COUNTRY CARNIVAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 109, 4 November 1910, Page 11

COUNTRY CARNIVAL.

MANAWATUS BIG EVENT. PROGRESSING SUCCESSFULLY. SOiME OF THE PRIZE-WINNERS. fBY TELEGRAPH.] (From Our Special Reporters.) PALMERSTOX N., 3rd November. To-day has been a great day at the Mauawatu Show. In the first place it was beautifully fine, but not too warm, and the people flocked in from all parts as never before. Then, for the first time for the opening day the exhibits have been complete. The sheep and horses, and cattle and pigs, have all been here to-day, and by the afternoon were duly ticketed — red for first, blue for second, and a lighter shade of red for third — if they are prizewinner*, attd if not then easily recognisable from the number on their pens corresponding with the num ber on the catalogue. Many of them — the - pedigree beasts — have names, too, and their genealogy is indicated in, the usual manner of stud books. It is wonderful how much interest the visitors took in the etock to-day. There round a pen would be seen quite a crowd leaning over and earnestly discussing, and arguing on points of merit, order, and others things in the supremely imperturbable animal before them. They were Jooking at the champion, and some agreed with the judge and others disagreed — all with proper supporting reasons and explanations. Perhaps the judges may have been wrong : they do not pretend to be infallible ; it is safe to say, at any rate, that they are fair j and impartial. With so very many cat- I tie. all of high standard, it must be very j hard indeed to decide which is best. ■ Many points are matter of opinion ; and the experts must carry the preponderance. This is, of course, merely by way of explaining the grumbling that' does take place every year at every show over some matter of judicial decision or other. There is one point,' however, worthy of comment in connection with the exhibits of stock at Palmerston.: the number of breeders in each class is comparatively few. One man may have several entries, and if he does not catch a prize with one animal he may with another. One would like to see more competitors. Breeding is, of course, an expensive I hobby, needing more money, time, and ' ground than the average farmer can afford. The animals at the show are really fine. Here are Hereford bulls, huge, monstrous creatures with short necks, white heads, broad faces, and horns sticking straight out on each side. They look wilder than the even greater Shorthorns with their immense dewlips. These are" the typical cattle: from them we get the best beef. Adjoining are delicate Jerseys— dark brown, with a white blaze down the spine; fiery-eyed bulls, but lovely cows with eyes like gazelles. The Holfiteins are the big milking bfeed : more milk than butterfat they give, but the Danes like them, and they are popular here. They are black, with white splashes. The Ayrshires are short-legged delicate little fel lows, with long upstanding horns. They, too, have their enthusiasts. The Ayrshires are piebalds— black, or red and white. THE .CATTLE. The chief prize-winners to-day in these classes were : —Shorthorn bulls— W. Taylor, Te Awamutu, champion ; W. Howard Booth', Carterton, two firsts for younger animals. Cows— W. T. Williams, Pukehou, first and champion and four other firsts. Hereford bulls— E. iiMhort, "Waituna, champion ; C. -A. J. I Levett, Kiwitea, and G. F. Moore, Kai } Iwi, firsts for younger animals. Cows — G. F. Moore, champion and three other I firsts ; G. "Wheeler, Halcombe, one i first. Ayrshire bulls— J. Kyle, Palmers' ton, one first; Mental Hospital, two firsts; Slack Bros., Palmerston, one first. Cows — Slack Bros., champion and other firsts ; Porirua Men--1 tal Hospital, firsts and seconds. Jerseys — C. Dermer, Cheltenham ; J. A. M'Crea., Palmerston ; Dr. Noonan, Eltham; W. and Wm. Paton, Sentry Hill ; W. Bly, Himatangi, were the chief prize-winners in bulls. E. Eagle showed the champion cow, S. R. Lancaster and J. A. M'Crea took other firsts m cows. Molstein bulls — W. T. Lovelock, first and champion ; Newton King, two firsts. Cows — Newton King, j champion and two other firsts ; W. I Lovelock and John Donald, firsts. In I dairy cattle other than purebred, S. R. Lancaster and C. Collis, of Kairanga, ' divided the prizes. In fat cattle, Moore, , of Kai Iwi, had things practically his own way. AMONG THE SHEEP. _ The sheep were the centre of attraction for many farmers from all over the. country. The Lincolns, with their long locks of wool dropping over their heads and eyes like ill-comber hair, and straggling fleeces, were- chiefly the exhibits oi W. Perry, of Masterton, and W. H. Wybourne, of Whenuakura. Perry took the championship for rams and the bulk of the first prizes. Wybourne succeeded in ewes. The Homneys are a j livelier, more upstanding sheep, with j tufted wool on their heads like a fuzzywuzzy of v the desert. Perry, of Penrose, was eminently successful, mo3t of the prizes going to him, including the championship ram. R. Tanner, however, carried all before him in ewes, capturing in many instances both first and second i prizes. English Leicesters, more a 1 iSouth Island 1 sheep than one popular in the North, were shown almost exclu- [ sively by g. R. Lancaster and Slack Bros., who divided the prizes, Lancaster getting most of the firsts. In the .border Leicester class Joseph Douthwaite, of Fordell, was the most suci cessful exhibitor, winning eight firsts. lln Southdowns, the typical mutton sheep, Nelson Bros., of Tomoana ; Ellis Bros., Bulls; W. E. Baker, Makiho ; and S. R. Lancaster were the most successful exhibitors, G. E. Rhodes, of Ellesmere, taking second place. Except in the case of a young ewe, F. S. M'Rae, of Marton, was the most successful exhibitor of fat sheep. THE DOGS. The collection of dogs was particularly fine, all breeds being represented. The chief prize-winners were A. H. Proberts, J. Currin, P. Smith, W. T. Stevens, A. H. Hayes, W. J. Angell, in pointers ; Cook and Smith, Griffith and M'lntosh, W. H. Simmons, W. H. Harding, in setters; J. Patterson and Father Darby," in retrievers; F. 0. Smith, G. H. Bycroft, A. Hewson, J. D. Graham, Daynam and Wright, C. Horsnell, J. Hoder, Mrs. Lissingtoh, F. C. Turner, in Spaniels ; A. J. Bett, Mrs. C. Gordon, J. L. R. G. Makin, A. L. Thomas, Dr. Grey, R. Sheppard, in terriers ; C. W. Dunningham, B. Wardle, Peter Bell, F. E. Watson, Mrs. A. E Evans, T. H. Richards, in bulldogs ; W. R. Hill Mrs. W. Jewell, F. Hilton, Mrs. J. H. White, in pups. F. E. Watson scored with best New Zealand bred dogs in the show. EQUESTRIAN COMPETITIONS. ' The equestrian competitions, "more than ,ever a feature of the Mailawatu Show, were Watched by a veTy large crowd. The jumping was excellent, bub there was a- tendency in many cases to keep a too tijrht rein going over the fences^ This does not 'give the horse a chaace of landing fairly and neatly.

with its feet well outj and it makes the jump ugly not infrequently. A prominent- hunting maji from the Old Country expressed the opinion that this method of riding cramped the horses terribly and often spoilt promising jumpers. The winner of the hunters' competition for lady riders was Llassall's Fifii>, a Hastings horse, with T. A. Shaw's Katie second, and H. C. Hartley's Vendetta third. The leaping competition, steeplechase style, drew nearly thirty competitors. It v?as won by W. D. Watson's Wild Fire, from Masterion, C. Levett 1 s Reckless being second, and H. C. Hartley's Vendetta third. The best walking horse was adjudged to be Ben Myers's Bowler, from Auckland. Andrey Harper, of Palmerston, won the first prize for the best girl rider and Leslie Smith, of Levin, was the best boy rider. Sylvia Jackson,' of f Feilding, and Victor Houghton were declared the be3t girl and boy riders under ten years. The best weightcarrying hack up to fifteen stone was udjudged as M. F. Baird's Hastings horse Patea. For thirteen stone hack W. H. Gaisford, Dannevirke, won the first prize. E. D. O'Rorke's Cloister took first prize in the light-weight class. For weight-carrying cob Gifford Moore's Samson achieved first honours. O'Rorke's Cloister was declared also the best horse suitable for a hunter. Baird's Patea won in tlie troop horse class, taking the Wellington Racing Club's first prize. 81.B 1 . X Whelch's Wanstead was proclaimed the" best lady hack, L. H. Collinson's Major the best carnage horse, and Baird's Patea the best-paced and mannered horse. In the harness horse class, Mrs. Stevens, Feilding, took first prize for the best pair; Isaac Jefferson, Marton, for the best single horse over 15 hands; Miss Campbell, for the best single horse over 13.3 and under 15 ; and B. Loughnan for the best single horse under 13.3. In the ' draught class, E. I Short, Waituna — a most versatile : breeder 1 , excelling in Romney 6heep ani Hereford cattle — won five first prizes. F. A. Bremer and J. S. Houghton (Okaiawa), Hugh Campbell (Havelock North), and F. E. Hockley (Feilding) were the other first prize winners. The Wellington City Corporation showed a fine pair of draughts. Tom and Charley. Tom took second and third prizes in different classes, and Tom and Charley, in double harness, took second prize. They were beaten by the Palmerston North Gas Company's Plain Bill and Nugget, and the Westport Coal Co.'s Lion had the better of both Tom and Charley individually. SIDE-SHOWS DOING WELL. During the day the side-shows, which this year are making the show more of a great fair than ever, did a roaring business. They have a street all to themselves, and every passer-by has his ears assailed by the various music from the tents, and the invitation and supplications of the hustling crowd-com-pellers. The tin-type man has a new machine like a little machine-gun, wherewith in one minute he turns out a finished picture of you while you wait, and you have, "Ladies and gentlemen, no fake— every" picture genuine." The side shows are not without their dangers. A poor youngster, strolling innocently past one of the cases in a tent menagerie was badly clawed by an inquisitive monkey. The incident was most unpleasant. In a shed by themselves, where, at the winter show the milking-machines were exhibited in action, .there is a troupe of Maori dancers. They have adopted the pakeha custom of calling in the crowd. The booster on the boards is a typical Maori, but strangely enough he cuts the air with a marked" American twang. He is, of course, one of the party that lately returned from the Stateß.