THE CHAMPION PLOUGHING MATCH.

Southland Times, Issue 1288, 2 August 1870, Page 2

THE C HAMPION PLOUGHING MATCH.

- . ...:... „ . L : i Doughty " Knights of the Share," as well as "'Knightß of the: S.vord,' r ufi»* qnently sigh for ■" foemen worthy of their ateel," and, Alexander-like, when they have " conquered the world" of their own district, may occasionally hare wept, that there were no more fields to win. Some such ambitious aspirations as these haro lately been stirring the breasts of our crack tillers of the soil, and culminated in a grand contest at Wallacetown- on Friday last, the 29th ult. A silver cup; valued at £12, together with £8 in cash, formed a prize not to be despised, but it is but fair to say that the honor of victory fired the zeal' of the sturdy competitors more than the gain of filthy lucre. Concurrently with, .the champion match, the district, match took place, __.' but _jfche importance of the former threw the latter completely into bbtjeurity; Owing to tiie day immediately preceding the competition having been wet and stormy, the. " field" was* not nearly so large as it otherwise would have been. Only twelve ploughs turned but altogether, whereas double that number, at least, might have been expected. The certainty,* however, of having to face dreadfully bad , roads, with the probability of having also to encounter equally^ disagreeable ~ weather, deterred all who lived at a distance-?-except a few hot enthusiasts— rfrom entering the lists— discretion being, in their - minds, evidently "the better part of valor," ' With that easy, if not always graceful, facility, however, with which our versatile climate changes from "lively to severe," or vice versa, the gathering frowns of Thursday gave place to bright smiles on Eriday, the day turning out "all that could be desired." The scene of the "honorable strife" was laid in a fine lea field on Branxholme farm, Mr Grieves, some ten or eleven miles from, town,' and despite part of the road being literally a canal of mvd — guaranteed to d>aw three feetr— it formed the centre of attraction for the nonce, and drew out ''a 1 large number of our citizenß. By midday, when the team's had fairly settled down to their work, the paddock presented a truly animated picture. There could not have been less than from 250 to 300 per,-.

sons on the ground, and as nearly the whole had arrived on horseback, but had alighted and " hung up" their " mounts" on the adjacent fence, the line of " saddled steeds" was something to look at. Eight o'clock was the hour fixed for breaking ground, and shortly thereafter nine men had started for the champion prize ; these were, John Campbell, Jacob's River; Andrew Christie, Long Bush; Adam Fleming, Mabel Bush ; James Fleming, Mabel Bush ; J. B. Sutton, Wright's Bush ; Adam Drysdale, Myross Bash ; D. Younser, Groper's Bush ; Adam Oruickshank, Waikivi ; and W. Paget, ploughman to E. Ham i' ton, Esq., Long Bush. The men went at their work with a will, and before many furrows were laid up, it could be seen that '•" Greek had met Greek;" the superiority of the whole of the work was indeed the theme of general remark. Sixteen hours to the acre was the time allowed, and each man's lot had been duly measured, and his time calculated. By some strange fatality, however, no less than six of the ploughs were thrown out of the match by exceeding the time ; it being further remarkable that these six were ploughing in a body on one side of a central headland, while the three who finished in time were in a body on the other side. Several of the men who had thus lost their chance, afterwards lodged protests against one or two of tl.e others, whom they held not to have finished in time, on the ground that, although the ploughs were off before the -hour, the men themselves remained dressing their furrowß with foot and hand. The judges were, James Kennedy, Esq., Inspector of Telegraphs ; James "Wilson, Esq., Deputy-Superintendent; and Mr James Henderson, Long Bush. They did not come on the ground nntil the ploughs were off, and then it took them a long time to come to a decision. After the exercise of a little patience, however the waiting crowd had the pleasure of seeing Mr A. Boss mount a dray, from whence he announced the award as follows : — James TTleming, Mabel Bush, Ist. J. B. Sutton, Wright's Bush, 2nd. Andrew Christie, long Bush, 3rd. Two subsidiary prizes were also awarded, viz., for the best ploughed lot in the field, irrespective of time, a pair of silverihounted backhands, given by Mr Good-willier-W. Paeet. For the best break and finish, a bridle and martingale, given by Mr Gellatly— J. B. Sutton. The names of all the winners were received with cheer 3, but especially those of Fleming and Paget. For the district match, only three entered, viz., E. Grieve, Branxholme; Adam M'lllwrick, Waikivi ; and Donald Noble, ploughman to Mr Grieve, Branx. holme. These men also made first-class work, worthy of ranking with the champions. The Judges were, Messrs John Morton, B. Hamilton, and W. A. Lyon. After careful inspection, their decision was — M'lllwrick, lBt ; Noble, 2nd. It was getting* dusk by the time t*ie result was declarer*, and "the crowd immediately radiated off in all directions. A strong cavalcade took the road for town, bu.t a number of them halted at Wallacetown, to partake of dinner at host Polling's. Fifty gentlemen took 'tHeirlteafs at a well laid and well loaded board. The chair was ably filled by David Macrorie, Esq., W. B. Basstian, Esq., acting as croupier during the repast, and W. A. Lyon afterwards. Men whose appetites have been whetted by a six or seven hours' fast, in a ploughed field, and a smart ride thereafter, require little persuasion to eat when wholesome viands are set before them. In the present instance, those viands were rendered HBtill more attractive by excellent cookery, and the vigor with which the savory dishes were assailed, and the rapidity with which they disappeared, would have killed with envy the victim of dysorexy. Suffice it to say that Mr Pelling had succeeded in placing on the table a first rate dinner, and that the guests succeeded in " Walking it off" in first rate style. The cloth ■ removed, and wine brought in, the usual loyal toasts were neatly disposed of, after which, the chairman gave, in appropriate terms, "The Farming Interest," coupled with the " Successful Competitors." Mr Thos. Fleming replied in a few highly original remarks,. Speaking for the successful competitors, he supposed he ought to be satisfied,, having a son a winner, and a son a loser. He regretted so many had forfeited their chance of tbe championship, by "fum'len" and "pitten aff" their time " eae lang i' th' mornin'," and hoped it would be a lesson to them in future. Mr Lyon proposed " The Unsuccessful Competitor?.'* He was aoay-tMg toast should include so many of those who had ploughed that day, but it was through their own fault. In the district matches had been too much the custom to treat he rules of the field very loosely, concessions in regard to time, &c, being frequently made to strangers. He quite concurred, however, in the course of strict adherence adopted on the present occasion. The time allowed was ample, and expedition was a very commendable quality in a ploughman. The quantity turned over in a given time should not be lost sight of in admiration of mere excellence, as unless a man could do a fair day's work with his pair of horses, in addition to doing it well, it was clear the farmer could not afford to pay the high wages ruling. He trusted ?th© lesson given them would show the necessity of a little more activity, and on a future occasion he hoped to see some of them in a different position. ■" Mr It. Hamilton, in replying, felt himself in a position of some difficulty. 'On -' o behalf of his man, he had to reply for the non-successful, •bo far ' as the championship was concerned, and yet, thanks to the .generosity of some one outside the society, he found his servant in possession of a prize for the best ploughed lot in the field. With regard to benefits either 'preceding or following such high class

contests, lie was more than doubtful. He had been opposed to the match from the time it was first spoken of, for he felt that, however <:ood these and similar exhibi- | tions might be in themselves, there was an eril in their being carried too far, and he ! thought moderation in these, as well as I other things, should be the rule. So far as the owners of competing ploughs were concerned, it was a dead loss. For some weeks before the matches the intending competitor did little work at home, his whole time being taken up with experiments, trials, and alterations, &c, and then for a week or more he was running all over the country with his team attending the different contests. Good ploughing was no doubt a verj good thing, but in this country there was no necessity' for excessive fineness. At home, on clayey soils, the quality of the workmanship was of paramount importance, and due attention could be there given to it, labor being cheap, but here, where the soil was free and warm, wonderful* excellence was not necessary, while, wages being high, the quantity done was of much consequence. Asa rule the crop would grow just as well after ordinary ploughing as after that which was extraordinary. Regarding the cause of so many being disqualified, excess of time, he had no fault to find, provided the measurement of the lots had been as exact aa the time. Mr Vallance proposed " The Judges," saying that although their task had been a difficult one, owing to the closeness of the contest, he believed their judgment had met with popular approval. He would couple the toast with the name of Mr Kennedy, a gentleman who, although personally a stranger here, had, as a farmer, a reputation of almost world- 1 wide celebrity. Mr Kennedy, in replying, said he was indeed a stranger, scarcely knowing a soul on the field, which was in itself a guarantee for absolute impartiality as far aa he was concerned. He would say, however, both for himself and his associates, that, whether they had pleased the public or not, they neither knew nor .cared much. They bad pleased themselves ; that was their duty, and adverse criticisms would not at all disturb them. He was much pleased with the turn-out, both with regard to the competitors, and the interest manifested by the large attendance of visitors. Of the workmanship itself he must say that, during his experience, which was both protracted and extensive, in Scotland, England, Otago, and elsewhere, he had never seen better ploughing. It was all good, and could not be too highly spoken of. He had been judging for many years, but on no previous occasion had he seen nice discrimination more necessary. "The Secretary " was the next toast. Mrßossbefittingly replied, disclaiming any greater share of credit for the succe.-a of the proceedings than the other members of committee, and expressing his willingness at all times to make himself useful to his fellow-settlers. "The Press," "Kindred Societies," " The Judges of the Local Match," " The Chairman," "The Croupier," "The Host," and some other toasts followed in quick succession. Mr W. A. Lyon asked liberty to introduce one of a rather personal nature, but one which he believed they would receive with pleasure. He begged to propose "The health of Mr D. Gray," whose double-furrow ploughs promised to revolutionise the system of tillage. He (Mr L.) had one of these implements at work himself, and he found that, with two horses only, a man could do his two acres a-day, drawing a 6-inch furrow. He found the draught riot to exceed 4> cwt., and that a pair of horses with that plough could keep pace with a pair drawing the ordinary plough, and do more than doable the work, which was a matter of vital importance to the farmer. Mr Gray replied briefly. The liberality of Messrs Goodwillie and Gellatly was also duly acknowledged. During the evening the proceedings had been varied by a few songs, and at about 10 o'clock the party broke up, with regrets that time and long dirty roads would not permit of pleasure being further protracted.

A private match between J. B. Sutton and Wm. Paget, for £10 a side, came off the following day. The judges, three of the ploughmen of 3?riday, awarded the stakes to Mr Sutton.

Eapid Telegkapht. — A new telegraph line is now being constructed between New York and Washington, forming a small section of wiTes that are intended to gamify in. all directions through the country, by which cheaper ana more rapid telegraphy is expected to be realised. The instruments used are the recently patented telegraph, improvements of George Little, of New Jersey. The messages to be sent are prepared by punching slots and circles through a strip of paper, which on being drawn through the telegraph instrument transmits corresponding electric signals. These are received and made visible upon Btrips of chemically-prepared paper. Copies of messages may be dropped at all stations upon the line without interfering with the working of the instruments. The machines for preparing the message are quite simple, and are operated by girls. Mr H. D. Craig, one of the most experienced telegraph men in the country, states that as much business can be done with the Little instruments, using only one wire, and thirty-two girls to prepare and copy the messages, at a total expense of 48 dol. per diem, as can be accomplished by means of fifteen wires and firat-clasa Morse operators at an expense of 120 dols. per diem. There is also a difference of fifteen to one in favor of the new system in the prime cost and maintenance of wires. Next to cheap postage and quick mails, the people want cheap telegraphy ; and we therefore welcome anything that promises to bring it about. — Scientific American.