FIELD COMPETITIONS

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1940, Page 2

FIELD COMPETITIONS

ACTIVITY AT TIKORANGI FARMERS JUDGING CROPS Keen interest has always been taken in the farmers' field competitions by ( farmers of the Tikorangi district, where, | ever since the inception of these compe- j titions. their educational value and the incentive they give to improved methods J of farming has been recognised. Though | the exigencies of the war situation and j the necessity for concentrating on the drive for increased production has precluded the officials of the fields division, who previously devoted considerable time to the work. from judging the competitions. with the result that interest in them has lapsed in most districts, members of the Tikorangi branch of the Farmers' Union decided to carry on and judge the entries themselves, thus also continuing the field day, which was perhaps the most important aspect of the competitions. All entries are judged by each farmer present and the entry that is placed highest by the majority of judges is awarded first place. A judging competition is held in conjunction, the winner being the one whose placings approximate the closest to the aggregate of all , the judges. This system was tried out | successfully with the autumn pasture judging and the hay and ensilage entries i have now been judged under similar conditions. There were nine entries in hay, six in I stack ensilage and two each in concrete I pit and earth pit ensilage. Eight farmers took part in the judging, four judging every entry, while six judged the hay | and ensilage. I The results were as follows:— j Hay: H. P. Sarten 1, A. H. Foreman 2, R. McKenzie 3 and 4. H. A. Foreman, J. Widmer, C. R. Sarten, J. McKenzie | and P. G. Sarten also competed. I Stack ensilage: J. McKenzie 1, C. Foreman 2, A. J. Foreman 3. A. H. Foreman, B. Jury and H. A. Foreman also entered. Concrete pit ensilage: H. Sarten 1, T. Hine 2. Earth pit ensilage: J. Widmer 1, P. G. Sarten 2. The judging competition resulted:— Hay: H. G. Hicks 1, L. M. Lepper 2, P. G. Sarten 3. Stack ensilage: A. J. Foreman and G. Foreman equal 1, P. G. Sarten 3. Pit ensilage: A. J. Foreman 1, L. M. Lepper and H. G. Hicks equal 2. Aggregate: H. G. Hicks 1, A. J. Foreman 2, L. M. Lepper 3, A. H. Foreman 4. Judging of Root Crops. Thirteen root crops were judged, comprising three crops of mangolds, six of carrots, two of swedes and 'two mixed crops. H. G. Hicks secured the first two places in mangolds with crops of 71 tons and 67 tons to the acre, F. Jury's crop weighing at 64 tons. F. Jury won the carrot class with a splendid crop of 49 tons of Guerande, H. G. Hicks and L. A.( Alexander also having splendid crops of 46 tons and 45 tons of Holmes Improved carrots. Both crops of swedes were on hill country, R. Sarten's weighing out at 56 tons to the acre and H. A. Sarten's at 48 tons. Both crops were very sound, only slight disease in the way of dry rot or mottled heart being in evidence. The two. mixed crops comprised carrots an4nrpangolds. .The judge recommended that* in the general interest of the district and from a production point of view mixed crops should be deleted from the competition, as mixed farming was not good practice. In both the cases under review better crops would have been obtained if the carrots and mangolds had been sown separated. Details were as follows:—

In carrots and swedes, yieid poinxs are based on three-quarters of a point to every ton weight, in mixed crops half a point per ton and in mangolds two-fifth£ of a point per ton.

Yield. Cult. Quality. Tl. H. G. Hicks 28 17i 28 73J H. G. Hicks 27 17$ 28 72$ F. Jury 26 18 28 72

Mangolds.

F. Jury 37 17$ 28 82$ H. G. Hicks 34$ 28 28 80$ L. A. Alexander 34 18 28 80 L. A. Alexander 34 18 28 80 F. R. Vickery 35 17 27 79 F. R. Vickery 31$ 18 26$ 76

Carrots.

R. Sarten 42 18 28 88 H. A. Foreman 36 18 28 82

Swedes.

C. R. Sarten 26$ 16$ 26$ 69$ P. G. Sarten 24 17 27 68

Mixed Crop.