ASHBURTON PLOUGHING MATCH.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 62, 12 August 1874, Page 3

ASHBURTON PLOUGHING MATCH.

Committee—Messrs D. M'Laren, (chairman), R. Miller, S. Poyntz, F. Black, H. Hunt, senr, H. Hunt, junr, and R: M. Mayo. Hon. sec. and treasurer —J. Ward. Judges of Ploughing and special prizes— Messrs T. Atkinson, R. Stitt, and J. Good. Judges of horses and harness —Messrs R. T.' Winter, R. Stitt, and I). Cameron. An early start for this, the third annual ploughing match held in the ABhburton district, landed the passengers at,the Rakaia, and while the engine—(which, through the courtesy of Mr E. G. Wright, contractor for the line between the Rakaia and the Ashburton, is to draw the carriage containing the twenty passengers collected at the station to the contesting ground)—is shunting the lately arrived timber laden trucks into position, an opportunity is offered of inspecting the South Rakaia Hotel, erected some short time since by Mr George Robinson. On the ground floor are six sitting rooms, one large dining-room 40 x 17, bar, two kitchens, scullery, outhouses, while on the upper floor are twenty nice-sized bedrooms, all the rooms being most comfortably furnished, in the modem style. It is Mr Robinson's intention to plant a shrubbery in front of the house, when it will, without exception, be as complete in its arrangements for comfort as any its distance from the city.

The warning whistle to take your seat, and the next landing reached is Ashburton; and here one sees on arrival a well-built platform, ticket office, ladies' waiting-room, and between these two a comfortably-coveret space for those who may have to wait for the train. A few hundred yards' walk and Oram's magnificent hotel is reached, from which Hags are flying in honor of the occasion, and looking around, the visitor who remembers Ashburton but a little while ago is surprised to see three hotels and about twenty shops, representing the more generally useful trades, inclusive of a few stores ; about a mile and a half of footpaths made and kerbed, and on enquiry he learns that, in addition to the roads being made by contractors, the road Board in its present plethora of funds is employing on its own account twenty men to form footpaths, culverts, and build bridges throughout the district; and is expending on these improvements at the rate of £I2OO per month. Gratified beyond measure at these signs of progress, the next inquiry naturally suggests itself—"whereabouts is the ploughing match being held ;" and an expression of surprise follows when he learns that it is in Mr J. Jameson's paddock, about two miles and a half from his then position, and that his only mode of conveyance to the place is shank's pony, with the certainty before him of having to be back at the station by a fixed and not far distant time, to participate to the full in Mr Wright's kindness, or accept the only alternative. Nothing for it but to go for the paddock, and that reached a larger concourse of persons is seen than at any of the district matches held this year—and twenty-two ploughs are found at work as against twenty-seven at last year's match. The money value of the prizes given by the committee this year amounts to £OO, and though the district is to be congratulated on the very slight falling off in the number of entries by comparison with other districts, the question in view of the late match at South Rakaia must suggest itself whether, if these districts had been amalgamated, a more successful match in every sense would not have resulted. That such would have been the case was the opinion of many present who are held competent to judge,

The paddock in which the match was held had been laid down in grass, and with the exception of a small trully in the last plot at the boys' end was level. The land was light loamy soil, very friable, and placed the men at a very great disadvantage, as it was next to impossible to get anything approaching a " comb "on their work. The ploughing as a whole was characterised by being above the average in depth, general absence of false cut, and the same of packing, though the very brittle nature of the soil will in a measure account for this. There were some excellent teams on the ground, notably those of Messrs Latham, Grigg, Lemon, and McLood, which would be a credit to any district. Mr Klingonstein of Turton's new hotel, Ashburton, had a booth for the sale of liquors, &c, on the ground, and Mr Marsh a luncheon stall, both fairly patronised throughout the day, but this did not prevent Mounted Sergeant Greenwood and Constable Lamb enjoying the ploughing match from beginning to end. The following are the entries with an account of the work done. DOUBLE FURROW CLASS. Maker of Ploughman. Owner. Plough. J. Lemon J. Lemon Blyth J. Moorhead Dawson Blyth J. Sturgeon J. Sturgeon Blyth A. McLeod A. McLeod Keetley J. Noell, for Messrs Hassell and Co, entered, but did not start. Lemon made a fair line, but his feering was rather crowded and high ; his work was well set up but loosely packed. The light nature of the land caused the furrows to crumble and appear ragged ; he made a deep and broken finish. Moorhead made a good line and very fair feering, but rather open. His work had a good angle, but had rather too much false cut on it, and was loosely packed. He made a fair finish considering the brittle nature of his piece of ground. Sturgeon made a fair line and very fair feerino', though somewhat crowded in places. His furrows were very much broken through the mould being set rather too much for packing. His work was consequently solid, and his finish was fair though a little crooked. M'Leod made a capital line and good feering. His work was well set up, even throughout, and fairly packed considering the loose soil : he made a straight but somewhat ragged finish. FIRST CLASS SINGLE. MnVer of Ploughman. Owner. Plough. J. Lockhead J. Jarcieson Hornsby S. Chapman H. Chapman Blyth 0; Hill C. Hill Johnston M. Routley H assail & Co Duncan M. Falconer J. Rudd Blyth T. Black J. Gregg Duncan Beckett D. M Laren Hornsby J. Garland Blake Blyth J. Skilling A. Latham Blyth Lockhead made a fair line, but his feering was crowded. His work was well set up and even, but showed a trifle too much false cut, but was however well packed ; he made a very fair finish, leaving a good seed shelf. Chapman's line was not good, and his feering was high and cramped. His work showed a good angle, and was well packed, leaving a good seed furrow; his finish was straight but rough. Hill made a fair line, but his ridge was rather high. His work showed a good angle, was honest, and well packed, leaving an excellent seed furrow; he made a rather light but good finish. Routley made a crooked line, and high and crowded feering. His work showed a very good angle, and was fairly packed ; his finish was crooked and heavy. Falconer's line was not very good, and his feering was cramped. His work showed a very good angle, but was loosely packed in places. He made a rather light but good finish. Black made a fair line, and his feering though high in places, was well judged ; his work was well set up and very fairly packed : he made a rough and crooked finish* Beckett's line was not good, but his feering was well judged ; his work was fairly even throughout, but was " too well" set up, which caused it to be loosely packed—the result of a little too much false cut. He made a very fair finish. Carland had a good line, but his feering was rather open in places. His work was well set up and honest, but somewhat loosely packed ; he made a rough, deep, and crooked finish. Skilling made a good line, but his feering was too open ; his work though rough looking, showed a good angle, and was well packed. He made a rough, and not very straight finish. SECOND CLASS, SINGLE. Maker of Ploughman. Owner. Plough. J. Cochrane J. Cochrane Kcetly R. Lockhead W. Gilmore Blyth S. Miller R. T. Winter Blyth G. Hilton J. Grigg Hornsby C. Chamberlain B. Ede Barrowman J. Corbett E. Corbett Hornsby Cochrane's line was rather wavy, l»ut his feering, though a trifle high, was very good ; his work had a good angle, and was fairly packed; he made a fair finish. Lockhead made a good line, and well-judged feering ; his work was square cut, even, well set up, and well-packed ; his finish, however, was crooked and heavy. Miller made a capital line and feering ; his work wns even throughout, well set up, well packed, and good honest work ; he made a straight but rather rough finish. Hilton made a shaky line and open feering ; he improved, however, as he went on, setting up his work fairly, but packing loosely in places. He made a very fair finish. Chamberlain made a very poor line, and high and crooked ridge; his work was uneven and rough throughout, and very open. He made a very excellent finish. Corbett made a bad line, and high and cramped feering. His work showed a good angle, but was loosely packed ; he made a rough and crooked finish. BOYS' CLASS. Maker of Ploughboy. Owner. Plough. E. Corbett E. Corbett, senr. Hornsby Reese JonesJ E. Jones Blyth Corbett made a moderate line and fair feering for a boy. His work was clean cut, well set up, and solid ; his finish, though rough, was fair. Jones had a moderately good line, and fair, though a little cramped, feering. He made honest work, his furrows having a good angle, and being fairly packed. His finish, though deep, was very good for a boy. The following is the prize list : DOUBLE FURROWS. Ist prize silver cup, value £.j with £3 added ; 2nd do, £G ; 3rd do, £3. F[RST CLASS SINGLE FURROW. Ist prize silver medal, value £ls, with £3 10s added ; 2nd do, £4 10s ; 3rd do, £3 ; 4th do, £2 ; slh do, £1 10s. SECOND CLASS SINGLE. Ist prize, £5 ; 2nd do, £3 ; 3rd do, £2.

BOYS' CLASS. Ist prize, £5 ; 2nd do, £3. EXTRA PRTZES—DOUBLE FURROW CLASS. Host feen'ng, prize £1 ; best finish, prize -C1 : best inn and outs, prize £l. (Open only to first and second single furrow class.) Bestfeering, prize £1 ; best finish, prize £l. ROYS' CLASS. Best feering, prize £l. Youngest plough boy in the field, prize £l, given by J. 8. Bruce, Esq. Rest seed furrow (open to all classes), prize £l. Straightest ploughing (open to the field), prize set of swingle trees, Best pair of farm horses (breed no consideration], prize £l, given by S. Poyulz, Rsq. Best kept harness, prize, pair blinkers given by Mr W. Anderson, saddler. [When our reporter left Ashburton yesterday afternoon the judges had not made their awards. Arrangements were made to have the result telegraphed, but up to four o'clock this afternoon no telegram had been received.]