THE CAMBRIDGE PLOUGHING MATCH.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 945, 13 July 1878, Page 2

THE CAMBRIDGE PLOUGHING MATCH.

The Annual Ploughing Match held at Cambridge under the aus-. pices of the Cambridge Farmers' Club, came off on Thursday in one of the paddocks of Mr Ryan (f'le/nent's Park). The weather was most favorable, having seemingly cleared up in honor of the occasion, for ifc was the first and only fine day for between five and six weeks that we have experienced in Waikato. A large number of persons were on the ground, and much interest was exhibi L ed in the work. Many ladies also was p-vseut, and seemed to enter quite as fully into the merit and demerit of the several competitors as did the settlers themselves. And on the whole the ploughing was very good, and in in many cases quite a pleasure to s^ee. There was throughout a noticeable improvement, on the work done at last year's match, though the ground was not nearly so good, in some places being rugged and broken, and i.i one cornei' of the fie d too loose to make a good show, however good the ploughing might be. In some places too, large stumps or roots' made bad breaks in the furrows. No doubt the general improvement iu the ploughing will be found in each succeeding year. In the early days of settlement the ploughing is mostly that of breaking up fern land and that work gets the best ploughmen into slovenly habits, but lasr year there has been probably more grass land broken up in Waikato than since the district has been settled, and especially in the Cambridge dis:rict, and hence the marked improvement notice \ble ou Thursdav over the ploughing of last year. Not but th-it there is much :oo;n for farther improvement. 'Too little attention was pai«J by most of the competitors to the opening- out of the lands. In very few instances was this work skilfully executed, even the b st being backed slightly too high. On-thfl whole, however, the work was creditable indeed, and one very noticeable feature in the field was the excellence of the. cattle. Amongst them were some really splendid teams, and taken altogether it would be difficult to find in any country district s > largo a collection of the class of draught, horses competing at the Cambridge matcb. We were sorry, i-owever, t» observe no maori competitors there, although a special class was inserted in the programme for maori teams. There wore a few exhibits of produce on the ground, which, though not very extensive, spoke well for (be fertility of the district : Monster carrots and mangolds, sent by Mr G. E. Clark; a fine show of well-grown swedes and purple-top turnips, from the farm of Mr E. B. Walker. A sample of sweet clover hay and some laige well-grown carrots (white Belgian), exhibited by Mr James Runcirnan, and two samples each of carrots and mangolds from the farm of the late Mr Parker; and noticeable was a large sample of Hoburt Town potatoes, grown by Mr G. R. Clarke. The ground, as we have said, was not the best., but was chosen so as to be as little variable as possible. The arrangements indeed Were well carried out by the committee, which consisted of Messrs. R. Reynolds, J Hunt, FL A. C. Fergusson, James Runciman, PI. Buttle, for there was no hitch or grumbling througho.uifc Twelve single-furrow, six double furrow ploughs two boys' nnd two turn-wrest ploughs, or twenty-two teams in all competed. The best ploughing, as might have been expected, was done by the single-furrow ploughs, but of the latter the work of Nos. 2 and 7 were both very creditable, especially that of the former. In the case of the single furrow plough, the work was some of it exceedingly good. The ploughing of No. 1 w;>s good, and so was that of No. 2, buJt the opening* out might have been better, j No. 12, struck us as the best j ploughed piece of ground on the ■ field. The ridges were cleau and I well backed though a trifle high, the

furrows well laid with a good shoulder. No. 4 was well ploughed too, by the winner of last year's first; pirijfc), the farrow was beautifully laid and would be hard to beat. Xo.. 11 was fair ploughing , but too flat. The Judges were : For the single ploughs/ boys, and turn wrests, Messrs Stephen Westney, John Hunt and Archibald Wallace; for the double furrow ploughs, Messrs John Wallace, Duncan MuNicol and Richards.