Round Of Country Shows Begins Tomorrow

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31499, 13 October 1967, Page 18

Round Of Country Shows Begins Tomorrow

The round of shows begins again this week with the holding of the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s annual fixture at Leeston tomorrow.

As expected, it has received strong support, although total entries are about 140 less than last year.

Being in a rich mixedfanning area, the show probably has a greater variety of stock than most country shows, but the strongest sections will be the saddle horses and Friesian cattle. The light horse and pony sections have received almost 800 entries, and they will come from many parts of North and MidCanterbury. While exhibitors with horses have been schooling their mounts at recent pony-club fixtures, a show like Ellesmere represents one of the first major “outings” leading up to competition at the Canterbury Metropolitan Show next month. Since the advent of the tractor, the draught horse has disappeared from the show ring and the farms, but equestrian events with ponies and hacks continue to boom. A feature of this year's show should be the dairy cattle section, which has drawn an entry of 140 Friesians, 40 Ayrshires and 30 Jerseys. A notable absentee

as an exhibitor will be the . Paparua Prison Farm, with its Milking Shorthorns. The Prison Farm will not ' be represented, also, in the pig or the sheep sections, but Mr G. Barwell, who retired last year as manager of the farm, has accepted an invitation to judge in the pig section. Ellesmere produces big quantities of grain, and it is not surprising that its show has a growing pig section. Ninety-five entries have been received for tomorrow’s show. When members of the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association held their working bee this week, extra pen accommodation, as well as covering overhead, was provided in the pig section. The president (Mr P. J. Abbott) recalled that members were rather doubtful about the extent of the existing accommodation when it was first mooted. “But look at it now; we’ll have to build more,” Mr Abbott said. With some emphasis being placed on beef production, the Ellesmere show will have a useful entry of beef catle. While no beef

tnittee and other members assisted a builder to renovate and extend the office. Much Of the interior has still to be painted, but the exterior has been finished. The major improvement was the building of a luncheon room of 600 square feet on the back of the secretary’s office, while the original building was completely religned and redesigned. A storage room was divided into two offices, another room for the use of officials was extended, and the broadcasting box has been glassed in. Mr Abbott said this week the renovations probably seemed fairly extensive, when the, ground was used for a show only once a year, but with a better building containing improved facilities, the public would be encouraged to use the grounds more often. The secretary of the Ellesmere A. and P. Association (Mr G. E. G. Whitta) has been unable to handle arrangements for this year’s show because of illness. Acting for him have been the assistant secretary (Mr M. H. Morland) and the treasurer (Mr J. T. Purser).

Shorthorns will be represented, a number of entries of Herefords and Aberdeen Angus cattle, have been received from several exhibitors. After the individual sections have been judged, a blue ribbon will be given for the champion beef beast on the ground. The Ellesmere association will not mark its centenary for another three years, so there will be no parade of vintage machinery. But there will be plenty of new machinery, especially as this is a district where grain growing has increased in leaps and bounds in the last two years. Farmers throughout the district have been installing bulk handling facilities—as well they might, with a record harvest looming up in the next three months. During the last year, the association has made major improvements to its secretary’s office at the show grounds. For seven weeks quite a number of the com-