HIGH STANDARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26618, 14 November 1947, Page 6

HIGH STANDARD

CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW AWARDS WELL DISTRIBUTED MANY OTAGO SUCCESSES Special to the Daily Times CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 13. The South Island Championship Show held at the Canterbury A. and P. Association’s ground to-day was in every way highly successful. Entries in almost every section were bigger than they were for the show last year, the standard of the stock was superlative and the weather might have been made to order. The attendance, not usually large on the first day of a show, was a record. The entries in the sheep cattle, horse and miscellaneous classes totalled 3482, against 3190 last year. Entries in stock sections were received from all parts of the South Island, and some North Island stock was shown. In many important sections Otago breeders were well represented, and brought forward some notable Corriedales, Clydesdales, Aberdeen Angus and Jerseys. Clydesdales, which have almost disappeared from Canterbury shows, staged something of a comeback, thanks largely to an excellent contingent sent up by Mr C. T. McCallum, of Waikouaiti, and James S. Anderson, of Waimatuku, Southland. The champion entire was shown by Mr Anderson, the reserve ticket going to the estate of the late James Stevenson, of Flaxton. C. T. McCallum took both female championships with two outstanding mares. The sheep classes were, as usual, the principal feature of the show, and the entries in most of the 11 breeds represented were of an exceptionally high standard. A strong section was that for merinos, in which Robert Jopp and Son, of Chatto Creek, secured notable success. Jopp sheep filled both fine combing ram championships and both medium combing ram championships and took a number of awards in the fine, meduim and strong combing classes. Their sheep were outstandingly good, particularly in the fine combing classes. They seem to have been able to maintain a generous carcass under a heavy fleece of fine wood. Miss L. B. N. Wills, of Snowdon, Canterbury, won both fine combing ewe championships and the reserve medium combing ewe championship. The medium combing ewe championship was taken by Norman Rutherford. of Mendip Hills, who also took both strong combing ewe awards. The Blenheim breeder, Miss M. E. Goulter, won the strong combing ram championship. Exceptional Corriedales There was great interest in the Corriedale exhibition, which was generally regarded as the best ever seen. The sheep were of a notable uniformity, probably the result of the strict culling policy followed by the breed society for a number of years. The Bushey Park Estate, Palmerston, brought up a splendid team, but secured fewer than the usual number of awards against competition which was keener than ever before.- Bushey secured the reserve ram championship with a splendid sheep which was beaten for the major award by an outstanding four-tooth ram from the estate of H. T. Little’s Hui Hui stud. . Southdowns were also a notable breed, and the competition was probably stronger than it has ever been. The awards were unusually well spread, which was an indication of the evenness of the whole entry. P. J. Callaghan, of Palmerston, sent up an excellent Border Leicester ram, which took the reserve championship. The championship went to a ram from R. J. Low. of Highbank, and both ewe championships to Lincoln College, which had a notable record in all the stock sections. Aberdeen Angus Successes Otago breeders were well to the fore in the Aberdeen Angus section, where R. K. Ireland, of Oamaru, secured the reserve female championship. Roberts and Co.’s Gladbrook stud secured a number of awards, and Andrew Carruthers, of Middlemarch, was also in the list of prize-winners. The Otago Jersey breeders, W. F. Moore, of Maheno, and Portis Bros., of Airedale, gained places in that section.