SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1878.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 999, 16 November 1878, Page 2

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1878.

The Cattle and Traduce Show, held m Auckland on Wednesday, must be matter of such general interest m a purely agricultural and pastoral district such as this, that we make no apology to our readers for excluding much from our columns to-day that we could otherwise have found space for. Even the after dinner speeches are worthy of persual, and, indeed, contain some very sound and wholesome advice for our settlers to ponder over. Dr Campbell particularly alluded to Waikato, as having now by its railway, communication not merely the Auckland market, but the markets of the colony thrown open to it, and asks why it is with oar Northern climate, two months m advance of the South, we cannot supply much early produce that the Middle Island communities are fain to wait for some time after we have them m abundance. This may, to a certain extent, apply to Waikato, though more strongly to the neighbourhood of Auckland, which is nearly a month earlier than this district, and which could consequently outdo us iv competing for the early market of the South. But there is no doubt that too little attention is paid to the production of mauy valuable products for which the climate even of Waikato is exceptionally adapted. tMr Firth struck the country districts with a blow straight from the shoulder, when he charged them with remissness m failing to supply the agricultural necessities even of their own local market, Auckland — and the blow comes with all the mure force from Mr Firth, who is no theorist, but practises what he preaches, as our own columns, to-day, will testify, when lie calls for tenders for the ploughing of an additional three 'thousand acres of land on his Matamata estate. We must go m for something more than prize cattle. We mast have prize farming, if the country districts are to prosper and flourish. Our agriculturalists must keep place with our stockowuers, and thong'i it is no slight boast for | Waikato that Messrs Maclean & Co., who exhibited m thirteen classes of catlle, won thirteen prizes, twelve of them being first prizes, we could wish that the general produce of the district were equally well represented, and that we could approve ourselves not only as the producers of the best bred cattle and sheep, but also as growers of extensive crops of general agricultural procJiice. Mr Wallace is reported to have said, speaking iv favour' of one good show, " I thiuk it would be " wisdom on the part of gentlemen " belonging to societies m the out- " districts to leave them for such n "Society as this. I cannot help " thinking the information they " would obtain from a Show of a " comprehensive character, and upon ' a large scale, would be more valu"iible — the whole thing would be " bptter done, and the ultimate re- " suit would be more beneficial to " the public " This cannot be. Without our local shows to foster local competition, m the first instance, the Auckland Show would be itself a failure. The former arc the fee lers, or tributaries, of ihe latter, and the Central Show becomes the arena for competition between the successful exhibits of the country societies- One suggestion we may make, and that is — that the country and town should take turn a:vd turn about to leave their own districts, mid Llio great Asrricultoral Show of the Provincial D\sl;riet should he held alternately Ht 811« j irHh and m WaikMto, m spring 1 and m autumn. WiUi easy railway communication there would

I be no difficulty m tho matter, and if an autumn as woll as ft spring show were liekl a large range of exhibits ia the shape of produce could he shown that would ;lo much todevclope the agricultural resources j of 'the country, just as most uudoubt'edly the pastoral interests have been m the past by the fostering iuiiuonces of sprincr-held exhibitions, when necessarily the exhibits are almost exclusively confined to live stock.