AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL SOCIETY OF OTAGO.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1630, 7 March 1866, Page 3

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL SOCIETY OF OTAGO.

The first show of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society of Ot:> ;o. was opened yesterday, on the Recreation Ground North, Great King street. The show was, as a whole, successful to a degree which its promoters did not anticipate; and we believe that the general verlict of the visitors was, that the display was a r*»ost excellent one.

The show was more than satisfactory in extent, as well as in the quality of the exhibits. There were nearly 00 ontries of cattlc j about 55 of horses, draughts and ponies being most numerously represented; nearly —80 of slieqp —pens, in almost every instance over .'3O being of merinos and 45 of coarsewoolled; and from 25 to .'io of pigs. The implements were well selected, comprehensive, and good. The poultry were not numerous. Tlie produce section was the weak one; but what there wius of it attracted very much notice, and it is to be regretted that the farmers were not large exhibitors, especially of cereals. No -doubt, the harvest may be pleaded in explanation cf an absence which was a good deal regretted. The Recreation Ground is spacious, cnongh to accommodate a much larger show than that of yesterday ; and it was in good condition generally. The weather from noon to three o'clock was delightfully fine, and it was fair, although cloudy, afterwards ; and the visitors during the day must have numbered from 1200 to 1500. The prizes offered amounted to between £540 and £550. The cattle included some remarkably fine specimens, whether as regards size, condition, or general development. This was especially the case with the short-horns. Mr. Macdougall, of Salt river, Victoria, exhibited, and his breeds were amongst the most prominent prize-takers. Mr. M'Glashan showed the best two-year old bull, which, in addition to taking the first-prize in his class, took also the second prize for a bull of any age. As will be seen from the list below, Mr. M'Glashan won several other prizes. Mr. Murray was another exhibitor whose cattle were a good deal noticed and praised. The Ayrshires were neat, cleanly-looking, and ' altogether satisfactory. In the Horse classes, the thorough-breds were naturally the most attractive ; but the others were well represented. Mr. John Nimmo, of West Taieri, took a'first prize, with Napoleon ; and with his magnificent bay Clydesdale Emperor, he took a second prize for any age, as well as the first for two-year olds. Messrs. Chalmers Brothers' Colonel was greatly admired, and took the second prize ; the others were scarcely above the average. The draught horses were an excellent class. Mr. Warnock showed a splendid team, to which the prize for a team was awarded ; and separately one got a prize as a mare, two as plough horses, and one as a carthorse, The sheep were, generally, such that it required no educated eye to decide that they were of excellent quality, whether as wool or food-yielders. Some of the Merinos had fleeces as close and as firm as artificially made pads; and the long or coarse-woolled, though not so catching in look, thoroughly repaid examination. The principal exhibitors of Merinos were Mr. Buckland, of Auckland; Mr. E. Lee, Taieri; Messrs. Chalmers, Messrs. Degraves, and Archdeacon Hadfield. Amongst the exhibitors of long-woolled (Leicesters, Lincolns, and Southdowns), were Mr. Murray, Taieri; Mr. J. Allen; Mr. R. Hunter; Mr. Buckland, Auckland; Mr. Mac Lean, Auckland; and Mr. Runciman, and Mr. Graham, Auckland. Mr. F. D. Rich exhibited as extra stock, 25 Merino rams, which were " highly commended, as first-class sheep 25 Merino rams, which were similarily noticed by the judges; and 50 ewe lambs, which were "highly commended. The swine were tolerably numerous. Mr. H. R. Steavenson was one of the largest exhibitors. He took, amongst his ] rizes, the best four of any age, "Lord Bacon" stock; and Mr. W. H. Reynolds showed the best sow of the large breed, which also took the prize for the best fat pig. Messrs. Shand, James Aitken, Jas. Wilson, and G. Prain, were amongst the other exhibitors. The Poultry do not call for notice except such as will be supplied by the prize list. There were excellent birds shown ; but there were not enough of them for real competition. A few fancy rabbits were hutched near the poultry. The machinery, implements, &o, were partly arranged in one of the booths under the Grand Stand, but mainly at different points outside the line of the stalls and pens. An examination of the exhibits ought to be required as proof of the steady development of improved modes of culture, and of a demand for good, substantial labor-saving machines in the different departments of farm-work. The produce was, as we have before said, small in quantity. Butter was the principal exhibit; it looked excellent, and was both salt and fresh, in pats and in barrels. Mr. George Matthews showed a collection of seeds and cereals; and there were a few samples of potatoes and beet. Mr. Begg, curator of the Botanical Gardens, contributed 30 varieties of pines, in pots, most of them being very well grown. Mr. William Hooper exhibited the results of cultivating, on his land on the Peninsula, a single grain of Cape bariey. It consisted of no less than 107 stalks, and the number of grains was remarkably great.

Soldiers' Ages.—Of the' 50,420 men serving in the regiments at home in the year 1863, not reckoning the depots, the returns of ages are as follows : —6016 were under twenty years of age; 19,775 were twenty, but under twenty-five; 13,615 were twenty-five, but not thirty ; 6911 were thirty, but not thirtyfive ; 3280 were thirty-five, but not forty; 823 were forty and upwards. There were, therefore, nearly as many above twenty-five and under. Of the lecruits inspected in the same year, nearly three-fifths were under twenty, 1<!03 were boys under seventeen, 1573 were from seventeen to eighteen, 7764 from eighteen to nineteen, 4697 from nineteen to twenty, 3221 from twenty to twenty-one, 2035 from twenty-one to twenty-two, 1854 from twenty-two to twenty-three, 2736 from twenty-three to twenty-five, and 634 above twenty-five.

Tiib Ikon Sand.— " Considerable interest was created on the Exchange at Birmingham by the exhibition of numerous specimens of iron manufactured at the works ot Mr. David Hipkins, West Bromwicb, from the new titanium ore, recently imported by Mr. Charles Martin, C. E., of London. This iron created the more attention because the ore differs from all iron-stone or ore with which we are acquainted. It is a to'tally different thing to the kajmiUites of the North, the black band of Wales, the rich ironstone of the Potteries, our own clay stones of Staffordshire, or the oolite formation of Northamptonshire and the north of France. In appearance it resembles more the splendid specular magnetic mine at the Island of Elba; but this IS'ew Zealand ore is quite black, and finely powdered, while the magnetic specula of Klba, although plumbago-like in some respects, assumes a liiiht brown colour on exposure to the atmosphere. Mr. Martin has erected a blast furnace in Northamptonshire, arid there reduces this New Zealand iron dust into pig iron, The specimen exhibited a white fracture of the anthracite character. It is a fact worthy of remark that Mr. Ilipkins easily puddled one heat of this iron in one hour, which is just half the time usually occupied in puddling one heat of most other kinds of iron. The finished iron whs tested at Mr. Henry Parkes's hydraulic machine, Tipton, with the view of gauging its tensile strength, and we have reason to know that the tests were highly satisfactory. As this titanium ore becomes better known we believe that both the ore and the iron will be found to possess properties peculiar to themselves, which, when properly understood, may be of great importance to the trade in general. There can be neither sulphur nor phosphorus, possibly it contains traces of muriate of soda, which would in 1 o way damage it for iron making purposes." — Birmingham Gazette, Nov. 10.