WESTERN DISTRICT PLOUGHING MATCH.

Southland Times, Issue 1609, 23 July 1872, Page 3

WESTERN DISTRICT PLOUGHING MATCH.

(FEOit A COEEESPONDENT.) The annual ploughing match of the "Western District Farmers' Club and Agricultural Association was held on Friday, in a paddock belonging to Mr Humphrey Howells, at Flint's Bush. The day, although foggy in the morning, was fine, and the number of visitors was large, and would have been much larger but for the flood in Jacob's Kiver, which also prevented Beveral intending competitors from putting in an appearance. The soil was tender, and very uneven in surface. It bad been ploughed and ploughed again, the old furrows being cut at angles of something like 45 and 135 degrees, and it did not appear to have been sufficiently harrowed on either occasion to till up the old furrows. The surface was consequently cut into diamond shaped pieces, and to make matters worse had been rooted up by pigs when newly sown. Consequently, it may be imagined, the furrows did not " read" well, to use a technical term. As a whole, however, considering the state of the ground, the work was performed in excellent style. All the swing ploughs were set with agood deal of " high cut," a style of which the great majority of the farmers disapprove. It may be remarked that this " high cut" is only used, to anything like the same extent, on ploughing match occasions, and if it be persisted in, it is likely to prove in future a very great obstacle to getting good land to hold a ploughing match on. All the double-furrow ploughs did their work well. The generally expressed opinion was that theirs was the ploughing for the crop, and that they were the farmer's friend. The work turned out by some of them would even take the eye better than that done by the swing ploughs. The double-furrow ploughs effect a great saving of time. They did double the work, in about one third less time. The farmers in this district seem not only to be aware of the saving effect- j ed by them, but to act upon it, as there are already about thirty of them in the Jacob's Kiver district alone, and from all one hears there will soon be a great many more. The way in which, they were handled on the field at the match convinced those not previously acquainted with them that they are not the clumsy, unwieldy instruments they had been represented to be, fit only to be worked in large level paddocks, and showed that i they may be used comfortably in any ground suitable for the swing plough. Of the swing ploughs in the field the work of both classes was excellent, and when finished presented a most agreeable conI trast to the previous appearance of the ground. The following is a list of the ploughs on the ground : — FTEST CLASS. — SINGLE FUintOW3. OWiSBES. PLOUGHMEN. Mr John Wooler ... Thomas Leitch Mr Lachlan Fraser ... Owner Mr John Camp'oell ... Do. Mr Adam Drysdale ... Do. Mr James Gumming ... Do. SECOND CLASS.— SINGLE PTJEBOWS. OWNEBS. PLOUGHMEN. Mr "William Fraser ... William Fraser, jun. Mr John Lindsay ... Jamea Lindsay Messrs Graham ... Israel Turnbull Mr James Hay ... ... John Hall Mr Andrew Hall ... Andrew Hall, jun. Mr John Murdoch ... Owner

f DOUBLE FURROWS. * The following is a tabulated statement I of particulars of the double-furrow i ploughs which competed. The draught i was ascertained by a dynamometer made 3 by James and Frederick Howard, of j Bedford, the property of Mr Brown, blacksmith, Invercargill : —

All the double ploughs were fitted with circular coulters except the two made by Murray of Banff, and the one by Gray of Uddingston, owned by Mr W. A. Lyon. The following is the prize list : — Single furrows, first class: — Ist prize, John Campbell, £5 ; 2nd do, Adam Drysdale, £3 10s ,- for the best break, J. Campbell, 10s ; for the best finish, Adam Drysdale, 10s. Second class : — lst prize, James Lindsay, £4 ; 2nd do, Wtn. Fraser, £3 ; 3rd do, Israel Turnbull, £2 ; best break, J. Lindsay, 10s ; best finish, Wm, Fraser, 10s ; first off the ground with a prize, Israel Turnbull, 10s. Double furrows : — lst prize, John Brown, £5 ; 2nd do, James Turnbull, £4 ; 3rd do, Wm. Cumming, £3 ; 4th do, James Deacon, £2 ; for best break, James Turnbull, 10s ; for best finish, James Deacon, 10s ; for first off the ground with a prize, James Cumming, a pair of high-topped Scotch hames, value 20s, by Mr Henderson, saddler, Eivertom. This plough was drawn by three harness bullocks. For the best pair of horses, Robert Hazlitt, £1; for the best pair of New Zealand bred mares, L. Fraser, a pair of kangaroo leather leggings, value 255, by Mr D. Murchie ; for the best groomed horses and best kept harness together, D. Manson, £1. The judges for ploughing were Messrs John Morton, John Sutton, and M'llwrick ; for horses, Messrs David Younger, John M'lntyre, and W. Calder. In the evening a number of those present during the day, both as competitors and spectators, sat down to an excellent dinner, prepared by Mr Clode. The chair and vice-chair were admirably filled by Mr James Mackintosh of Strathmore, "and Mr John M'lntyre of Kothiemurchus. Toasts, songs, and speeches contributed to pass away a most agreeable evening.

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