HASTINGS SHOW.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 18, 16 October 1907, Page 8

HASTINGS SHOW.

THRILLING-CONTESTS. ' ■ '' PICK OF A MIGHTY PEOVINCE. ■•. BY TELEGEAPH—PEESS ASSOCIATION—COPXBIGHT. 'Hastings, October, 15. ,r Hastings is full arid very wet. The ilazing sun which ushered in/'the dawn and the noohtido hid his face'from tho after dinner proceedings, and the rain came .down; and drenched the whole'country 'side.': There had been good intentions' on the part'of' the, people . Farmers- and their families'/have tilled tho trains from all quarters, evoh at this early stage, ; and last night tho hotels'., were full. This is an unusual, arid many old hands familiar with the crushat Hastings have taken , no : risks, but have;' wired for beds at Napier, ier also is reported ■ full. . The • streets are full of animation,, and untiT the, rain descended great 'crowds 'thronged , the hotol ontrimces;. On • : • the ■' show ■ ground men are making slow progress, in the 'preparations', for the various side shows,•'keeping: , underr coyer as much as possible, and.lhooriingabout; in oilskins and wretchedness.; 1 ; it; is ;'.£ theft/' ough damper. . However, the'weaker','.which,; changed so suddenly for- theiworse,.is; just asr likely to change with equal suddenness for;* tho better, and no.fanner.who.i'S'anioxpert'. , on the' weather is-rash enough to rain' to-morrow.-; : So" much foV" the.' weather '.-. that has introduced to us this Hawko's ;; Show of Dominion year. ..-':' ", : ,;■.']',".'.* "'.•'■!"' ■''■■,QUESTION,:(OF-THE HOURy! What aro the 'prospects of' good exhibits? "> It : appears" that' the leading •' sheep' breeders' are in suck;a panic at the havpc wrought by; thp biting winter" weather that.'tli'ey' have' greatly'.reduced, their .exhibition pens'. .'One,.] leading sheep; breeder has, curtailed.ihis ea-t tries by .forty,, another; by thirty-five,^:.an-/ other by thirty, - a shortago of over a h'un-> drod from a mere trio, when/all have' boenu equally cut by the badness of the season. ' Thore was really no cause for the-panic 1 The* smaller men', however, are'as plucky as ov.er,' , : and havo kept the total entries up to within eighty of last year's"sheep exhibit..The'cat'tle" arc more numerous, ;bnt the horses aro weakin numbers. ,A revival is: sadly.wanted all' oyer.thq Dominion , : in the horse breeding: business. Pigs, • poultry,' dogs, produce; .'■ ladies' work, i vehicles, horsemanship,, andnative industries ' all find- , a' cbnier in, ihe v general^schoine'.of/the.shqwj'but thero is/prie i great 'question.of 'the.day in. comparison'with > which ~; a tl -these- other matters are-utterly uninteresting, , : The great question hangs on ' the tierce, contestt between the'two great'. Komnoyi.rivals. Will' Short beat -Wheeler?'■ Both are'armed to , the teoth.- Short's Eng-' lish purchases are,still safo on Soames's. island ' but ho has brought up an' army' of his. best ':• local sheep. ' They includo. Record, the ex-; champion,, but ( Wheeler replies .with' a jtidy i little flock of twenty,' in which the big guna i aro,' Royalist, ■■ which beat ■ Record at the' last '■ Manawatu. Show, r and Loyalist, the first' prize" >Hawke!s -Bay hogget ' last ■ yea'rV'r The decisive! battle will'.no doubt be 'waged ' between Royalist- , and "Record, 'and. it, wi11... be : -thrilling.: No; one can foresee tho finish.... A- champioh 1 sheep:, to-day may-be in .poor.: condition to-morrow,', or■the judge, who has ; . the tossing of the dice may feel favourable! toward the particular distinctive characteristics which Air. Short has stamped upon his animals in contrast to those .developed by his rival.' There is'ample'scope here for the luck of the ring to have full play; and whatever the result of.the.battle,-if.will'be , ' one! fit for the-gods-to witness. .Oho' really hopps Royalist .will win, becauso it ..will .make things all , the'more "interesting when ho meets Mr. Short's' English' imported ; sheep' at Alanawatu three weeks hence'!' , However, before this report has been; read in print at • Hastings, l the fight'' will bo over, and thecolours of. one or the other will be downi ' ' : : - '■' THE BULL FIGHT.' ..':;:.' \' : : ''\ Thore will, be an- interesting contest -in \ •Herefords.. Mr. Moore is hero with Ensign, last year's champion: bull,, but there are'die-, quieting rumours' floating , that' Alrl' Wheeler has got an animal.up.his steavo with• which to "bump" him.. Whispers -credit Mr.', Wheolor with having on , nand'hero , a formidable three-year-old and a', magnificent yearling on whom it is safe to wager;\thus, the;, bull'fight is : to bo a matter for'"record VX\ history. „■ . ' . ' This Hawke's Bay district is a mighty province, ■.-mighty .riot in area" but , in fertility, climate, and men. In.clip two first items it , .' has the pick of the Dominion'.- We ishriiik/ from declaringourselvesas to the third point. ,' This Hawko's Bay show swoops'tho arni-of. its influence over an area of ten thousand square miles,, and in this area lio almost, the richest foothills in tho world. Thero aro claims put forward for some owners that they enn run livo sheopto tho acre. It is a district of grapes and luscious peaches, a district of big squatters, the homo" of the Maori aristocracy. Woprodict that with fino woathdr'to-morrow, arid Thursday tlicso people, who aro ; yearly.-.. growing fatter with the riches of a series of fat seasons, will float out to see each othor on tho show grounds in moro than iho regulation 14,000, and will eclipse last season's gato of £546. The prizes, which last year wero valued at £1465, aro now increased to £1520." ■-~.: '■-.:,-. ■■■•■ ■ -•■• "-"•• i The following is a comparative list of en- ,, , trios for this year and last year, .the latter.., boing stated first:—Horses; last year 266, this: year 261; cattle,-132 and 157; sheep, 479 and ' 40S; pigs, 35 and 31; poultry, 110 and 84; produce, , , 160 and 113; ladies' art work, 223. and 111; Native industries', 143 ' and 108; •' dogs, 111 and 69; riding and driving;, 117. and' 57. Tho parade of horses will comprise '59, V against 09 last year. ... . -.- , :.•■■ '.. ... ■ , - JUDGES. '. ■--",■ ''.-;;': Tho judges aro: —For. thoroughbred' and. saddle horses, Mr. Jv W. Freeman, Waimato; draughts, Mr. J. Grant, lnvercargill; car- ■ riago horses, Mr. James Oobmbe, Waitotara;; , ponies, Mr. Coombo, Waitotara-; Short-horn-cattle, ;Mr. J. J. Baylis, Wagga Wagga;,) Horefords and Polled Angus, Air. Thomas Blackloy, Rakaia; Ayrshires,' Alderneys, Jerseys, and dairy cattle, Mr. Charles,:Endorby, Wanganui; Holstein, Mr. E. H. Dobson, Canterbury; Lincoln sheep, Mr. C. Witholl, Canterbury; Border:Loicoster; Eng ■ lish Leicester, Mr. Thos. S. Little,. "North Otago; Romnoy Marsh, Mr. Alfred Matthews.^ ■■' Foatherston; Shropshire Downs, Soiithdowns, Mr. Henry Pannett, Canterbury; crossbreds and fnt. shoop and farmers' sheep,; Mr. S. Cunby, Feathorston; pigs, Air. John, Jarvis;" Rongotca; poultry, Air. John Casey, Khnn- : diillah; produco, Messrs. G. C. Summovell(Masterton), H. H. Alercdit'i (Hastings), \\VC. Alnddison (Hastings), I. - Hopkire (Apiarist), and A. Robertson (Napier); dogs,'' Scottish terriers, Air. W. A. Smith, Napier j" other breeds of dogs. Mr. Paul HuiiUr,: Porangahaii; ladies' riding and driving, Mr/!, James Coombe, Waitotara; hunters V'aad '■ ponies, Air. Freeman, Waimate. ... .) ,'.''