RECORD CHILLER ENTRY

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28553, 5 April 1958, Page 9

RECORD CHILLER ENTRY

Change In Judging

On Hooks

The record entry of 75 head for the Canterbury chiller beet competition has made it necessary to defer the judging on the hooks from next Friday until Monday, April 14. The “on hoof” judging will be at the Addington saleyards next Thursday, at 9.30 a.m. and the killing and "on hooks” judging at the Belfast works of Thomas Borthwick and Sons. The competition, which is organised by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association in collaboration with the Meat Board is the fourth to be held, and the 75 entries are almost twice as many as for the previous biggest, which was in 1956 when there were 45 entries. Up till this year it has' been possible to have the entry judged on the hoof at the Addington saleyards on the morning of the first day, killed in the afternoon, and judged on the hooks on the second day. This year not much ? more than half the entry could have been killed immediately after the hoof judging. The rest would have had to be killed early on the Friday morning, and the “on hooks” judges would have faced the almost impossible task of making awards from a mixed lot of hot beef freshly killed, and beef which had up to 24 hours to cool. A further point is that the hot beef when quartered for judging would be useless for shipping to the United Kingdom as competition beef, and thus about half the exhibitors would be denied the chance of having their entries shipped for the London judging. A most interesting feature of this year’s competition is that more than half the entry is of 18months steers. Last year, for the first time, seven 18-months steers were entered, and two of them took first and second place in London, where they were very highly praised. The judge on the hoof this year will be Mr L. Harris, of Hastings, who judged the beef section of the National Fat Stock Show at Addington in August. The judges on the hooks will be Messrs E. Greville, of Wellington, and A. E. White, of Belfast, supervising graders to the Meat Board.

Possible World Record.—A Guernsey heifer in Britain has created what may be a world record for fat production for a first calf heifer. The heifer. Wheal Plenty Marina, bred by Mr E. Snell, of Kea, Truro, gave with her first calf 1029.421 b of butterfat in 365 days. Calving under three years of age her yield was 17,1571 b of milk at 6 per cent. The previous breed record for butterfat for a heifer lactation was 871.831 b in 353 days given in 1953.