THE SHOW.

Waikato Argus, Volume VII, Issue 506, 28 October 1899, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE SHOW.

THE WAIKATO AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL ASSOCIATION'S EIGHTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION.

President :J no Fisher. Vice President: Isaac (Joate3. General Committee : Messrs E. Allen, J. Auder?on. J. Barugh, John Teague, E. B. Cox, I. Coates, R Fisher, J. Taylor, J. Gordon, VV. Cliiity, W. G. Park, M. Harrison, C. Day, E. Lake, John McCaw, John Fisher. R. Reynold.", J. H. Scott, R. C. Mathias, H. Gillett, C. J. Storey, VV. Taylor, W. H. Herr'es, M.H.R., G. A. Ruucimau, T, Slide, S. Wi'son, F. W. I ang, M.H.R., J. C. Allen, Jno. Hutchison, M. GFarrer, J.is. McNicol, S. Steele, R. F. Seddon, I. Hodgson, T. McMickeu. Executive Committee: Messrs Jno. Fisher, Isaac Goates, N. I. Hunt, J. Banish, E. B Cox. K. Reynolds, M. G. Farrer, C. F. Storey, J. C. Allen. Hon. veterinary surgeon : E. B. Kinloch, M.R.fW.S. Secretary and Trea surer : Martin Butler. THE SECOND DAY. The morning of the second day broke very douUfully, and the fears of the officials were tint before noon there would be a heavy downpour ; but, fortunately, it turned out otherwise, and, as the day wore on, theweatherimproved, and during the afternoon was most enjoyable. No doubt th« threatening morning kept many away, but, notwithstanding this, there was a very large attendance. The trains from all parts were well filled, that from Auckland beiug larger than on any previous occasion, anil during the parade and various competitions in the afternoon the grounds wore a bright and animated scene. The various exhibits were eagerly scanned, and on a'l sides one could hear expressions of the highest approval as to the awards of the judges and the general excellence of :he exhibits.

The Hamilton Brasi Band, under Bandmaster Jno. Munro, were in attendance and rendered the following programme in an excellent manner : March, " Lynwood " ; schottischp, " Knockabout" ; selection, " Sydney by Night " ; valse, " Fair Italy" ; march, " Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still " ; overture, ~*' Recollections of Carl Rosa " ; barn dance, " Topsy " ; euphonium solo, " The Minstrel " ; march, " Good-bye Mavourneen " ; valse, " Rose Queen " ; selection, " The Tillage Festival " ; march, " Hero of Trafalgar " ; selection, " Military Tattoo." The judging was taken up at ten o'clock by Mr Gillies, and this occupied up to lunch time. A large crowd watched this and the frequent outbursts of applause showed that the awards were meeting with their approval, and, as the President said at the luncheon, public opinion is perhaps the best certificate as to the soundness of the iudging. The large number of exhibits in the butter class took a considerable time in the judging, and, es the judges Baid, it was a most difficult task to make the selection. The lady stewards performed their task splendidly, and the tasteful decoration of the marquee was the subject of general admiration. THE LUNCHEON. The judges and officials lunched together in Mr J. Bettley's booth at half-past twelve. At the conclusion of the luncheon, Mr John Fisher, president of the Association, in proposing the health of the visiting judges, whom he described as the educators of the exhibitors, said the Association had always tried to secure the best talent possible; but he thought all would agreo with him that this year the executive had been singularly fortunate in that respect, for the awards in nearly every instance had been heartily endorsed by the public. He called for a hearty vote of thanks for the visitors, which Avas heartily given. Mr Hugh Gillies (Palmerston North) in reply thanked the executive for the kind treatment that had been meted out to them during their stay in Waikato, and expressed the opinion that when once this had been experienced they would have no difficulty whatever in inducing judges to attend the show. Speaking of the Waikato generally, he said he was agreeably surprised at the country he had seen. He had been led to believe that the Waikato was composed largely of useless swamp land ; but although it was patchy, he had a very high opinion of the land. " ( the stock exhibited was ■ hfl had seen in

but /cry Mr ir .. ) said it gave hiui great pa..- ittend the Waikato Show as judge for the third time. On the occasion of his first visit he was agreeably surprised at the quality of the stock and the land ; the second time, he was more pleased with it, and on this, tho third occasion he was more satisfied than ever. This was without doubt the most successful show that had ever been held here. But why should not the bhow be a success, they had a good country, good stock, a good President, and a capital lot of Stewards. They had magnificent bullocks and a fine lot of hacks, with a nice lot of girls to ride them. (Laughter.) This was probably why they were able to secure the services of so many Stewards, (laughter), and he felt confident that if the executive only let this fact bo known they would

not have the slightest trouble in getting judges. (Laughter). Mr W. H. Boithani (Masterton). in thanking the executive for the compliment, said that the stay of the judges had been a pleasant one. They had been able to &e>' a great deal of the country in a short lime, and he must say they were very favourably impressed with it. Land that could turn out such stock must be good. The farmers of Waikato, however, had still a great .deal of work to do. and a large area of country to break in. Although the land was not as rich, perhaps as that in Hawke's Bay and some other parts of New Zealand, the more he saw of it the better he liked it, and it was very probable hat it would give on the capital invested as good, or even a better, percentage than some of the richer soils. It required skilful and clever farming ; but it was light, and therefore less expensive to work. If the rest of the district was like the country he had seen, he entertained a very high opinion of it. This was his first visit, but he sincerely hoped it would not be the last. Mr Jones, of Auckland, who judged the butter, said he had acted in the capacity of judge for dairy produce on seven or eight occasions in various parts of the colony, but in all his experience he had never been set such a difficult task as he had to undertake that day. (Applause). However, he thought his colleague (Mr -Houghton) and himself had succeeded in placing the exhibits in the light order of merit. It Avas, without doubt, the best exhibition of butter he had seen, and was most creditable to the ladies of Waikato. There were a few very inferior exhibits, but on the other hand there were a great many that would simply defy competition. (Applause). Mr D. Fraser (Bulls), in speaking to the excellence of the show, referred particularly to the cattle classes. There were, he said, among the exhibits two bullocks (belonging to the Gorton Estate) which he thought might travel the Australasian colonies. If the owner of the bullocks was not inclined to do it, he thought either the Association or the settlers of Waikato should purchase the animals and send them on tour. This was the fourth time he had visited Waikato and on each occasion he had noticed a vast improvement in the district. The Waikato soil was light, but it only required careful farming to make it pay handsomely. Mr Gillies said that Mr Crosse and he had such a high opinion of the Gorton bullocks that they were prepared either to buy the animals themselves or join in a syndicate to purchase them, in order to exhibit them at the Palmerston North show. He would receive them and look after them, and he felt quite sure that though they would secure prizes in any part of the colony, Palmerston North was the only place where they would meet anything like their equal.

THE PARADE. Luncheon over, a start was made with the parade of the horse exhibits, and there can be no doubt that the impression they created could not be otherwise than favourable as showing the capabilities of the district for turning out stock of the right sort. IE APING COMPETITIONS. The next items to engage attention were the leaping matches and although the entries were not so large as on previous occasions in the ladies' and boys' classes the display was a very good one and called forth a good deal of enthusiasm. Taking up our comments where they terminated last issue, we first deal with the SHEEP, and we cannot but say that the exhibits here are quite as good as the average shows. The animals all are yarded in excellent condition, and notwithstanding the late wet weather the wool is in good order. The number of entries is practically the same as last year, and the falling off in the Shropshire entries is made up in the fat classes. The Lincolns are a particularly strong class as regards quality, the champion animals being of the highest type, with a fine quality of wool. The ram championship was secured by Mr F. R. Seddon, and the ewe by Mr Jas. Barugh. Mr Barugh was successful in the classes for rams under 18 months and 30 months aud upwards, but had to succumb to Mr Seddon in the class 18 months, but under 30, and it was in this exhibit that the champion was found. The best ewe 18 months and over and the pen of three owes under 18 months both fell to Mr Barugh, the former including the championship. In the pen for three ewes and for five rams Mr Seddon was successful, the other prize-winner being the Lockerbie Estate for pen of ten ewes under 18 months. In Leicesters the only exhibitors were the Matamata Estate and the New Zealand Land Association, the former taking most of the prizes, including both championships. The judging this year is somewhat reversed, as at last show the Land Association's sbeep were the more prominent. With but one exception, there are only two exhibitors in the Romney classes, viz., Messrs Allen and Barugh, the latter of whom

was awarded both championships and also the majority of the other leading awards. The champion ram in this section was an exceptionally good specimen. In Shropshires the competition was confined to Messrs Burnett and Day, the whole of the principal prizes, including the McNicol Memorial Cup and both championships going to the former. While the exhibits were good, it was generally regretted that there was not more competition for the McNicol Memorial Cup. Other sheep were but poorly represented. The Land Association were placed first and second for the pen of twenty crossbred ewe hoggets, with Messrs Williamson Bros, hc, the latter securing first place for crossbred wether hoggets. There were no entries at all for half-breds. The next section—that of fat sheep—was a good one, the exhibits on the whole being of excellent quality, while the lambs were especially good for this time of the year, and are an evidence of what she district may lie expected to turn out in this ro-pect. In dealing with the freezing sheep, the judges mad'; the following note : ' We suggest that it is against the inteiestof farmers to produce the over-weight sheep. For the pen of five long-wool or crossbred wethers of most money value, the New Zealand Land Association was first, with Mr C. J. Storey second, while the latter was first for Down wethers of most money value, with the Matamata Estate second. The Lockerbie Estate was placed first and second in the class for freezers, gross live weight not to exceed 1401 b. In the claps short wool and crossbred lam lis open for sale at 15s, Mr James Anderson was first, Williamson Bros, second. For freezing sheep, two-too;h, Mr Thomas Bellamy was the only exhibitor, but he secured the red ticket, as did Mr Anderson for wethers (unshorn) most suitable for freezing and calculated to produce the most valuable' fleece, the last two classes being confined to farmer not occupying more than 300 acres of land. The first prize for five two-tooth freezers was awarded to the New Zealand Land Association, with Mr C. Day second, and in the open class for freezers Mr Day gained first honours. The were five entries for the freezing lambs, and the prize was awarded to Messrs Williamson Bros., Mr Jas. Anderson second. HORSES. Light-weight hunters up to list were the first to engage attention on the second day, and Mr A. H. Storey's Starlight proved the most attractive to the judge's eye in both this and the class for lady's hunter, and the soundness of the decision was emphasised in the afternoon when this animal won two of the leaping matches. For the walking hacks, Mr Bul-lock-Webster's bay Tory, with a free clean action, was successful. Mr Richard Eeynold's Lomas, a fine upstanding brown by Cap-a-pie, showed to best advantage in the class for lady's hack 15 hands and over, being admirably ridden by Miss Reynolds, Mr A. A. White's Moti, ridden by Mrs E. H. Kelly, was placed first by the judge for under 15 hands, but on being measured it was found he would not go under the standard, and the award was made to Messrs McMiken Bros brown, by Tasman, which was ridden by Miss McMiken. In an entry of fifteen for the best horse suitable for mounted rifles, Mr James Taylor's New Chum who was first in the 13st hacks, secured another red ribbon, with Mr Livingstone's Whare second. There was only one entry of a girls' pony, Mr Farrer's roan, and it was judged as worthy of a first award. In the cob class, an old friend in Mr F. L. Wright's Dandy was once more in evidence, and, as the Judge said, it would be hard to beat him in any show ring. The last class was that of polo pony, and after a trial in speed and turning the award was made in favour of Mr H. Weal's Spark, a shapely animal showing a good turn of speed and with a lot of quality. One class in carriage horses came forward for decision, but out of an entry of eight only three entered the ring, and without much doubt Mr E. H. Kelly's Swing, who was successful in this class last year, was placed first.

DAIRY CATTLE. A s stated in our last issue, the competition for the McNicol Memorial Cup had to he decided on test results. The animals were milked on Wednesday evening and again on Thursday morning. Samples of this millc were taken and tested by Mr Jones, manager of the Hamilton Creamery. In judging by appearances, Mr Dodd's Larney was placed first, and the result of the teat left her in possession of this honour. The various tests were as follows :

Although the entries in the pig classes were not large, the animals were of good quality. In black Berkshires, for the best boar over 12 months, Mr A. S. Day's entry, a

compact animal, was placed first. Mr G. Edgccumbe's entry was successful in the class for boars under 12 months, and his sow Perfection secured the prize in the over 12 months class suckling pigs. Mr H. Roger's llebecca was placed first in the class, sow under 12 monthi. In the class for best sow, Mr J. G. Ward's Berkshire with litter was placed first. BUTTER.

The competition for the splendid sewing machine given by the Singer Company was very keen, the entries being, in most cases, of excellent quality, and although there were one or two not quite up to the mark, the exhibits as a whole were much above the average. In leaking the award the judges said tbey had no difß-ulty, as Miss Armstrong's Kihikihibutter was, in their opinion, much superior to any other there. They thought, however, that it would be better to make more classes, and so, if possible, reduce the number of competitors in each, as the task was an almost impossible one. WEIGHT GUESSING . The guessing as to the weights of the various animals was carried on during the clay, and there were more competitors than previously, just being one short of 200. The results are not yet known, but we will publish them in our Tuesday's issue. LEAPING MATCHES.

As usual, these created a good deal of interest, and the display of riding was most creditable. The first decided was for tho prizes given by the bachelors of Waikato, and open to ladies and horses who have never won a first prize at any show. There were only three entries and Miss Hunt, who was mounted on Mr C. Shaw's Glenloch, was successful. In the next class, open to all ladies, there were only the same three competitors, and Miss Hunt, this timo riding Mr A. H. Storey's Starlight, was again successful. The boys classes were divided, one for ponies under 14 hands and the other under 14 hands 2 inches. In tho former Master Ferguson was the only competitor and he was awarded the first prize, and in the other Master Webster was first with Master Farrer second. The leaping match for gentlemen over fair hunting fences, consisting of a hurdle, a double—hurdle and brush fence—a log jump, gate and water jump was an excellent display and the jumping of the first three horses called forth loud applause. Mr A. H. Storey on Starlight proved successful, with Mr H. Wyatt on Captain second and Mr H. Bullock-Webster on Tory third. The high jump had only three entries, the first honours being divided between Ptarmigan (Mr Nelson Banks) and Doubtful (Mr Wynne Brown). Owing to the absence of a tape the height was not measured, but was about sft. DRIVING COMPETITION. This was the first time these have been held in Waikato and they were a great success. Three sets of 2 barrels were placed on different parts of the ground and each trap allowed four inches space over their width to get through the time occupied beingalso counted. In the single horse class Mr J. Teddy was first in 35 sees., with Mr Jno. Gordon 36 sees, second, and in the pairs Mr W. H. Hume 31 sees, was first and Mr J. Thornley 34 sees, second. All these gentle men successfully negotiated the three sets of barrels. MACHINERY, ETC. In our report last issue the following were omitted : TCRBISE SEPARATORS. Mr Harvey, of Auckland, tho well-known maker of dairy requisites, had one of his Alexandra Steam Turbine Separators at work on the ground. It excited a good deal of interest, and its working was critically watched by a great number of people interested in the dairying industry. It did the work it was called upon to perform in a most complete and expeditious maimer. A good many of these machines have been disposed of in the Waikato, and the exhibition of the machine on the two days of the Show will doubtless lead to many other orders being booked. It is not very costly and can be worked at very little cost. i' PORPOISE DRESSINGS." A stand which created a good deal of attention was one presided over by Mr E. R. Faulkner, and on which were displayed various Porpoise dressings for leather goods of all kinds. Mr Faulkner, who was not selling, gave examples of the method of using his various preparations, and they appeared to give the greatest satisfaction. One great point in their favour is that they greatly lessen the labour in keeping clean harness, saddles, boots, and, in fact, all sorts of leather goods, as once applied they only need wiping over to be as good as new again. The preparations are stocked by Mr E. Jones, at his Hamilton and other shops. The total number of entries for each show since 1893 is given in the table below. At the first show in 1892 the total entries were 560, but at that time one exhibit was allowed to be entered in several classes. This rule has since been altered, and no entry can be shown in two classes, except in the special classes, and leaving out the entries for the butter competition, tho total (547) in the other classes is better

Milk return : he • +J •p u £ Mornin Total u +^ 4- = lb. 11). 11). ib. T. E. Dodd's Larney .. 174 28A=40 0 Day's Beeswing .. 10 17$ = 27} Rich.'Reynolds' .. 12} 17* = 293 C. Day'a Bridal Flower 9J 17 = 20* * first. 4 0.0 s 5 1.84* 1.815 1.4875 1.3125 PIGS.