend with of a scarcity of water, the district has been making, perhaps slow but sure, advances in its material prosperity. The cause of the lack of interest in thfese annual matches can only then be accounted for by the fact that, in the first place, district ploughing matches are beginning to be felt to be a mistake ; as, when confined to districts only, that spirit of emulation so necessary to success is wanting, as it is nearly always pretty well known beforehand between whom thp prizes will lie. In confined fields, too, a style of ploughing which may or may not be prejudicial to practical farming is apt to grow up, and this could not be thecase were the fields enlarged; and, in the second place, ploughing matches are becoming too general, and following so closely after each other, become tiresome to those who once took an interest in them. This the committee, who have the work of getting up these matches, know to the cost of their labor; for collecting subscriptions nowadays for a district ploughing match is no sinecure. At the dinner, Mr White, one of the judges, referring to this matter, threw out an excellent suggestion, which if acted upon would do much to revive the interest in ploughing matches —and that was, to do away with district ploughing matches altogether, and hold a northern, southern, and central districts match, with a champion match to follow. This suggestion is well worthy of consideration, for the prizes could then be made larger; a beneficial spirit of rivalry would be created ; the best kind of work for practical purposes would become more generally known and followed ; and not only would the intrinsic value of the prizes act as an increased incentive to good work, but the honor of being a prize taker at these matches would also be felt to be worth having. At any rate, the result would be beneficial, if at the termination of the present season a meeting of delegates from the different districts was held to consider and discuss this matter. The match was held in a paddock belonaing to the hon Colonel Brett, and contiguous to White's Accommodation housp. The late rains had made the ground very fair in some portions for ploughing, but in other parts it was rather friable, and some gutters running across the paddock, and one or two ridges along its length militated against the efforts of the ploughmen, eo far as the appearance of their work was concerned. These drawbacks considered, the work in the Ist class was Yeiy fair, and in one instance in the 2nd clhhs. In the boys' class Holland made very excellent .and creditable work ; but taken as a whole the work was not so good as has been done at the matches previously held in the district. Some of the teams on the ground were very good, but others were illmatched and out of condition. Mr H. McClelland's mares were of a useful stamp, well matched, possessing plenty of bone, and good steady workers, and were well entitled to the silver cup they received, given by Mr Sandstein of Ohristchurch. Mr G. Hays' team was a useful evenly matched pair of Clydesdales, in good condition and

perfect so far as their grooming was concerned. Col. Brett's team was composed of two excellent workers of the " Suffolk Punch " stamp, rather light boned however, and not evenly matched. Their appearance was a credit to their groom. Peter Whyte had a pair of useful Clydesdales well matched ; and John Turner had a very good looking chestnut in his team. Mr Palmer of the Courtenay Hotel, had a shed erected at one side of the paddock in which he purveyed refreshments ; and though the bracing weather and lack of excitement might jointly be held to be a sufficient excuse to " tak anither," and seemed to be pleaded by a few at regular intervals, still Sergeant Burtenshaw and Mounted-Constable Loose were not required to further maintain the dignity of the law than by their presence alone. There was not a very large attendance throughout the day, but in the afternoon it increased, and several youngladies appearing on the ground about that time made the paddock loo't more lively. The ground committee were early at work marking off the allotments. At 9.30 a.m. lots were drawn for stations, and the men having taken their places the flag was hoisted at 10.30, when they commenced work. This delay was necessitated through the hardness of the grouud from the previous night's heavy frost. Appended are the entries with remarks on the work done ; it being premised that all the entries were confined to the district only. FIRST CLASS. Maker of Ploughman. Owner. Plough. A. Whyte A. Whyte Blyth W. Whyte W. Whyte Blyth Fred Holland A. Truscott Blyth G. Brown G. Brown Blyth S. Brown S. Brown Blyth J. Brown J. Brown Blyth A. Whyte's line was rather crooked, his feering being too heavy at first start, somewhat cramped and high in the centre. His second furrow was rather loose, but he improved as he went on. His work throughout was clean cut, with a good angle, and well packed, there was however more cut on his plough than could he commended for practical purposes. His last green furrow was rather heavy, but his finish, with the exception of being a little wide, was good. W. Whyte made an excellent line, but his feering was high. His work was well packed, leaving a good seed-furrow, and clean cut. His finish was very good, his mould-furrow being, however, rather light, and his previous furrow disproportionately deep. F. Holland made an inferior line ; his feering was too cramped, but his work throughout was very fair, though broken and badly packed in places ; this, however, could hardly be avoided through the loose nature of the ground he was working; his finish was verj even and good, but a trifle deep in the ceutre of his work. G. Brown had a good line, but his feering was cramped and broken ; his work was well set up, with a good angle, and well packed, though a little wide and crooked at the end, was very fair. S. Brown had only a moderately good line, but his feering was excellent though a little cramped. He improved the appearance considerably as he went along, packing his work well, which was also clean cut and well set up. He made an even though somewhat ragged finish, owing to having to trot his horse to complete in time, his last green furrow being however, a little too heavy. J. Brown made a good line, but his feering was cramped and rather high. His work was fairly packed and had a good angle, though he had rather too much false cut on his plough. His finish was very fair.

SECOND CLASS. Ploughman 0 Maker of uvvner piough J. Turner J. Turner Duncan A McNae H. McOleland McNae H. Smith H. Smith Keetley

G. Hays G. Hays Keetley Turner made a fair line, but his feering was crooked and high. His work was fairly packed and well set up at first, but he fell off towards the end, making rather loose work. His finish was wide, his last green furrow being also very heavy. McNae made a bad Hue, his feering being high, crowded and clumsy, too much rubbed, and possessing very little style. His packing was fair, and some of his furrows good, but he fell off again towards the end. His last green furrow was very good,J and his finish fair. H. Smith made a bad line, his feering being crooked and irregular. His work was fairly packed, but his furrows were heavy and rather coarse. His finish was deep, but very good. G. Hays made a good line and the best feering in his class by a long way. His work was clean cut, and well packed. His finish, though rather deep, was good. BOYS' CLASS. Maker of Ploughman. Owner. Plough. H. Robertson Hon Col Brett Duncan H. Holland K. Holland Welbourne Robertson made a good line, but his feering was uneven. His work was clean,and fairly packed. His finish was wide and heavy. Holland's line was not very good, his feering being high, crooked, and cramped ; this was, however, in a measure, to be attributed to his having to start on the side of a ridge. He improved wonderfully as he went on, making clean work, well packed. H ; s finish was good and highly creditable for a lad. DOUBLE-FUBROW CLASS. Ploughman. Owner. John Nelson . John Nelson Duncan A. Calder A. Calder Blyth J. Sowden S. Bailey Blyth J.Brown W. B. Tosswill Keetley Nelson made a very excellent line (the best in the double-furrow class) ; his feering was, however, high and broken, and his work crowded. Some of his furrows were flat, rough, and not clean cut, and by no means well packed. His finish fair but broken. Calder made a good line and excellent feering : his ridge, however, being high. His work was clean cut and solid, leaving a good seed bed ; and, though creditable as a whole, was not up to his old form. His finish was fair. Sowden made a fair line, his i'eorine being also fair, but broken. His work was rather ragged, but fairly solid. His last green furrows were too heavy and his finish was wide and broken. J. Brown's work, so far as he went was not a success. He is said to make good work at home, but it was the first time he tried this plough, the leading share of which dropped the furrows flat, and he had no means of altering it at the time. He withdrew from the contest earl".

About 4 o'clock Mr Stedrnau announced the following to be the Judges' awards, each competitor answering to his name and received his prize at ouce from the Hon Treasurer.

FIRST CLASS. Ist prize, £5, G. Brown ; 2nd. £3, A. Whyte ; 3rd, £2, W. Whyte. SECOND CLASS. Ist prize, £4, G. Hays ; 2nd, £3, J, Turner; 3rd, £2, Hugh Smith ; 4th, a bridle given by Mr Taylor, Yaldhurst, A. McNae. BOYS' CLASS. Ist prize, £3, H. Holland ; 2nd, £2, H. Robertson. DOUBLE FURROW CLASS. Ist prize, £5, A. Calder; 2nd, £3, J. Sowden : 3rd, £2, J, Nelson. EXTRA PRIZES. BEST TEAM ON THE GROUND. Prize, silver cup, given by Mr Sandstein, Cashel street, Christchurch, Mr Hugh McClelland. BEST GROOMED HORSES. Ist prize, a horse cloth, given by Mr B. Hale, Christchurch, G. Hays; 2nd, 6 gallons beer, given by Mr Palmer, Courtenay Hotel, H. Robertson. BEST KEPT HARNESS. Prize, a pair of blinkers, given by Mr Mitchell, saddler, Riccarton road, G. Hays. BEST INS AND OUTS. Prize, pair watertight boots, given by Mr Hale, Cashel street, J. Brown. BEST FEERING FOR BOYS. Prize, a hat, given by Mr Gavin, Cashel street, Henry Holland. BEST FINISH ON THE GROUND. Prize, ten shillings, given by Mr Lindsay, butcher, A. Whyte. The prizes having been awarded, an adjournment was made to the Courtenay Hotel. THE DINNER. The dinner was held in the assembly room adjoining the hotel, and so far as the catering was concerned it was very creditable to Mr Palmer, the dishes being varied, substantial, and well served, provision also having been made for more than double the number that sat down, but as the room was not lined, and the night bitterly cold, hats and top coats had to be brought into requisition after the loyal toasts had been disposed of. The chair was occupied by Mr F. G. Stedman, who apologised for the absence of Mr Matthias, through illness in his family, and after a hearty dinner had been partaken of, in response to the chairman, the toasts of the " Queen and the other members of the Royal Family" were duly honored. Mr Stedman making a passing allusion to the Duke of Edinburgh's visit to Canterbury, and his marriage. The next toast given was the Governor, the chairman adding—" That on his Excellency's return to Wellington from visiting the various provinces, the remarks then made by him showed him to be an observant and sensible man." The toast was heartily drunk.

The chairman said he felt so cold that he would get over the complimentary toasts as quickly as possible, and get to one that they could have a good chorus, which might help to warm them, so he would couple the toasts of the General Assembly, his Honor the Superintendent and Provincial Council of Canterbury together, a-sociating with them the name of his friend, Mr W. White, M.P.C. (Cheers.) The toast was enthusiastically drunk. Song—" Success to my grandfather Paddy," Mr S. Brown,

Mr White, who was well received, said that it gave him great pleasure to respond to the toast so far as the Provincial Council were concerned. Had their representative not been absent at Wellington attending to bis duty, it would no doubt have given him pleasure to respond to the first portion of the tonst. His Honor was a very worthy Superintendent, and did all in his power to conduct the business of the Government for the benefit of the country. He (Mr White) was only a young member of the Council, but considering the amount of money they had voted, they had got through the session very quickly, and perhaps it would have been better if they had taken a little longer time. Courtenay had been very well treated this session, and sums of money had been voted for a bridge over the Waimakiriri, and to bring the water across the plains—(cheers) —and a fair share had also been allocated to the Road Boards. If in his place in the Council, he had not done as well as he might have, he at least had done as well as he could. [Loud cheers] He thanked them for the manner the toast had been druuk, and the kind way in which he personally had been received. [Applause.] Song—" March, boys march," Mr Eemp.

The toast of the " Successful Candidates " was next proposed, coupled with the name of S. Brown. The toast was drunk with the usual honors.

Song—•' Pour out the Rhine Wine," Mr A. McNae.

Mr Brown responding to the toast, said he wasn't much of a hand at speech making, but he desired to thank them for the hearty manner they had drunk the toast, and he would now propose the '' Unsuccessful Candidates," coupled with the name of Mr Coutts.

Song—" The slave ship," Mr J. Bonnar. Mr Coutts did not know why his name had been coupled with the toast, as none of the candidates |had been unsuccessful, each one having received a prize. The match had not been such a success as the previous ones, and they must put two or three districts together, and have more unsuccessful candidates than they had that day. Song—" Say a kind word when you can " —Mr J. Turner.

Mr A. McNae proposed the toast of " The Judges," who had come a long distance to be present at the match, and whose decisions had given great satisfaction. Drunk with cheers, and one cheer more. Songs—" When the cruel war is over," Mr Patterson ; and " Jack Donoghue," Mr Lindsay. Mr White, in reply, thanked them for the manner they had received the toast, and was gratified at the general satisfaction expressed at their decisions. There had been a very great falling off that year in the number of entries compared with previous years. Last year they had 41, and the previous year 53, and now they had dwindled down to 16 or 17. Mr Coutts had hit the right nail on the head when he referred to the amalgamation of the districts, but he (Mr White) would go further, and hold Northern, Southern, and Central district matches, and then a champion ploughing match to decide who were the best men. By that means they would obtain good men. [Cheers.] Very great difficulty was experienced now in getting up district matches, as those gentlemen who used to take a great interest in these matches had dwindled down, and others would not take the trouble. If they held the Champion Ploughing Match near Christchurch, not only would it decide who were the best men, but it would also better test the implements, and the makers would take greater interest

in manufacturing those found to be most suitable for practical persons. The ploughing in the lßt class that day taken altogether was fairly good, though he had seen better feerings and finishes at previous matches. There was, however, a great falling off in the 2nd class compared with previous year, but the old track crossing the ground had no doubt put them out. His advice to ploughmen in the 2nd class would be, " don't go so deep." If the rule said 5 inches they ought not to go 7 inches, and their work would look better for sticking to the rule. [Applause.] There had been a great falling off in the double-furrow work, but two of the men had made useful work, not cut so clean as it might have been. He regretted to see the falling off in the boys' class. They had ouly had two entries in this class, but one had done his work so well, that if he had been in the second class he (Mr White,) was afraid that Mr Turner would not have received the 2nd prize. [Cheers and laughter."] The toast of the Hon Col Brett was drunk amid cheers, the chairman having enumerated the efforts made by that hon gentleman for the advancement of the district.

Song—" Drowned at Sea" (the immigrant ship Northfleet), Mr C. Brown. Song—" The Rattling Boys from the County Down," Mr S. Brown. Song—" The Bold Fisherman," Mr F. G. Stedman.

Mr Coutts proposed the health of the chairman in a eulogistic speech, which was heartily received. The Chairman, in reply, said that after the manner his health had been drunk, and the kind way he was spoken of by Mr Coutts, he should like to be able to make a long speech, but he felt nearly frozen. He desired to express his gratification that though at times he had unpleasant duties to perform, still his efforts for the district were not unappreciated, and as long as he remained in the district he would continue to do his best for their interest, and do what he could to assist in getting up entertainments which would contribute to their amusement. (Cheers.) At this stage of the proceedings some one mentioned that therewas a good fire in the large room of the hotel, when a general rush was made for the door, and after the portion of the company who remained had got sufficiently warm, the small hours were approaching before they commenced to tire of making complimentary speeches.