ELLESMERE SHOW.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2089, 3 November 1880, Page 3

ELLESMERE SHOW.

The annual exhibition in connection with the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association took place on Tuesday at Leeston. The Leeston folk were favored with beautiful weather, which was all that could be desired for a show day. The Christchurch contingent, including many faces which, in connection with Leeston shows, are familiar as household words, mustered strongly, and there was also a large attendance from the various parts of the district. The arrangement*, so far as the officials were concerned, were, as usual, very good, except that by some mishap no luncheon was procurable nearer than the township, which caused a great waste of time by the judges, &0., having to go bo far as the township for their lunch. Next year we hope this will be altered, alike in the interests of those who attend the show as the judges, &0., particularly the exhibitors, who were unable to leave their machines and other exhibits. The Southbridge brass band was on the ground, and played excellently throughout the day. Referring to the show itself, it may bo said that as a whole it was a success, though here and there were classes in which a falling off was perceptible. This was more particularly the case in respect to cattle, as Mr W. J. G. Bluett, one of the most noted breeders of high class cattle, was absent from the list of exhibitors. Mr Bluett’s entries have always tended to place Leeston show on a very high pedestal in the matter of cattle of a first-class character, both as regards quality and pedigree. We hope that ere long Mr Bluett will be found again in the show yards. The sheep, though fairly good in quality, were not very numerous. Some very nice animals were, however, exhibited. There is just one point before leaving this department of the show to which attention may be with advantage drawn. This is the trial for the first time at shows of this

character of sheep dogs exhibited by a practical exhibition of their working powers. This is a point on whioh we have remarked at successive metropolitan shows, apparently, however, without success, because the prizes have been awarded to sheep dogs by , the judges without any trial being made, and therefore without any possibility of the judges being able to come to a conclusion as to the merits upon whioh the Erize is awarded. We hope now that eeiton has set the good example of holding a trial, the Metropolitan S will not be too proud to accept the lead thus offered by its younger rival. The prize-taker was a dog who had won a similar trial in England some few months since. The pigs and poultry do not call for any comment, except to remark that the latter did not appear to tax the judges to so severe an extent as was at first imagined. As before remarked, it is high time these farces of showing poultry at this time of year was done away with. The implement classes were remarkable for one thing, viz., the almost total absence of the locally manufactured ploughs, which used to form bo great a feature at the Ellesmere show. These were conspicuous by their absence whioh is to be regretted, as the Leeston Show used to be looked upon as the convincing ground where local plough makers could meet. The great features of this year’s show were the barrows, the grain carts and spring carts. These were moat creditable specimens of local manufactures, and there was also some excellently made gates. The show of horses in all departments was firstclass. In reapers and binders, the Osborne at the Timaru Show had a walk over, none of the others entering for the prize. In the class of implements may be noted a very excellent invention in the shape of a gate opening to sixteen feet in the clear, having a smaller gate on the one side. By means of a moveable post in the centre the whole extent of gate may be thrown open. There is a cover to the post-hole which is put on after the gate is open, so that a horse cannot put his foot in the hole. The other implements, as a whole, were of the class usually met with at shows and require no extended comment. The dairy produce class, so far as the butter went, was well filled and there was keen competition. The bacon, what there was, showed up fairly, but there ought to have been more for a district like Leeston.

The sheep pens were scarcely so well filled as usual on the Leeston ground. The Leioesters were especially few in number, which is the more to be wondered at as, in the half-bred classes, the superiority of the Leicester cross was very manifest. In this class Mr Lee showed a very high-class sheep showing every characteristic of the true Leicester. The Lincolns were, taken throughout, very good, but the judges complained that though many of the exhibits were wellwoolled, there was, in many oases, no date of shearing given. The younger sheep in this class were good, but, in many instances, in anything bnt show form, Messrs Hall, Dudley, and Withell all showed some really good sheep. The Romneys were a very fair lot, the ewes especially so, though some of them showed signs of being kempy. Mr Lawrence, aa usual, was especially well to the fore. The Downs were a capital lot, notably two pens of hoggets exhibited by Mr Ball. The fat sheep were not very numerous, bat the pen of ten hoggets unshorn, the property of Mr W. Lawrence, and Mr Bishop’s pen of ten fat lambs were both, the latter especially, remarkable for their excellence. The judges gave it as their opinion that, for the future, it would be more advisable to show only shorn animals in the fat sheep classes. The show of horses was, in many respects, very high class, bnt on future occasions some better arrangement should be made about the numbering of the horses. In some of the draught stock classes the animals had no numbers at all, and the catalogue not being quite the “ correct card ” it was really very bard to pick animals out. Commencing with the blood stook, Papapa took first honors in the open class for stallions, The Chief being second. The brood mares and youngsters were very limited in number. Of the firstnamed old Bribery, with a very nice Albany foal at her foot, took first honors, old Solitaire and and the still more ancient Moss Rose, making up the lot. The carriage horses call for no special comment, being for the most part very moderate. No pairs were exhibited. In the competition for the special prize for the best foal by any entire, we were much struck with two of them by Burlington, and they speak very well for that horse’s capabilities as a sire. There were only two hackney stallions, the first prize taker, Young Performer (imported), being a very useful, compact little horse, and a charming mover. The roadsters shown in saddle were not only numerous but really an excellent lot. There was scarcely a bad one amongst them, and as at Timaru the other day, the improvement in this class was very marked, especially in style of action and fashion. After a long and patient investigation the judges gave Mr Overton’s Velocipede first prize, a very powerful grey, by Ravensworth, second, and a nice-looking Messenger colt of Mr Dudley’s third. The ladies’ haoke, four in number, were very nearly up to the standard of the class just eulogised. Orange Peel, of racing celebrity, seems to be in every respect a perfect ladies’ horse, and the rest were above the average. The brood mares were not of the first order, and the children’s ponies not so good or so numerous as usual, Old Mazeppa and a handsome Lilliputian of Mr Acland’s being perhaps the best. The last named exhibitor, in connection with Mr Lawrence, showed a really good Exmoor stallion, whioh took first honors. The leaping match brought five entries, the winner turning up in the veteran Lunatic.

The feature of the whole show was without doubt the draught stock. The open class for entire horses of all ages brought out a grand though rather a select lot. Mr MoKellar’s two, Prince Royal and Victor, were first and second, and Mr J. Boag’s very useful horse Crown Prince third. In the three-year-old stallion class, as indeed in many others, the competition was very close. The judges fave the prize to Lord Raglan by Old Maj# -. n the two-year-old class Kelvin was decidedly the best, though not possessing the size of some of his competitors. The all-aged geldings were a splendid lot, and, after a very lengthened deliberation, Mr Gilmour’s Glen, a son of Glen Roy, travelled off with the blue card, which Mr Gilmour may well be proud of, the class being so good. The younger stock were all really excellent, and the capital condition in which all the draught horses were brought on to the ground was very creditable to the exhibitors. We mention the fact with the more pleasure as from past experience it would seem that condition is a matter many of our exhibitors are not nearly particular enough about. The difficulties of picking out owners makes it impossible to give the names of many owners in these classes, whose exhibits certainly deserve special mention, but Mr Moffet’s (first prize yearlings, colts or geldings) and the same owner’s yearling filly (second prize in yearling class), both by Young Clyde, were really nearly perfection. The aged mares were few but very good, and there were one or two grand foals. In these classes, as in the ease of the cattle, the absence of any exhibits of Mr Bluett’s deprived the show of some of its usual dimensions.

The cattle, except in the fat classes, were very nice level animals, but the circumstance already alluded to of the absence of Mr Bluett’s exhibits militated considerably against the show being what we have been accustomed to see. Mr Watson’s Spartan was a nice level bull, showing plenty of quality, and deservedly obtained first honors in his class and the prize for best bull on the ground, Mr Lunn secured first prize in the two-year-old bulls with a pretty animal by Alphonso. Ho also took the special prize for bis class. In the heifer class, where Mr Lunn’s Ladybird and Mr Docker’s Wenoniah met, the judges were all astray, as the former should undoubtedly have had the prize. The remainder of the classes need no special comment, except to say that Ellesmere should be able to turn out far better fat cattle than those exhibited yesterday. The pigs certainly require no mention, as both in numbers and quality they were mediocre. It may be noted, however, that porcine nomenclature in Leeston appears to be conducted on peculiar principles, one entry in the pig class rejoicing in the name of Presbyterian, The grain show was a success in so far as the quality and weight of wheat exhibited, but we may remark that it would be better next year io confine the competition to New Zealand. Yesterday the prize-taking wheat was grown in South Australia. All things being equal, Mr Lawrence should have had the prize, as his wheat scaled the highest of the colonial grown grain. Some remarkably good oats were exhibited, and the barley was also very fair. There was a small exhibit of wool, the quality of which was good.