THE WINTER SHOW

Evening Star, Issue 15513, 8 June 1914, Page 5

THE WINTER SHOW

PROGRESSIVE FEATURES. Now that the Otago A. anitT*. Society's Winter Show at Dunedin is over, the oih■cials have time to review its features and observe its strong points an*l weaknesses. It is not pretended that the Show repre- ' ser.ted perfection in all things—tho officials know quit© we]], for example, that lack ot spar* was a fretting circumstance to the great attendances of tlie public, but, generally speaking, tho managers believe that the strong features quite overshadowed the defects. jMcet people will support the management in that belief. Before touching on tho strength of the Show and its most progressive features, it may bo to general advantage in tho future to record the thoughts of shrewd observers of one particular feature of tho Show—tho exhibits of butter and cheese. Put briefly, the verdict of those observers may surprise the society. So! The ■ excellence of tho exhibits goes, as far as the public are concerned, by faith, not by sight. It must always be remembeied, of course, that the organisation is primarily a show, and is sa in title, and it'should* be so in fact, but as regards butter and cheese it is not a show at all. The public we so many boxes of butter and tiers of chceso cloth, but only the experts know the true nature of the contents. The public take it on trust that the exhibits are excellent butter and cheese, and may glance curiously in passing at the award cards, and the calendars- of points, but the attention and the interest of the people are not gripped. There is obviously something wrong—a fact made moro pronounced by the elbow room one enjoys at the butter and cheese stand, when all the other parts of the Show are crowded. One observer thinks that the people should be given more proof of the quality of so important products as butter and cnecsa than is obtained through hearsay. He suggests that the society should consider the advisability of providing in the future an attendant (who would have to be a model of cleanliness in every way) whose duty would be to serve out to visitors, say, mere fragments of biscuits topped with" morsels of butter and cheese. The cost, he argues, would ba infinitesimal, the gain immeasurable. _ Everybody would have an opportunity of knowing tho excellence of Otago and Southland - © prize butter and cheese, and interest in tho standard of these products would be stimulated and increased. The suggestion is worth serious consideration.

As regards the progressive features of the Show, special notice must be given to the successful introduction oT the- competition in wool classing. This aroussd keen interest on the part of pastoralists and students, and revealed the value-of increasing the intructivehess of the Show. lien there was tho welcome exhibit of Central Otago fruit. In the past the wealth of Central Otago orchards ha& been accepted as the product of enthusiasts seeking railways for the Hinterland rather than as true richness, but now it is generally recognised as a fact that fruit culture in the sunny areas of the province is going to be an important industry. The society deserve congratulation for their eagerness to promote the interests of orchardists. In all probability a greater effort will be blade next- year in the same direction.

Considered as a whole, the Show is now accepted as having been one of tho best ever held by the society.