Varied programme at Waimate Show

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33386, 19 November 1973, Page 17

Varied programme at Waimate Show

The Waimate Agricultural and Pastoral Association which held its eighty-seventh annual show on Saturday staged a varied programme. The gate-takings at $526 exceeded last wear’s figure which was the best for several years, by more than $3O. An innovation this year was a tractor-pulling competition, of a t\pe now very popular at rural events in the United States. To show their pulling ability, competing tractors were required to pull two metal plates on to which a bulldozer had backed: and to add to the test, numbers of young men jumped on to the bulldozer as the tractor hauled it over the test course. It was noted that the actual power of the tractors taking part was not the over-riding factor in the contest and that the skill of the drivers played a big part. To attract support for other competitions, the association gave away tickets in a contest to guess the height at which an aeroplane flew over the show grounds two patrons being only 10ft off the exact height. The prize was a flight. In one corner of the grounds, the aimate Kennel Society conducted an all-breeds championship dog show, which attracted an entry of some 400 dogs, from as far afield as Christchurch and Invercargill. Nearby, members of the Waimate District Car Club put their cars through their paces. CLYDESDALES As a reminder of the “good old days.” Mr J. A. Cowie brought to the show for exhibition a six-year-old and a two-year-old Clydesdale, the older of the two mares having a young foal at foot. Mr Cowie, who comes from near Waimate. began driving Clydesdale teams 42 years ago. Last year. the association introduced classes to encourage farmers’ mechanical inventiveness and ingenuity, but there was disappointment this vear that there were no entries from farmers. The only two entries in the classes came from a Waimate engineer. Mr W. A. Blackie. who showed a roller crusher for grain to feed direct into hoppers or troughs, and a cattle crush for holding cattle for dehorning or drenching. However. farmers brought some equipment for crushing grain and milling hay for stock feed, and there was considerable interest in the demonstration of this machinery. Even the weather provided an element of variety, ranging from cloudy to sunny, while at the time the grand parade was being held in the early afternoon there was even a shower of rain; but the day ended fine and sunny again. Entries in the hack and pony

..classes were up by at least halfi ion last year, with the support -in other classes being about! comparable with last year’s s ' show. 1 The president (Mr I. S. Darling) , and the senior vice-president (Mr I K. S. Patterson i were particularly nleased with the entries in the pet lamb and pet calf classes. —l4 and 11 respectively—seeing i 6 in this an encouraging sign for >. the future of the association and' tl, showing in the district. SHEEP SHOW a Although the Waimate Show ' a is not a big sheep show, there II was praise for the stock entered, j 0 Mr A. G. McFarlane (Pleasant : l * Point), who judged the South- : 0 down classes, said that the sheep ° were showing the length! /.required today, and he found the s prize-winning animals evenly;, c fleshed and well developed ini' a the hijidquarters. If he had any': •*.; criticism, he said it would be 'f that the sheep were often weak 11 in the feet, and he also noted a e :slight tendency to overfatness in. e.the rumps. ; The Corriedale judge, Mr J. r F. G. Blakely (Waikari). wasi: e accompanied by a member of : s both the Country Girls’ Club and l e the Young Farmers’ Club as he 0 judged. He said that he felt they! had been interested in what he ' a had done, and appreciated the ] comments that he had made from ’• time to time. Mr Blakely }* awarded the ram championship to a sheep from W. O. Ross, ' “ which he said appeared to have 1 J] the qualities of a good breeding ; u animal. He was big, with plenty of substance and length, but pos-j t sibly a little finer in the wool | than desirable. The memory of a former president and long-standing cornel mitteeman and treasurer of the e iassociation, the late Mr A. F. i- Ruddenklau, was marked when h his widow presented the Arthur f Ruddenklau Memorial Cup for g the most points in the Border o,Leicester section—Mr Ruddenklau .was a leading Border Leicester ; & breeder—to D. M. Elliot. It was the first time that the trophy n had been competed for. e! The round-the-ring jumping - was of a very high standard and e very even, said Mr W. N. Hazr -left (Invercargill), who judged n the harness ponies, hacks, and si hunters. He aw arded the a hunter championship to D. i Crosbie’s Connemara, and the;' r hack championship (as was the,' t ease last year) to Mr and Mrs] a.A. L. Dunn’s Nightcall, which e Mr Hazlett said was outstanding! for its type. CHAMPIONSHIPS Sheep f Romney: ram. A. K. Linton ' Trust; reserve, R. G. Lawrence; ; □ ewe champion and reserve, R. 1 a G. Lawrence. Southdown: ram e champion and reserve, J. J. Macauley: ewe, J. J. Macauley; e reserve, A. T. Heron and R. W. t Naismith. Border Leicester: ram, v D. M. Elliot; reserve, R. J. and ! O. J. Scott; ewe, A. L. Me- 1 y Kerchar; reserve, J. A. Thomp- :

ison. Corriedale: ram. W. O. Ross;< ewe, R. G. Richards Suffolk: ram and ewe champions, G. L. ,'Shortus. South Suffolk: Ram ■ champion and reserve, M L. S. Talbot; ewe, M. L. S. Talbot; reserve, I. J. Muldrew. Hampshire: ram, Elworthy and Cotton; reserve, Riverslea Farm; ewe. Elworthy and Cotton; reserve, A. iW. Andrew’s. Dorset Down: ram. iTablehill Farm: ewe,. D. C. Kelman. Poll Merino: champion: : ram and ewe, L. O. Fryer. Poll Dorset: ram, L. O. Fryer; ewe. J. Little. CATTLE j Angus: female, E. R. McCon-i nell. Hereford: bull. A. L. Me-J Kerchar; reserve. A. Gillespie;[ female. H. P. McKerchar. Cham-1 I pion bull of all breeds. A. L.; McKerchar. Champion female of all breeds, H. P. McKerchar. ; Turton challenge trophy. H. P. McKerchar. Calf. Gavin Hurst; reserve, Peter Morgan. HORSES Supreme champion pony, J. I Ross’s Tussock. Pony 11 to 12.2 | hands, J. Ross’s Tussock; reserve, M. Lawrence’s Grey Mist'. 'Pony. 12.2 to 13.2 hands, Miss |V. Nichols and N. Taylor’s, Kuriheka Delilah; reserve, Miss J. McFadyen’s Miss Muffet. Pony! over 13 and up to 14.2 hands, S' Henderson’s Kia-ora; reserve, C.' Williams’s Mountain Legend. Hack. Mr and Mrs A. L. Dunn’s' Nightcall; reserve, D. F. Collins’s! Glenmorven. Hunter, D. Crosbie’s Connemara; reserve, Mrs J. E. McKenzie and Jan Hav’s Fly Hi Pony hunter, D. Nelson’s Mikado. WOOL , N. W. Briggs, reserve, L. O. F ryer.