JUDGING DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 38, 15 February 1933, Page 14

JUDGING DAY

INCREASE IN ENTRIES

THE FAT STOCK SECTION

(From "Tho Post's" Special Reporter.) MASTEKTON, This Day. Beautiful weather favoured the Masterton Agricultural and Pastoral Association for the first day of its forty-sixth annual show on the Sohvay Show Grounds yesterday. Despite the economic conditions which are pi-easing on them, farmers realise the value of these competitions with stock, and have continued to support them, although in many cased this has meant some sacrifice. Some falling off in support may have been reasonably expected, but the Masterton Association continued this year to hold its own, the total number of entries in all sections catered for in a comprehensive schedule actually increasing bj 17i to 2116 over.those received iv the previous year. The fertile pasture land of the Wairarapa has become famous through the quality of -the stock raised on it. Some of the highest-priced sheep sold in New Zealand have been bred at Wairarapa studs, and it is expected that the sheep classes at any agricultural show in the district will be of a very high quality. This year's Masterton Show provides no exception, although a dry spell right before the fixture has had its effect on Borne of the young sheep. Nevertheless, the lambs, although possibly in some cases not in. as high class a condition as usual, were of quite a good standard. Taken all through,- however, the adult sheep were in excellent condition, and all the judges" in the sheep classes commented favourably on the types shown. This was particularly so in the case of the champion open Romney March ram, exhibited by the well-known Masterton studmaster,- Sir William Perry, the judge, describing it as an outstanding animal and a great sheep for its age. BREEDERS ALIVE. Although late summer and autumn shows sometimes do not lend themselves to the exhibition of dairy cattle to their fullest advantage, the exceptionally good season m the Wairarapa was reflected in the stock shown. The fat stock classes in particular were very strong, and showed that breeders are not letting the prospect. . the chilled beef industry escape them. A„ one prominent breeder told the "Post reporter, if the chilled beef experiment ia successful it will open up enormous markets for New Zealand, but he doubted whether, although they realised the_ po-sibilities, breeders would be in a position to take full advantage of them. He was of the opinion that cattle men had not got enough good breeding bulls in the country today to breed the right type of cattle necessary for the trade, and in this connection he criticised the Government for failing to raise the embargo on imported stock. The entries in the pig classes were somewhat disappointing, and the judge, Mr. J. M. McLinden, of Massey College, remarked that on this account it was impossible to set a definite type, which, of course, was desirable, and, indeed, necessary if exhibitions were goin_ to be of educational value. The bacon and porker classes were stronger than the purebred sections, but there was still to be observed a conflict of ideas showing that breeders had not yet reached anything like unanimity'as to what constituted an ideal bacon or porker pig. His chief impression of the .ection as a whole was that a little more evenness in type would be highly desirable. JUDGES' COMMENTS. Mr. A. D. McMaster, Featherston, showed the champion and reserve champion rams, and won the Bland Eayner Memorial Cup for the best shearling ram in the Lincoln section. Mr. L. R. Wilton, Eangitumau, penned the champion and reserve champion ewes. The class i generally, commented Mr. W. Pringle, i Dannevirke, was very good. The dry 1 spell, however, had had its effect on the j young sheep,-the lambs being very poor. The older sheep, of course, had had the stamina to withstand the conditions, and 1 had shown to much better advantage. [ While the adult sheep were good in i all respects, including wool quality, the i lambs were not up to the same standard, 1 and were, in fact, disappointing, in the | opinion' of one of the Komney Marsh judges, Mr. F. R. Seddon, of Hamilton. Sir William Perry, of Masterton, exhibited the champion and reserve champion open rams, and Mr. F. W. Blatchford, Woodvillo, the champion and reserve champion ewe. The champion ram, said Mr. Seddon, was) an outstanding animal. He was a great sheep for his age. The two-tooth rams were also a very good lot, and the champion and reserve champion ewe were equally outstanding. The disappointing condition of the lambs was probably duo to the season. In the Unrugged Romney Marsh class, Mr. N. Blatchford showed the champion ram and Mr. A. L. Wheeler, Marton, the champion ewe. The Southdown sheep classes generally attracted the favourable comment of the judges, Messrs. W. G. Mumford, E. Burrell, and G. Fawkes. With good entries competition was very keen, and it was considered by. well-known breeders that the sheep showed improvement on those exhibited in previous years. Hugh Burrell and Sons, Feilding, showed the champion ram, and Mr. A. H. Falloon, Te Ore Ore, the champion ewe. Corriedales are not a very popular breed of sheep in the North Island, although they are very well established in the South, and Mr. William Rayner was the only entrant in the various classes. He showed very good representatives of the breed, having excellent qualities both from tho wool and meat points of view. The judge, Mr. Isaac Andrew, of Marton, expressed regret that the breed was hot more popular, and said that he thought they might be used with increasing advan-r tage in the North Island to raise the standard of the wool. CATTLE CLASSES. While expressing regret that there were not more' entries, the judge of the purebred Herefords, Mr. S. H. Wilson, considered that the stock shown by Mr. James MeKenzie, of Masterton, who -vas the only competitor, was worthy o£ a prize in any show. Similarly, Mr. J. Ogilvy was the only entrant in the purebred Polled Angus class, and he was awarded the championship for bull and heifer. "It was the best exhibition of Ayrshires I have seen for a long time," said Mr. D. Buchanan, of Tialdtahuna, the judge in this class. Mr. Buchanan said the beasts' -were shown in tip-top condition, and every animal was well worthy of a place. The class as a whole was a credit to breeders, and he was very pleased with it; W. Moore aud Son, Homebush, showed the champion bull and heifer. R. W. Ferris, of Masterton, showed the champion bull, and W. H. Booth and Sons, Carterton, the champion cow, in the Jersey section, and in tho Friesians class, E. Kuutson, Dalefield, exhibited the champion bull, and 0. A. Cadwallader, Greytown, the champion cow. Speaking of the bullocks in the fat cattle section, the judge, Mr. W. D. Taylor, of Pahiatua, said he thought they would be hard to beat in any show. They were just about ideal. The heifers, however, he found in some instances to be a little on the gross side, and from a freezing point of view too heavy and too lumpy." In his opinion, some of them should have been killed a year ago, and it was bad farming practice not to have done this. The champion bull, exhibited by Mr. T. V. Caverhill, of Masterton, and the champion heifer, shown by Mr. j. A. Betts, also of Masterton, were just about ideal.