ELLESMERE SHOW STARTS THE YEAR

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33046, 13 October 1972, Page 6

ELLESMERE SHOW STARTS THE YEAR

Canterbury enters its annual run of agricultural and pastoral shows with the Ellesmere A. and P. turnout at Leeston tomorrow, and with farming facing a brighter future than for many a year.

Meat and dairy produce are selling strongly overseas, wool has leapt into a boom and, to cap it all, the ground is now soaked with rain where a week ago a drought might have been around the corner.

Entries for this year’s show — the association’s 102nd show — are much on a par with last year’s entries. They total 2668 compared with 11 fewer last year, but this year there is a new section, art, which attracted 25 entries. The totals do not include flowers.

The details for this year (last year’s figures in brackets) are: Sheep 334 (399), shearing 4 (6), sheep dogs 44 (44), dogs 19 (19), cattle 231 (246), goats 12 (4), pigs 92 (96), horses 1036 (948), poultry 76 (124), dairy and domestic produce 63 (110), needlework 91 (57), juniors 502 (494), photography 57 (55), grain and seed 82 (52), potatoes and roots 26 (3), art 25 (-).

Near Christchurch Because Leeston is only 24 miles from Christchurch, the show has always proved popular with Christchurch residents, many of whom compete in events. The association has spacious grounds for car parking. However, the association has not had its own grounds for all of the past 102 years. When the second show was held on Thursday, December 28, 1871, it was sited in a paddock lent free of charge by Mr J. J. Loe. But on November 27, 1873, the fourth show was held on the new ground, still occupied by the association today.