THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1924. SHOW JUDGING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4776, 14 November 1924, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1924. SHOW JUDGING.

9 Agricultural shows, to be successful, must be educational, and absolute confidence must be won by the judges who are the instructors. Ex hivitors in one show may secure awards and be unplaced at another. One judge may make his selection on certain characteristics and another may make his choice by grouping other points of excellence. Most associations, with commendable enterprise, now arrange judging competitions at their ishows for young men ■who have made a study of the best characteristics of a breed of cattle or sheep. Young men, it will readily be conceded, gain much useful knowledge by these competitions, especially where the examiners. arc men of sound judgment and much experience. The importance of a matter is not always to be gauged by the amount of public notice it attracts, and possibly this accounts for the small attendat these judging contests. But good work is done. On various occasions critics have bemoaned the secarcity of competent authorities on stock, and not without reason, but the fault has too often been with show executives, who have failed to provide opportunities for tuition by competent, men or given any proper encouragement to the genuine seekers after knowledge. The Paeroa association has provided an amateur cattle-judg-ing competition, and it was stated by one of the membens of the committee at the last, meeting that it was intended to make this as interesting and as instructive as possible. If proper encouragement is given, the idea can be extended to every breed of cattle and sheep, besides horses and pigs, and so become a really ta-1

portant part of the educative work of the agricultural and pastoral associations. At the Royal- Agricultural Show two of the leading Dominion authorities on Jersey cattle and Romney sheep acted as judges of the judges to be. Taranaki two or three months ago had a farm school at Stratford extending over a week or so, at which very informative addresses and demonstrations were given by experienced authorities on the different bieeds of stock and branches of agriculture. The opportunity of judging stock and to know that an expert will enosider the reisult, should not be missed by young farmers.