The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1917. THE RANGITIKEI ANNUAL SHOW.

Taihape Daily Times, 10 December 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1917. THE RANGITIKEI ANNUAL SHOW.

("With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waiman'no News).

o ■—■— It is quite reasonable to assume that an immense district into which there flows, every year, huge sums of money in payment for the primary products it sends to market, should .have an annual exhibition- of its wares comparing in comprehensiveness and magnitude with the money its "men on the land earn. Indeed, it would indicate that something was radically wrong, and that there were retrograde developments that must sooner or later show themselves in lowered value of everything farmers in this territory marketed, if that annual event did not become more representative year by year as the value of productiveness increases. One has only to listen to old, highly successful stockbreeders to learn just what the annual Agricultural and Pastoral - Show means to a district; men who have had a keen business instinct to apply to their work as well as knowledge of how to produce ; the men wlibse names figure in the prize lists of all the Shows for two hundred, or more, miles around them; the men who, despite their earnings being much or little, have persisted in putting their best into the show pens, and thereby getting their names as enthusiastic stockbreeders into every newspaper of much importance throughout the country. Such are the men to-day whose names appear in stock books, and at the head of advertisements in stock journals as the leaders of stockbreeding in this country, as well as in all others. For thousands of years it has been a well-observed practice for farmers to annually display their produce. In remote times even, in some countries, these dispays had developed into great carnivals in which the whole community participated, and during which the gods were praised for the abundance with liberal offerings. It was the observance of that fruitful old saying by the men on the land in those days, "Hide not your light under a bushel." Of course, it was addressed to farmers, or why and how did the word bushel get into the saying? Farmers were urged in ancient times, just as they are today, not to keep the knowledge of what they produce in their own barns and to themselves; not to hide it under their own bushels, but to let the community and the world know, as far as possible what progress tfiey are making, what the increased value of their wares are, so that they may get better prices, their district become of greater commercial importance, and their lands increase in value. In the evolution of nations and civilisations bloody wars have wrought their havoc, they have interfered by cutting huge gaps in production as well as in the general progress of peoples, and some of them have caused checks of so serious a nature that it has taken centuries to recover from. During the last hundred years the process of recovery has again brought into the forefront the Agricultural and Pastoral annual exhibition. From the King to the poorest farmer, the one desire pervading producers in Britain is to take first prize at the Royal Agricultural Show. There is honour and glory in taking such prizes, but the greater number of farmers may spurn the honour and glory of it; their busi-

ness .instinct and proclivities will, however, not permit them to disregard the pounds, shillings and pence aspect of prize-winning. They know that to secure the chief honour adding anyt&ing from one, pound'to fifty pounds, or even more, per head to their stud sheep or cattle. Every prize won for sheep in this district puts an additional value on that animal «and its progeny, and this value is again reflected 'in the higher value of the land on which they were bred and grazed. The one outstanding fact is, that if farmers want the very highest prices they must do everything in their power to earn and obtain them, and, we submit, there is nothing that will proclaim the value of stock and land in this district, and as a corollary keep up the income of our producers, more than freely exhibiting at annual shows and thereby making free use of newspapers in broadcasting the news of what this territory has for sale. It is a stupid blunder to hide this district's stock light under the proverbial bushel; our farmers have the goods, and all that is needed now is the publicity that the annual Agricultural and Pastoral Show furnishes, to increase the demand and harden the prices. What we -have stated is not Utopian, it is simpy the practice and experience of men who were successful master farmers in Britain before taking up land in New Zealand. Some local breeders are pushing their way to the forefront at exhibitions, but there are not enough of them to gain an enviabTe notoriety for their district. It may be well to bear in mind that the Eangitikei Agricultural and Pastoral Show is to take place at the end of next February-