CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4252, 25 October 1892, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

Weight Guessing Competition. [To the Editor, Waikarapa Times,] g]H ( _ltf has occurred to me that perhaps tho ouolosed would be acceptf able to you and ol interest to many of the readers of your paper. I take it from the'! Mark Lano Express." The Maßterton A. Bud P. Association oHers a prize this year for the nearest gUOBS of the weight of a bullock, but give no particulars as to how tho teat is to be carried out. Tli«y cannot do better thantako the subjoined as a guide. I am, etc., . Masterton, 28 October. BLOCK TESTS. —HOW TO CONDUCT THEM. As there is nodoubt that the" block tests" will he the feature at cattle ■ Bhows during the coming season, we give, in ordor that there may be similarity in conducting the " tests," the particulars adopted at the colebrated " block test" conductedby Mr Jannet, of Woodlands, at the Highland Show at Stirling in July last l'iiat the Inilluok which forms the subject of the test must be in good killing condition, it should arrive in the showyard by eight o'clock, and be shut up in an onolosed " pen" or •fmed out of sight of the public, along Xith an attendant, whose duty will be to prevent guessers from exchanging opinions with each other inside the pen. The contest should commence at ten, and terminate at one o'clock. The guessers should be confined to farmers who feed fat cattle for the shambles, and in order to make the competition thoroughly genuine, each gue&er should pay Is or 2s Gd for bis admission card. The farmer, on paying his entry money, will receive from the doorkeeper standing outsido of the pen a card aud an envelope; he then enters the pen and examines the bullock, and marks on the envelope the dressed oaroase weight of the bullock; after that he leaves tbe bullock pen and enters tho booth adjoining, and writes in a bold and clear hand distinct : p figures representing the weight of the i bullock on the card, and appends hiß name and address. After satisfying i himself that tho figures on the card and envelope are the sanio, hB puts i ti card into the envelope, seals it, ] d drops it into the ballot-box under I the charge of the door-keeper. _ i At the close of the competition, i the secretary reports to the spectators i that so many cards have been sold, and i on opening tbe ballot-box he will col- . leet the sealed envelopos, count them, i and read aloud and book the weights < marked on the outside of the enve- i lopes.. All being satisfied that every- i thing has been done accurately, the < secretary will hand the sealod enve- I lopes to bis committee. - The bullock ia taken from the pen . and placed on tbe weigli-bridge ad-1 *■ joining and his weight declared. He ( is afterwards driven to the slaughter- f house, killed, and his carcase dressed, < In a couple of hours the secretary < will see tbe carcase weighed and the < usual allowance made for. cooling—previously fixed by the committee— 1 and on bis return to the showyard he i will declare the exact dead weight to a pound., ' The committee or those in charge I oWhe sealed envelopes, will then i open the envelope bearing the weight nearest the exaot weight, and thus I ascertain the name of the winner. No t ' other envelope requires to be opened t unless there is more than one prize, f but the committee may stipulate that I they may open tho envelopes of tbs t ten nearest guessers and publish their 1 names aloDg with the prize-winner, 1 the other envelopes to be destroyed j unopened, and it would never do to c expose the ignorance of some of the t competitors. It iB also understood \ that each guesser records his own i judgment, and does not communicate ] his estimate to anyone till after the close of,competition. 1