PALMERSTON'S BIG SHOW. THE PEOPLE'S DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 119, 16 November 1900, Page 2

PALMERSTON'S BIG SHOW. THE PEOPLE'S DAY.

DISAPPOINTING WEATHER, The Manawatu Agricultural and Eastoral Association broke two "records at its fifteenth annual Show, which concluded yestei-dayatPalmerstonNor^. It tappe.d its last year's number of exhibits by a ve,ry considerable 'margin, kp§ itToutdid^ its reputation for inclement weather by having a generous rainfall on, both -days. T ef in sptt'e' of "this 'lo,ttqr. ' defect there was an astonishingly good "attendant reckoned yariously at between 15,^j qnd 17,000. The rain came on in earnest yesterday jusb as the trains and countryside were pouring in their thousands. " It announced its arrival by ' a shower of tropical' pi-ppcftians, but unpleasantly chilly," and simultaneously the fifteen thousand qr sV disappeared beneath \in^b.re.llas. The effect was ou_ 'in the, extreme. Looking from t,b,e stand it might have, be,en supposed that a mushroom crop of sombre hue had suddenly sprung into, being. They tell a story in Palmerslon that, at a w£t show in other days, whin the country-folk hjad been ejn : ticed out' by the promise of a sunshiny day, and "got left," enterprising shopkeepers who had closed tljeir. premises for the day took down their shutters', announced bargains in waterproofs, and quitted all their old steaks ''with good profits. However,' the public was not to &c caught -napping yesterday- They had come prepared. " The association has been particularly liberal in providing covered- in stalls" fgr' stock and other, exhibits, and" these" were found so' useful yesterday that m.pre~migty be, d.oue in the, same^jr^tion. yn.g'foigin.^tiesjijan' was heard to offer thY suggestion that it might be expedient to consider a- scheme for roofing m the w.hole. of the grounds if this sort of thing was to, happen every year. It was pitiful to 1 see the kJPigSt g^P, swajd of the, morning disappear in places in a- seij. of roud, and to observe th© wreckage of spring costumes that a short hour or so before had been the admiration ' of beholders.' But, singular to say, men and women alike, having come to the show^ Tiad seemingly made up their minds to see it through. The umbrella brigade stuck gamely to the show-ring, and, in, conjunction with tne occupants of the stands, watched the parade, and the leaping' and other corfipetitive events which always form tne feature of ' the People's Day, from beginning to end, while others tqok ci critical interest in the exhibits "of stock, produce, and industries,' 'plodding pluckily through the mud and w.et grass to gain their end. ' The rain to a very considerable extent robbed the contests of their interest, arid made 'the leaping' "competition one of some danger to the competitors. ' A few riasty falls occurred, but the" jumping on the whole was good. Reference has already been made to the • excellence of the management of the Show: -It was the subject of general comment, and deservedly so. The judging was done exp'echtiously, the ticketing carr.ied out simultaneously, and the records rein.irne,d •romptly to the * Secretary. It is Mr. J- "U. Lane's fir?texpqiienqe/as Secretary to the" association, and he proved himelf to be worthy o| the responsibility. Tfre .press representatives, who were present in force, owe him a» ejpjcial 4S^ ?i gratitude. They were supplied" "with ~ & vppjin.' "almost' to themselves, and all necessary facilities down t'a the inevitable "paste" arid'sciscirs"—the latter chained to the wall, leSt in a moment of absence of mind on the part of the scribes they might disappear. The stewards, juuges"/ and mehibe^s of committee " were also approachable and considerate when demands were made upon them by newspaper men and others. All that remains to chronicle is a sumniary of yesterday's itidgingV which 'will be found b'elbw. ■ J " dogs. There was % yery fair entry of dogs, especially 'c!olli6s,' which' &* judge, Mr. £'. Harrison, ' of Mariukau, 'considered a splendid class. 'As regards the remaining sections, which were judged by Mr. J. Horrax, of Wellington, the 'setters, greyhounds, tind' Airedale terriers were especially good, the 'bulldogs • and Irish terriers were fair, but the Clumber spaniels were a long way behind show form. The silver medal 'for the'best collie -log in the show, the Ladies' Gnalleng© Shield, and the first prize in the rough-coated colliedog class, were appropriated by a ■Wellington dog, G. F." Mil'ls's Poneke Arllri. The 'New* Zealand ' Collie Club's gold medal for the best collie of opposite sex to that which ' won the 'challenge shield, went to Mrs. Thomas's Gyp, which also won tjje silver medal for the best collie bitch in the show, as well as £wo first prizes in the rougn-coated' bitch classes. The special prize in the puppy classes fell to 0. Loui's'son s ' Scots Guard, which' was also winner of three first and one' second prizes. Other 'leading prizes went as follows:—S t. Bernards, Mrs.'M. Ay Reed ; ' greyhounds, X H. Goodall's Reek and' Aconc,l and 2 ; retriever, ])r. A. K. Newman's Buckler; English Better dogs and bitches, x\ Hunter, who took ail the prizes ; Gordon setters', A. 8,. Stewart's Heather Dick. In the limit class 'for roHigh-coated collie dogs, Mr. Mills withdrew Poneke Ariki and allowed keener competition, the win ' going to §>cpta Guard. The novices bitch class was headed by S. Vv"o'odrobfe's Chess, and the puppy bitches by C. Parker's Stella 11. In smooth-coated collies, the prize dog in the open class was S. R. Lancaster's Laddie, and the prize bitch Thomson Bros', The first prize for bearded collie dogs went to H. M. Thompson's Tweed, and for bitches to A. Cuthbertson's Gyle: J. Enderby's Vedette won first tor Cocker Spaniels, and C. Cockery»s Dummy first in Olum'ber Spaniels. W. A. Smith's Wakarina won in sniooth-haired fox 'terrier dogs, and P. Hunter's Sprite in bitc^eg, and also in the puppy class. Dr. 'lVeVnxan's Hobson's Test' beat P. Hunter's Wellington Test in the Airedale open class, and W. E. Edmund's Scamp took first" in the'puppy class. Two Irish terrier dogs came out and Tydeman and O'Connor's Paddy Sprig won ; G. H. Gpodall sweeping the field in puppies and bitches. The best bull-dog was found in ti. H. Gobdalli's BiflE, ' the best bitch in the class in H. Dawson's Waikato Queen. E. Hutchen'a Shamrock was adjudged best Irish setter dog, and J. Hash's Mystic the best bitch, while M. J. Millar's Bobs won in the puppy class for dogs. POULTRY. A Wellington fancier, Mr. Iremonger, judged the poultry, with which he was wpll pjeased. The Leghorns were, ho considered, a- credit to the district, the winning brown Leghorn cock, shown by J. Cunninghame, of Palmerston, being fit to be exhibited anywhere. The Orpington cock sent by J. "Walker of Auckfund was pronounced the best bird in the show. The Andalusians were very good as a- class, and the cocka were worth show places, as far a« the prize-takers were concerned. There was room for improvement in the silver Wyandotles, ana only one entry came forward in golden Wyandottes. The game Buntams were particularly fine birds, the prize, hen of J. Walker of Auckland being above anything in the whole class. Minorcas •were well represented, but the prize-takers easily outclassed the rest, i'he bantams and the ducks were nflso good. The judge suggests an improvement in the method ot staging, some of the pens being too cramped, and unfair to both judge and birds. The wire pens, similar to those

in use in Wellington, some of which were used at this show, are the best for all purposes. J. Walker, of Auckland, took main prizes in Dorkings, Cochins, Game Bunlams, Orpingtons, and, Houdaus. " Altogether he scored seven first prizes, five second, two third, and two highly commended. In Brahmas J. W. Lovelock, of Palmerston North, carried all before him, and ip Plymouth Rock's, tho ch,icf prizes fell to J. Cunninghame and S. R. Lancaster. In Lg,ugshati^ \V. tads, jun., took first ; and Ivor James tw,o eccond3. J. Jarvis, ' Ron'gotea, took two fii-sts in Orpingtons, J. vvViker and W. A. Smith one each. The latter aT^o' got first in game' cocks, Mrs. E. Reid winning with game hens " W. Williams, Maaigatainoka, got first in old l^nglisli gamo cock.?, flnd W. Mead, PaWerston, first in' hens. In Mjnorc.as Taplin 'and Raynor, "Wairarapa, sujppUes the winning cock and 11. Bryant; l'almcrstonj.the lien. Tapliu and Raynor also took the chief p'rjzes, for Andalus^ans. Other first prizes were distributed as under : — Gold-laced WyandoUe hen, 'W. Hall, Sentry" Hill ; Silver-laced Wyandottcs," J. Jarvis (who carried, off all the prizes for cocks and first and ' second for hens);' Vv hite ' Leghorns, E. H. Holland ; Brown Leghorn cock, Jf. Ounniughame, and hen Taplin Bros. ; Game Bantam cock, Tapjip and *«ajner, heii 'J. Walker, also took the chief prizes for any variety of bantams. The prize Aylesbury duck was shoAvn by. W. Bramley, of itaumai, the Pekin duck by G. AHmw,- Palmerston. The Rouen duck and drake were, sent by W. Park, jun. , the best ' gfoose and gander by F. E. Watson.' In'turkeya "the 'prizes were taken by Taplin and Walker, and J. Jarvis secured the prize for "best pajr of live f 6 wles suitable "for export.' ' The points prize of £2 2s tn the poultry, section was won easily by J. Walker, qf Auckland, with 67 points; Messrs. Taplin and Rayner, Wairara,pa, and \YPark, jun., Palmers, tQ« North, coming next with 33 points each ; J. Jarvis third with 27 points ; and J. W. Lovelock, Palmerston, fourth with 12 points! 1 DAIRY COWS. Mr. James" Young, who had conducted, the daiiy-cow 'testing competition, "gave his award yesterday at noon. ' The cows were brought pn the ground at § p.m. on. ' the " evening qf the 'first day, and milked ' in the' presence of the stewards. They were, next morning again milked 'n the presence of the steAVai'ds. The cow giving the greatest weight of milk at tljis latter milking "was H." G. Moore's £>olly, tlie M r eight of her milk being 30^1b. S. R. Lancaster's Lady and Beauty each gave 26£lb" milk. The milk was tnen' weighed 'and ' tested by the Ba.bcpck l^s. ter, and LadyHypii t}ie prize ip this'§gction with a jneld of lib I.Butioz of biitter fat. Dolly was second, with 14.M00z butter fat, and Beauty'? return was 14.4166z. 'Tfye "most'-pqints" pi'ize ' of £55 was secured by S. W. Luxforjd, with a total of 53 ' points", including two champions, six firsts and four ' seconds. "The other principal scorers -jrer© : — Archdeacon Williams 46, 'including' two champions and fivo'firsts" ; £>. Staondep, 31, including four firsts ; and A. Dermer, 24 points. The trophy of the value of ten guineas, given by Messrs. Barfaqd and Williams, for' 'the exhibitor, securing most points in fat cattle, was won by M'Hardy Bros., (Palmerston North), with 18 points; W. C. Buchanan (VVa'irarapa), "being the run-ner-up with 13 • an 4 J. . Stuckey (Lower Wairarapa), third with 12. ' FARM AND DAIRY PRODUCE. Mr. T. D. Cummins, of Wanganui, who judged the "farming and dairy produce — with" the exception of .factory butter) thfe award in which has ""already appeared—said that l take!n altogether the • exhiuits made the best "'how of their kind ho had' ever seen. The awards were %vtll distributed among exhibitors, and yesterday a large crowd of people examined the exhibits with the'interest of experts. The items included fresh butter', hams and bacon (J. A. Kurth being the most prominent in this olasfe), jams, honey, dressed poultry, 'bread, home-made wines, files, cordials, and seeds. HORSES. There ■were some good specimens of horseflesh brought out yesterday, particularly in hacks, which were a feature of the section. In the draught classes J. Honore's Jock was adjudged the best gelding, Nathan Brothers supplied the best pair suitable for ploughing, and Gammon and Co.'s M'Gregor and Jock were first for best pair shown in harness. In saddle horses, vv. A. Keiller's Lothian was adjudged ' the best weightcarrying hack up to fifteen stone ; G. Millner's Rapuki was best up to thirteen stone ; W. C. Strang's General, best light-weight hack; A. Wilson's Gentleman Jack, best weight-carrying cob ; Gammon.' ajid Co.'s Lord Roberts, most suitable as a troop-horse ; W. Strang's Brooklyn, best ladies' hack; and D. G, Riddiford's Yeoman, best walking horse. In harness horses first prizes were awarded' as follows: — Paijp of harness horses, fifteen hands or over^ H. B. Kennerley's Diana and R-ata ; pair of harness horses fourteen hands and under fifteen, C. A. Loughnan'S Bearer and Cocky ; pair of harness ponies, " Mrs. Hankin's Jobo ami Taipo ; best tandem team, E. Stevenson's Jumbo " and Kitty ; singleharness horse, M. Whatman's Lady Kruger; single-buggy horse, G. Kidd's •Violette Junior ; single-harness pony between fourteen and fifteen hands, F. E. Pickering's Molly ; single-harness pony up to fourteen hands, VV. Jewell's Zelma; light mare qr gelding, W. E. Wade's Jenny ; heavy mare or gelding, Gammon and Co.'s General Buller. Dr. Newman, of Wellington, who made his first appearance at this show as an exhibitor of draught horses, showed the colt Hazlemere Lion. He was beaten for first place by D. Buick, of Palmerston, but secured'" second honours. The doctor contemplates becoming a breeder of serviceable horses for expresses and traps: The winning ' trotting stallion was by Craw's, Reality ; G. • fodd's Bellman taking second honours. The prize of £5, offered for most points in horses, was won by Gammon, and Co., of Palmerston, with' 18 points. The other scorers were Utiku Marumaru 14 ; Geo. Kidd and D. Buick, 13 points each. THE PARADE OF STOCK AND COMPETITIONS. Shortly after tAvo o'clock, and during a heavy downpour of rain, the annual parade of horses and cattle took place in the ring, before the large concourse of people who had sufficient enthusiasm tc: cheer the champion animals as they marched past the grandstands. Something like seventy classes of show animals took part in the parade, »vhich made an interesting and imposing spectacle. After the parade, tho spectators were entertained with interesting competitions in the ring, all of. which were carried out during a continuous and heavy rain ; yet nearly all the people saw them through to the finish. • The various competitions were won as under : — Best Girl Rider : Miss Anita West. Best Boy Rider: Master i\orman Gillies. ,- Wood-chopping Competition, with white pine log 2ft lin 'in diameter (prizes, £3, £2, £1) : L. Berg , (time, 6min ssec), 1; C. A. Berkahn (6min 35 sec), 2; A. C. A. Berkahn, 3. Sawing Competition, white pine log 2ft lin in diameter (prizes, £2 and £1) : A. Petersen and Grantham (time, 54 4-5

sec), 1. Berg Bios., the only other competitors, did npt finish. THE HUNTERS' CHALLENGE CUP. The last event of the day was one which has, since 1892, been the great event of the second day, namely, the Hunters' Competition. For this a Challenge Cup, valued at 3D guineas, has' been presented by the ladies of the Manawatu and Rangitikei districts to be awarded to the bona fido owner of the horse or horses winning the contest three years. The Association gives £10 as first prize, £7 as second prize., " and £4 as third prize.. There was, as. usual, a very laugq entry, nearly all the 34 entrants facing the rain and tho seven jumps, concluding' with the water jump. Each horse was obliged under ordinary circumstances to carry not less than 12st. but many of the riders preferred to add to this the weight of their niachintosh.es. Several of the contestants provided a diversion during their jumping, for, in spite of all efforts to keep themselves dry, they finished up their exhibition by landing with mighty splashes in the final ditch, to the accompaniment of roars of laughter. After' some fairly good jumping, Mr. R. Harley piloted Mrs. Sunderland's The Sinner into first place, Mrs. D. G. R^ddiford's Harkaway being placed secoxid, Vncl W. A. iteiller's Nonsuch third. Harkaway Avon the event iv 1898, and G. H. Wilson's The Whip was last year's winner. The only horse, which has won the Cup, twiqe was Mrs.'E. D. Tanner's Alma, the' winner in 1892 and 1893. Other winners were; — F. E. Perry's Duke (1695),' T. M'Kexizies's Miss (18$), N. 'M'Rae's Rambler (1896), and P Wotton's Tleetwood (1897).' BUSINESS DISPLAYS^ Conspicuously placed near the main gates was an avenue of impromptu openfrohted ahops occupied by^ business men and firms from Wellington, palmerston, 1 and other place's. All kinds of wares and manufactures "were shown along the avenue.* Mr. H. 0. Hewitt, the Wo!-' lington age'at for the Wertheim and the Wheeler and Wilson sewing "machines, made a fine show of the latest niodels'of these' machines in " operation. Tlie' GriswblcT s'tockihg'-knifting' machine was ai's^o shown in this bay. The Singer Company's display/ Was a centre of attraction, a'nfl'Mr. Wickhanl and" his assisttyitsi were kept "fully occupied in "showing' visitors, the features of their m,achines.' ' ", ■miscellaneous, notes. Great interest was taken in the livestock weight-judging competitions, for which' lib'.eijal prizes were offered. The big event was the guessing of the dead weight of a live bullock, 1 which is to be slaughtered^" t^day" in the presence of the" judges/ who will tnen> weigh the carcase and xillo.t the prices,. The second competition had, to ,do with the deadWeight of a ,pen of five live sheep, and the >third' with"*a single sheep, all to be slaughtered 'to-day." * l h 'Messrs. ' BucKhnan ' and Levett, of Taranakr, whose Hereford ' bulls made a fine" show, yesterday sold their first prize yearling and the two-year-old bull The Master tp" 'Mr.' Jas." Holms, of' Waimahakq, (Southl^Tid). ' lij ,will bo remembered that Mr, Holms went to the show 'to judge the Romney sheep. The Taranaki

breeders also sold the yearling bull Bronzwing, to Mrs. Willis, widow of Major Willis, of Rangitikei. A prize of £5 was offered for the exhibitor gaining most points in sheeu. Nelson Bros. (Hawke's Bay) scored more than double the number made by their nearest opponent. The Nelsons' total was 130, which included' l4 firsts, 17 seconds, and nine third's. The Hon. J. D. Orinond,' also of Hawke's Bay, was the next highest, with 54 points, including a championship and seven firsts. Jas Stuckey (Wairarapa) followed with '.0, John Rayner s (Wairarapa) '39, S. R. Lancaster (Palmerston) 34, W. B. All^n 33, J. G. Wilson (Rangitikei) 27, and P. Mungavin (Porirua) 19.* The United Farmers' Association's ten guinea trophy fqr most points 'in the Iflt sheep classes "was won By Thompson Bros, (orf Aorangi, near Palmerston), with 31 points'" '(s' nxt% 2 seconds), Nelson Bros, being' second with 22^ and W. C. Buchanan third with 13. The total takings at the gates and grandstand amounted to £833 13s, as against £794 l§s last year.