A. and P. Shows

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 910, 1 March 1930, Page 29

A. and P. Shows

T heir V alue to the Community THE annual summer fixture of the Auckland -Metropolitan Agricultural and Pastoral Association held this "wec’k practically closes the 1929-30 show season; the Cambridge show next month is about the only fixture of importance 1 6 be held over the closing weeks of the season. Considering the large number of agricultural and pastoral shows held in various parts of the province, many of them little more than glorified sports meetings, one is perhaps justified in asking sometimes whether there are not too many; whether so many fixtures do any real good in the eommunitj'.

There is no doubt tliat the Auckland province is well catered for l>y A. and p. associations. Every little district seems to have one, while no farming district of any importance considers anything less than a two-day fixture. The quality of the stock exhibited varies, according to the district, and the venue of the better known breeders, but there is no doubt that a general all-round improvement has been shown over the past few years; Auckland Province now has three iixtures at which the quality of the dairy stock entered compares very favourably with that at any other show in the Dominion. The quality at the smaller fixtures depends on whether there are any well-known breeders in the district who can be depended on to send entries forward wdth a view to helping the show along: in this respect it must be remembered that Auckland Province has made considerable progress in recent years along the lines of pedigree breeding and. although the best show stock still lies in the hands of a comparatively few farmers, there are many farmers in all parts who can now count a few high quality stock among their herd. The real value of a show to the community Is largely educational: it is the assembly ground for quality stock where farmers, particularly the younger generation, can get together and gain some idea of what the various breeds mean, and how they compare: they can see the lines along which the more successful farmers are working, and go home better fitted to the task of building up better herds and flocks. In this respect the Auckland metropolitan fixture was outstanding in as much as, although in the number of en-

tries it could not compare even with Franklin and Hamilton, most of the stock came from breeders who, for the sake of future sales, could not afford to exhibit anything but the very best. While there are many who argue and put up rather a strong case against the holding of so many shows, it seems that, generally speaking, they answer a very useful purpose in the community. While the smaller shows may not attract much in the nature of high quality stock entries, they serve as a common meeting place for the farmers of the district; the bigger shows on the other hand are certainly making every endeavour to see that quality bred stock is constantly before the public, and in the fact that they are a constant urge toward better breeding they are worth while. *