THIRD DAY OF PALMERSTON SHOW

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 153, 28 June 1912, Page 3

THIRD DAY OF PALMERSTON SHOW

JUMPING COMPETITIONS. [bi ijelbgbaph— special to ths tost.] PALMERSTON N., Thia Day. Again yesterday the attendance at the Winter Show constituted a record, fully 10.000 people passing through the turnstiles. Over £250 -was taken at the gates, being £100 in excess of the amount taken on the corresponding day last year. Outside the exhibits and side show*, there was nothing to interest visitors in the morning, but in the afternoon the horse competitions attracted the public in thousands. At 2 o'clock the weather was fine, but in less than an hour a light drizzle set in 4 and by 5 o'clock it wae coming down hard. The course in consequence was decidedly slippery. The opening event — the Maiden Hurdles — attracted an entry of over thirty,^ and after a close contest, Mr. J. Shtiw," of Aokautere, secured first and Kecoiid priaes with Lady Devere and La Venture respectively, Mr. J. J. Bryce's Mickey Free being second. The Hunters' Cup Competition was won by J. J. Bryce's Mickey Free, J. Shaw's Lady Dawre being second, and Ernest Short's Dinizulu third. Between the ovents the Manawatu hounds were given a run. the event proving interesting. During 'the day a milk-testing competition for juveniles -was held, fc four bove and three girls competing. Charles Wilson, a 12-year-old lad from Ashhurßt. «>ocured first prize, Ruth Shaw and William Oliver, Ashhurat, tieing for second place* In the evening a very successful smoke concert was held in tlft pavilion, over 100 attending. Responding to the toast of the National Dairy 'Association, Mr. A. Morton, tine president, remarked that so far as butter and cheese were concerned, tho highest standard had been reached. He strongly advised the farmer* _to do their utmost in improving the quaiity of their hc-rdu and pastures. BUTTEE AND CHEESE EXHIBITS. [BY TBfcBCHUHB— BPECIAL TO TOT POST] PALMERSTON N., This Day. Yesterday morning the officer* of tho Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture explained the methods of judging cheese and butter to factory managers. Mr. Cuddie congratulated the managers ou the display in tho cheese section. He did nob think ther© waa a really; badly made cheese in the -whole exhibit-. One or two might be a shade weak, but this was probably due to bad milk. The exhibit was the finest he had seen. Th© butter exhibit -was also a very creditable one, and he was pleased to see so many competitors. | (Inserted by Arrangement.) I THE MAKING 6T*AN INDUSTRY.. I HISTORY OF THjTtASMAN APPLE LANDS. Some fifteen, year© ago a large fruit- ! grower from Tasmania was on board the steamer between Nelson and Motueka. Pointing to the white cliffs, now forming the boundary of the well-known Taeman Estate, he said : — "In twenty years' time that land will be all on© gigantic apple orchard." Then years passed and the land seemed no nearer the prophecy's fulfilment. Mr. T. W. Kirk, F.L.fcL, had certainly seen the land and predicted its undoubted possibilities for applegrowing. He -was unable, however, to secure a block email enough for his purposes, so the matter lapsed. It was not until 1910 that enough believers in the pofcsibilities of th« land were brought together to form a syndicate to subdivide a 'large area into sections. Once subdivided the next thing to do was to combat and conquer the usual hide-bound i prejudice ' against' the land, which. j prejudice was particularly strong in th« Nelson province. THE PIONEERS. Directly on hearing that small sections were available, Mr. T. W. Kirk, F.L.S., head of the Government Orchard i Department, purchased 100 acres. He was rapidly followed by Messrs. F. R. Hallam, then orchard instructor for th« Nelson province, and Thos. Horton, F.R.H.S., managing director of T. Horton'e, Ltd., the largest nursery firm in New Zealand. Other buyers included Mi. Justice Chapman, Mr S. J. Brown, well known in the Mildura orchards, Australia, Dr. Paxton, Dr. Deck, and A. M'Kee, orchardist at Riwaka. The faith of these people, coupled with tho excellent reports on the land for applegrowing purposes, and its similarity to the Tasmanian lands, firmly established the project in the minds of all expert growers, and when tho Ta6inan Fruit Lands, Ltd., put the next subdivision on the market, it wa« rapidly snapped up. It was at this time that Mr. J. 1. Horn, of 39, Panama-street, Wellington, wasappointed sole agent for the lands, thus putting into force that organisation which has resulted in all but 30 odd sections of ,tho Tasman estate being cold and planted, and in the certainty that Tasman I will be the largest fruit-growing settlement in Now Zealand. NEW GROWERS. The trees planted in 1911 are all making magniiicent growth, and thiij year those -planting include Mi-. F. E. *Not tage, fruit instructor for Hawkes Ba-yj Mr. E. H. Parkinson, of Kent, England : Mr. E- S. Baldwin, patent agejjt ; Mr- R. Read, accountant, bjtli of Weiliugton; Messrs. Permain Bros., of Dunedin; Mr. L. A. MacLaurin, Messrs. Deo Bros., Mr. H. R. Duncan, Mr. E. Groves, all of Nelson, and others. A feature of the arrangement is that the Taeman Company provide as euperviKer for absentees the «ervices of Mr. h\ E. Nottagc. undoubtedly one of the leading experts in Australasia. This means that absentees are able to bring their orchards into bearing while still carrying on their ordinary vocations elsewhere. In fact, eucb. orchards ar« probably brought into bearing more bcientifically in this manner than they would bo under the? owusr'6 personal supervision. EXPERT OPINIONS. Its^ quality for apple-growing is well described by Mr. The*. Horton, F.R.H.S., who says.-.— "This land will grow apples high in colour, firm in textme, superior in quality, the three great essentials of the export apple, It will pow better apples than orchard land I purchased in Hawkes Bay at £120 per acre." Mi". Nottage says:— "The flate are particularly suited for growing pears, the slopes for apples and the tops of ridges for apricots. A groat deal of the land is suited for the growth of strawberries, raspberries, and many other small fruits." Mr. J. T. Horn, 39," Panama-street, Wellington, will be pleased to receive any enquiry from orchardists, whether immediate buyers or not, and will from time to time forward them all information of progress which may be of interest. It is to be hoped, therefore, that fruitgrowers will place themselves in communication with Mr. Horn, so that they may be in the way of receiving this information.