ELLESMERE-AGRICULTURAL SHOW.

Press, Volume XX, Issue 2305, 20 December 1872, Page 3

ELLESMERE-AGRICULTURAL SHOW.

The third annual show oi the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association, was fceld yesterday, in Mr Loe's paddock, LeesZ ton, and may certainly be called a puccess, Z'Z. though we feel perfectly, certain that* had 'the committee only seen their way'to have ___iigl_t*3fc-:«fera_t "■■ea__i«r;ir^od;r^.'awnJ_ir.have. been our pleasing task "to have chronicled a

still greater success. ' a.. _We trust the. neit"Ellesmere annual show will be held prior to the Christchurch one, and we.were glad, to hear an opinion very . ige lerally-expnessed -yesterday; .that such will m st likely be the case. The weather was all iV'Vih t. could be desired, though at the com—m t icement of the day the_ heat w«s exceed/»4n 'y great,.but about eleven o'clock a cool "''IT eze sprang up- which agreeably tempered th . intense sultriness. We would fain wax

p etical "on J the ride from Christchurch to ii? -leeston, but sooth to say, the ordeal of being " jammed iv a Cobb s coach for foar hour's ou . a hot summer's morning, is anything but -to imaginative description. Of coarse it would not be the correct thing to ride through an agricultural district, and ou a visit, withal-to an agricultural show, with- ,. oat saying something about the ap- . jMsarance of the crops on the road. vTe axe sorry -to sap; that while on' our.journey, we certainly passed some exceptionally magnificent crops of Parley, £ ! --notably one or two in the neighborhood of . the Irwell. The generality of them had evidently suffered to a ruinous extent from the ..... long and continued drought. We also """ noticed that the wheat crops had been in

cases greatly daaiaged by the blight. As a •et-oft we may mention that the feed was 7-most; luxurious, though on the dry laud a >: lew .refreshing showers would be most deProm the very large attendance ~ " vSitors yesterday from all parts of the *f '---disferict, it was evident that the greatest in-

terest was felt in the show, and certainly *_ • the excellence of the exhibits was a sufficient "■*' excuse for the enthusiasm manifested by the oountry folk who had assembled to enjoy

their local holiday. The ground presented a most animated scene, and all the exhibits were closely scrutinised and criticised. The arrangements of the committee were very creditable to them, but we would suggest that an improvement might be made in the pens so as to admit of greater facility in the ingress and egress of the animals. It is, although an exciting, still an inconvenient process to hand the pigs bodily into their pens, or else after first collecting them together, to put up the huidles around them. The cattle pens were also of a decidedly temporary character, and a very little more care and trouble in their erection would t<*ud to prevent the mixing of the exhibits in the various pens.

Two or three booths were pitched in the paddock for the sale of refreshments, and the warmth of the day caused them to do a brisk trade. The ouly recreative institution we observed was a wheel of fortune which assembled in its immediate vicinity all the speculative juvenile visitors to the show to invest their superfluous cash. An excellent brass band conducted by Herr Biinz, enlivened the proceedings, and was evidently much to the bucolic taste. The large assembly collected on the ground gave no trouble whatever to the police, whose duties were of the lightest description. Some mental confusion was caused by a little carelessness in the matter of fixing the numbers on the several exhibits, and thereby occasioning some difficulty in promptly finding out who were prizetakers. This is perhaps a small matter, but a very little extra trouble would have saved a considerable amountof inconvenience. The Secretary of the association, who with the members of the committee, was indefatigable in his exertions to make everything a success, is evidently of a waggish turn cf mind, as on reference to that vade mecumthe official catalogue, to our astonishment we fouud a patent windmill aud a sowing machine classed under the head of " extra stock.' Subjoined are our remarks on the several exhibits and the prize list.