TARANAKI PLOUGHING. MATCH.

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 340, 20 July 1878, Page 4

TARANAKI PLOUGHING. MATCH.

From trie Taranaki Herald we learn that the anmial ploughing mulch, under the, 'auspices of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, took place; near, Oraata; Tillage on the 10th instant. Our contemporary »says; — . , ' • “ This is the eight year a ploughing match has been, held, and those who remember the rough, unsatisfactory work; cldne at the early matches, must, own that great good has been accomplished by means of these annual trials of skill. All things considered, the Committee of the Agricultural Society have -good reason to congratulate themselves upon the success of the match, especially in getting the youth of the district to come forward in the numbers they did. Hitherto the boys’ class has been unrepresented, but on Wednesday there were five on the ground, and the work they did was. very creditable indeed. The entries for the whole three classes were fourteen in number, but only thirteen appeared on the scene ; one of the boys (F. Austin) not putting m an appearance. The following are the number of entries m each—Class A, live; class B, three ; class G (boys under 18 years of age), five. There 1 were four bullock tea ms and ten teams of horses on the ground, and the whole of them appeared to be well broken in to their work, and their condition evinced great care and taste on the part of their respective owners. MrT. E. Haraerton, on the ground offered a prize of £5 tor the best pair of plough horses in the field. Mr ; Hamerton’s reason for not offering the prize before the match was that persons might not introduce horses with the view of taking his prize, and sacrificing the ploughing. Mr J. C. Honeyfield was the owner of the team that took the prize, and a prettier pair of horses are seldom to be seen. The prizes awarded this year were of greater value than on any previous occasion. Messrs Webster and Hulke gave a plough to the winner of the first prize in the first class; Mr H. J. Honeyfield gave a set of chain harrows to the taker of the first prize in the second class; and Mr Mnhro, saddler, gave a set of Victoria silver stirrup-irons to the winner of the first prize in the third (or hoys’) class. An additional prize of £1 was given by Mr T E. Hamerton to the Boys’ class. Mr Harris Ford gave a pair of plough back-bands for the best show of harness that had been worn, not

new. This prize was awarded to Mr A. # J. Hoskin’s team. . . . The conditions of the match were that each competitor should plough, within five hours, half an acre of land, the depth of each furrow to be not less than five inches. No leather edge was allowed, and a seed furrow was ‘ to be ploughed, or the work to be considered incomplete. After the judges had come to their decision, they handed their paper into the Committee ; - and, as there was no dinner this year, the names of the winners were read aloud in the field, as follows : Class A,—lst. prize, a plough —F. Vickery; 2nd prize, £2 — W. Allenby. Class B.—lst prize, set of chain harrows —M. Cash ; second prize, - £2 — W. Hooke. Glass o.—lst prize £3 and-pair of Victorian silver stirrup irons B. Fetch ; 2nd prize, £2 — J. R. West; 3rd prize, £1 —W. Anstead.