THE LATE AGRICULTURAL SHOW.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81901, 13 December 1906, Page 2

THE LATE AGRICULTURAL SHOW.

[ To the Editor, 3 Si i'; —As one who takes an interest i in the progress of the district and who ■ believes that exhibitions of cattle, etc., i lend to a good end J must enter a protest against the method of the New - Plymouth Society in anointing their i judges particularly for the butter exhibits. (Some little time ago eom- • plaints were rife 011 account of the ; lack of interest taken by fanners in . the shows held in New Plymouth; the , main reason was im account of the method of judges and judging, and it seems as U the same old complaint is about to break outj and that the {Society's funds will sutler goes Without' saying unless a radical change is made, Mow with regard to the butter exhibits: Can any of the ollicials explain iliow it is that the Government ex perts—men who have to sample and grade thousands of boxes, of muter—were passed over, in fact, simply insuited, by the action ol appointing the judge they did. As a pmate but-ter-maker, 1 liad great respect for the judgement of the graders at the freezing works and if their judgement is to be the standard of the colony for export purposes, why'take a rank outsider's opinion as Regards butter for exhibition? lou, *\ir Editor, in your report re butter exhibits, remarked that "there was a host of amateur judges, ete., and that their comments were amusing etc." Now, i'll Will-runt if the judges lmd been the liovernmont experts mere would iliUO been liu such comments because most I'ucturies (both co-operative aud private) are perfectly satislied with tlie said experts' judgment; the appointiiient of a private citizen as butter judge was considered unsatisfactory, and so you had the amateur judge voice bis' opinion, The fact that Air Lang, some U or 7 years ago, iiaU been 1 in tho Dairy Department employ does i' not warrant bis appointment, because tlie strides that have been made dur- . iug the last two or three years cause t him to be out ot date as a show judge, i and if he were <to go through a line of - Ijutter with the present graders J'll 1 warrant he wold not get within six : points of our present standard. I i take it that Agricultural Societies iu -e . to foster the introduction and breeding : of good cattle for all purposes and . also the production of a lirst-elusa article for export, but how can the >So ! ciely's ollicials say that they are trv--1 i«g get the best results when thev . act, m the manner tliey have? I and many others would like to know what caused tho appointment of an out-of-date butler expert as judge while the working experts (the colonial judges of the right standard) are slighted? Is that encouraging the fanner to take interest in shows 'I If I remember rightly, a year or two ago the society appointed a grocer as butter judge, and it seems as if there was an understanding between donors of trophies, etc., and (he olliciuls of tlie Agricultural Society thai. (In- highest | points should be given |usl where the former wishes it, so tilat those who really try to and who really deserve to win, arc thrown out until sueh time as the donors think lit! And if there were the least possibility of a man winning the thing altogether, (lien is the time tho wires are pulled to prevent him. At all events that is the opinion of a great mam'. :n,il the Society, if it wishes to lloiin'sh, will have to wal"!i the ipiestion o|' judges, especial!;, j-. i!»=• butler classes, as "the g ( 'oeiu! i :' takes keen interest in H"' l"''i' factory's exhibit is placed. )i ill.- judging w'ere done by. the recognised judges of the colonial standard they are satislied, but in the recent show's results I hey are not Milislied and I am .-.imply \oiciug the opinions of a great number when I , a-k thai the Society should explain • the butter judge appointment and the , j insult, to the Uovcrumcnt expert. | Moping they will do so. anil apologising ( 1'"!' trespassing on jour space. I ;u,l "-'tc'-, ' I'ot'KATOtJ. |