The Taihape Daily Times FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1915. THE WINTER SHOW.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 261, 23 July 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times

FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1915. THE WINTER SHOW.

AND WAIMAEIHO ADVOCATE.

(With which is incorporated The Tai hape Post Mas Waimarlnw News.)

From an exhibition point of view, the Winter Show of the Rangitikei Agri- 1 cultural and. Pastoral Society was a distinct success; for in no district in New Zealand, or, in fact, anywhere else, is it possible to get a huge number of exhibits together of a more uuiform and average quality. Unfortunately, however, the two show days were th e wettest' experienced for about eighteen months, the 24 hours ■ from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m. giving the heaviest rain record since February, 1914. This must have so detrimentally affected the attendance as to render the financial* aspect disappointing if not dis couraging. The number and quality of the exhibits, under more favourable weather conditions should have been an ample guarantee of what the attenanc e would have been, and it might be wise to make ah effort to have next year’s Show just a little earlier so as to miss the end of July, which, from statistics, seems te be noted for its heavy rainfall. With the Show itself, I its organisation, arrangdraeiit, and appointments; 'the 1 'Committee excelled themselves; and;* With respect to exhibits in - every -class, particularly in farm',, poultry' classes, they were a revelation of what this district is capable ;of Curing the past , sninmer, ;■ noted throughout the Dominion for its* Jengthy, drought*. surprise was. to tim© exp r es s- . ed at the number .and quality of fat * sheep : and cattle sent away from the

district in prime condition to the freezing works, but it is at these winter shows that the real secret is inane obvious. Land that wilJ produce plants of the brassica family to the perfection, size, and uality, explified at Wednesday and Thursday’s show is going to enable animals to come through the winter with a constitution and condition that must giv e best results, both for lamb bearing and fattening. Such a fin e display of turnips, swedes, and others of the brassica genera, to say nothing of carrots, beet. Mangold Wurtzels among other valuable roots, produced mind pictures of paddocks of contented, happy, browsing animals growing rapidly into money for their lucky owners. As the potentialities of the land ar e more thoroughly understood, with the impetus and encouragement that the freezing works will give for th 6 production cf fat stock, the average output per acre will certainly be eevn higher than it has been in th e past. No one need feel surprised that Taihape is fast becoming a popular stock sale centre when it is realised that a splendid pasturage is reinforced with turnips, rape and other such feed of high quality, and in abundant quantity. The suitability of the land for the production of such forage goes a long way towards explaining why people come hundreds of miles to buy at Taihape stock sales. Settlers have almost uniformally fallen upon the most robust, hardy breeds of sheep to commence with, and then a sound, healthy constitution is maintained by the assistance of a root-feeding which is as readily attainable as th e grass itself. Farmers in other parts have found that our 'sheep are better doers than those purchased in most other centres, and so it Is that Taihap e can boast of having got the highest record price for the Dominion for its sheep — not for an odd animal of note or particular breeding, but for a whole line of wethers. Everyone in the district will regret that the winter show committee’s efforts were not better treated by Dame Nature from a weather point of view, but if for nothing else, agriculturalists and pastoralists may feel happy' in the fact that all land j is now undergoing a thorough wash-1 down, particularly needed wherever | overstocking has been unavoidable. The district is to bo congratulated on the winter exhibition of such high quality j that soil, "climate and intelligent cul tivation has enabled it to give,