Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1898. TO-DAYS SHOW.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2078, 12 February 1898, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1898. TO-DAYS SHOW.

To-day the Fifth Agricultural and Horticultural Show will be opened at the Public Hall, Te Aroha, by Mr W. H. Herries, at two o’clock. As we have had, in our printing department, extensive dealings.with the executive committee of the Show we are in a position to form something like an accurate idea of the enormous amount of work got through in. connection with’ this great event in the qui§| ann|^p|f. opr country side. One. "glance at ’the elaborately sub-divided I schedule of prizes proclaims the hercu- ! lean nature of the task performed by the committee and its indefatigable secretary. With true . journalistic modesty we say nothing of ourselves. Our time has yet to come, when we go round the Public Hall, notorbook in hand and a fatuous smile on our face, striving correctly to record the entries in something like over 200 classes. It is no lights contract to have to register thenamesjof the successful competitors in each class, for the most trifling errors or emissions in our report are pounced upon by argus-eyed exhibitors with a sharpness and certainty calculated to appal the most hardened scribe. Some heavy-footed agriculturalist with an inflamed visage will probably ride in from a back settlement next week, and demand in a voice of thunder what the blazes we mean by statih'g that John Stiles got the first prize for spuds, when everybody in the place knows that he was only a bad second to our red-faced interrogator, It is very annoying, we confess, when such blunders occur, and care is taken to avoid them as far as possible..j. hut exhibitors should remember . that the work of recording the judge’s awards involves something like a couple of day’s work for Our reporters, and that mistakes are likely to happen on the best regulated journal, occasionally—very occasionally. Speaking of vegetable classes, the long continued spell of dry weather militates against anything like a record display in those or kindred clashes, such as field produce and flowers. That the latter class shqul&isuffer any diminution in the * number of its exhibits is a matter for regret as it will rob the show-room of one of its principal attractions for those —a large class—among visitors especially—who delight in ' nature’s more delicate efforts anil prefer sweet-smell-ing roses to the finest pumpkins ever raised. The doctrine of evolution 'evidently applies to agricultural shows. Originally this annual show was devoted to horticultural displays chiefly by the promoters, gradually, however, a change crept over the spirit of the movement and now the agricultural' interest appears to have obtained a strong hand in the committee’s council chamber. Ih the early days stock formed a small class, this year, we observe, there are 12'Q entries; which, we believe, is a record and serves to indicate the trend of public wants and desires in the matter. There are who would oppose this expression of public j feeling on a subject on which it has every right to express itself. We are not in sympathy with those who are seeking to blame the people for throwing the weight of public opinion into their scale who aim at offering encouragement to settlers to come forward with agricultural exhibits. We live in a utilitarian age and an age of hard and bitter competition in every branch of industry, and anything calculated to encourage our farmers to take an interest in the improvement in the breed of their stock&and to meet on the common level of a show ground and discuss matters relating; to their business in life with sueh’object-lessons before their eyes as a row of prime milch cows or a pen of imported hogs, with a pedigree as long as a Scottish laird, should receive our careful consideration. No, we must with the times. We are far enough behind in many matters without opposing the wishes of the producers as expressed annually at these little, but profoundly interesting and important shows of. burs, for greater facilities—not to mention encouragement in the shape of more events and bigger prizes- for the exhibition of the results of their efforts towards im-. provement in ; the quality of their stock. The admittedly best way to educate all classes connected with agriculture and for the promotion of that and allied sciences is by means of shows, competitions, prizes and meetings for discussion. If the weather is propitious and the members of that but still popular, institution the Te Aroha Brass Band ean arrange to get off, we expect we shall have a most enjoyable time of it this afternoon, apart from the attractions of.,the exhibition itself. Down in the pound enclosure there is sure to be a big crowd of sight-seers, the j umping contests being invariably an item everybody—except the poor unhappy judges and reporters penned up in the hall—makes it a point not to miss. Then there is the social aspect of the affair. Such a gathering as the show attracts provides an opportunity ’

that occurs but once a year for those interchanges of social amenities among distant neighbours which go so largely to render life agreeable. The country dames and their daughters will enjoy their tea and gossip all the more for the long interregnum; while ‘we have no doubt there will be a fair quantity of cakes and ale consumed by the horny handed sons of toil as the press in such a democratic country as ours loves to describe the tillers of the soil. All, in our opinion after looking over the entries in the numerous classes, depends on the weather. If Old Sol is in a good humour we shall have a balmy summer day and crowds of eountry cousins thronging our streets ; if on the contrary he is in a cantankerous humour ; but let us not anticipate evil but liope for the best in the light of the unclouded moon climbing into the ‘Eastern sky as we write these lines..,,, .... -V-:, - r . - *