The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1920. YESTERDAY'S SHOW.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3420, 26 February 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1920. YESTERDAY'S SHOW.

With which is incorpL‘,.‘,te' “The Taihape Post. 35} Waimznino " News."

The Rangitikei, Agricultural and Pastoral A-ssocir "-on’s Ninth Annual Show has earned heartiest congratulation from exhibitors and visitors on the success achieved and. on the substantial progress made. The Association is a valuable asset to the town and district, and year by year its influence is widening. It is catering for a more extended district, and its invitations to exhibit and compete are accepted over an annually ncreasring territory. The entertaining side of this annual’ event‘concerns us but little. although that must ‘be encouraged, as unless people of every description from the land are brought together there is not the improvement and increase of knowledge of stock necessary for securing the utmost in‘crease of production that is so urgentply needed at this time. Perhaps, it ‘will be remembered that it was owing to a state and period of depression in 1 agriculture and grazing in Britain that ‘gave the first agricultural and pasltoral exhibition birth. That first show Iwas so successful and so completely ‘filled the purpose for which it was inaugurated that it became an ann-u----ally recurring event, increasing in number a.nd usefulness, until it reached Taihape some nine years ago. Who can calculate the agricultural and [pastoral progress this district has lmade during that nine years? Men accustomed -to level land, having deep .alluvial soils, classed the Taihape district country as not being worth h"alf-éa-crown a mile, "but today, let the original price paid’ for Taihape land be what it may, there are many successful farmers who would not sell their holdings at forty pounds an lacre What the Agricultural and Pas» !toral Annual Show has contributed ldirectly or indirectly to such wonderful Drogress in nine years it is difficult to estimate, but let _any thoughtful farmer well consider without prejudice either way, and he will be compelled to honestly admit that this great annual advertisement has done ‘more to popularise his stock and draw lattention of people with farming intent illdllcillg them to ta.ke up land, at the then very low price, that was Capable Of producing and feeding such I S’COCk- "A few years ago there was no demand for Taihape slfeep, to-day local bred rams have in fair numbers ‘brought their raisers fifty guineas per > animal in distant localities, and it is 'Well—known that the income of this district from the sale of lfiofh rams and ewes -purchased by farmers in other parts of the Island for imparting constitution and quality into their flocks, is very considerable indeed. The fame of Taihape sheep is spreading and the demand for them is annually expanding; they are now pur. chased from farther and farther afield, and who will deny that the an. nual Agricultural Show did not set the ball of progress rolling? It may be 11118-21 oth ~ . even if that were true i:ld:::“r7lSdtadl:tract one jot from the value of the Taihape Show. for it was at this show successful men to-day commenced to show, and were emboldened by such success, locally achieved, -to en. ter into competition in other districts, and have not .breeders liereabout the advantage of seeing and competing against stock from other districts on

the Show ground at Taihape? Further, have not leading breeders from other important stock-raising districts €XDl‘essed'the opinion -that Tai-ha-De is destined to become one of the greatest stock centres of the whole Dominit°‘l‘-3 Does it not occur to us that those expressed views came as a result of attending and competing at Taihape shows from year -to year since their inauguration? They have $39“ the quality and number of stock Improve and increase from show "to, Show; and meanwhile, a demand for Taihape land has increased in an equal ratio. The Agricultural and Pastoral Show has demonstrated that the old-time seven or eight pound an acre land is excellent value at thirty @lls fOTtY pounds an acre, and it has not yet received recognition of its true Value. In only a comparatively few years -the wool cheque of the Taihape district has passed on from hundreds, through thousands, until it has just about reached the million mark, and this wool cheque cannot now be prevented from continuing to increase. Fat sheep and cattle exhibited yesterday were indeed a fine advertisement for Taihape land; however big the show in any other centre, could anything better in stock in prime, condition for market he wished for? But most sane, even-minded farmers need no pointing to the advantages to any country of its agricultural shows, for it is only necessary to refer to that country where such shows are not held to note that progress, by leaps: and bounds is only visible where the great annual advertisement of what that country produces is enthusiastically exploited to its utmost limit. Then, what is going to operate most towards making Taihape a leading stock centre of the Dominion in the shortest space of time? It is most assuredly, the doubling and quadrupling of exhibits of stock of all 'kinds by farmers at the annual show. Extend the classes ‘m the show schedule wherever it can be done to encourage healthy, useful competition; the laggard in improvement and progress lowers the average quality of the whole district. Get him exhibiting, for nothing leads to enthusiasm more than the first few successes, and soon the man who has no interest in showing will become so confident with his new experience and knowledge that no purebred class will be too high for him to reach down from it the prizes in ‘the show pen. There are indeed few districts that -have made such phenomenal progress in only a few years, and the show schedule and catalogue are recording that progress» in the annually increasing number of pages it contains, but there is the goal yet to be reached. Taihape is destined to rapidly become one of the leading stock centres; famous breeders from other districts have seriously said so, have we less belief in our own resources and possiibilities -than visitors, who judge only by the annual improvement in the quality of stock exhibited at our shows? We shall indeed ‘be surprised if small centres» in this great district do not aspire to having their own annual show, and let it be so Encouragement of small shows around Taihape will bring nearer the day when this district will be one of the foremost agricultural and pastoral centres of the Dominion. It cannot be denied ‘dhat.Taihape is so situated, that it has the area, the quality of land, and 3- Yeomanry of which we feel proud, men who a.re far-seeing and enterprising, and the organiser will yet arise that will produce a show that will overshadow all exhibitions of the past, though excellent several of them have .undenia.bly been