PAPANUI PLOUGHING MATCH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3569, 26 June 1872, Page 2

PAPANUI PLOUGHING MATCH.

Committee: W. Norman (chairman,) W. H. Strange (secretary,) J. Wild (treasurer,) H. Yale, J. Grimsey, W. Preston, and Horner. Judging by results the farmers in the Fapanui district should acknowledge themselves deeply indebted to those who by a little energy have this year succeeded in breaking through the apathy hitherto displayed in respect of agricultural competitions and established a local ploughing match. If yesterday’s experience goes for aught the advantages accruing from competitive gatherings of,ploughmen were fully recognised in the district and a local , contest desired, for certainly no maiden effort on the part of a community of like proportions was ever more successful. It may be questioned even whether this province affords another such example of energy and liberality ns that which in this instance followed the initiatory steps so recently taken. The first meeting to discuss the subject is but little more than three weeks old, yet a match with a list of prizes exceptionally liberal, has been carried to- a most successful issue. Although late in commencing, the district has fully redeemed its character, and may await comparison between the inaugural match of yesterday and the best of the district matches that may be held during the season without the slightest fear of being worsted. Certainly a more liberal, better managed, or thoroughly successful ploughing contest in any previous year cannot be called to mind, and greatly progressive strides will have to be made this season if, in comparison with the size of district, it is to be improved upon.

The match was held on land within about a milo of the Papanui township—if township it may be called —and the committee could scarcely have made a more judicious selection. Being immediately contiguous to the main rood, it was very easy of access, and the character of the soil was on the whole very favourable to the purpose. Had the number of teams not compelled the committee to go beyond Mr Munro’s paddock—which was the original selection —and take up a portion of Mr Preston’s land, immediately adjoining, there would, in fact, have been nothing that could reasonably have been found fault with. Mr Munro’s paddock has a rich loamy soil, with a sandy bottom—than which nothing can bo bettor for ploughing—and it is fairly level—but its area was only sufficient to accommodate the Champion and Men’s classes, and the double furrow and boys’ classes had thus to bo set to work on a piece of land offered by Mr Preston, with praiseworthy readiness, but which was of au inferior character. A great deal of cocksfoot grass existed, and the result was, that the soil was very “ knobby,” and the grubs had rendered it rotten underneath, thus two very serious difficulties had to bo contended with—diffl* catties which rendered highly finished work an impossibility. This was, of course, duo to no fault of the committee, who scarcely anticipated such a number of entries, and who, if

they had, would not have been able to obtain a piece of land largt*f«mough for all. the team* to operate in together. The closiei in Mr Munro'B paddock necossavily attracted tho largest share of attention during the day, arid good evidence of the local interest fat the proceedings, was given by tho presence of a very largo number of settlers from tho immediate vicinity, even from an early hour in the morning, Thero was also a very good attendance of outsiders, and this, too, notwithstanding that the weather was of c character quito tho rcverso of pleasant. Throughout tho day heavy clouds, unpleasantly suggestive of impending ram—indeed, the most disagreeable phase, termed misting, was several times experienced—and a wind from the south-west which cut like " frozen knives " provailod without one broak of brightness to enliven tho proceedings. The natural inference from such a state of affaire must therefore be" that pleasure was of a very limited character, and that Mr Wild, of tke Sawyers' Arms Hotel, who had a large booth erected on the ground, was by no means short 6i patronage. Such, certainly, was the case.and tho one solitary Aunt Sally on the ground was, by reason of tho exercise it afforded, a very profitable speculation for the time. Around these two attractions there was constantly a crowd of persons, but the ploughing itself was by no means neglected. So far from this being the case, the character of critic appeared to b* a very popular one, tho more so, perhaps, becauao several men new to fame, principally from the district itself, were amongst the competitors. To tho credit of these, it was manifest that all were capable of doing good strong farm work, although it must bo admitted that they were deficient in the finish and nicer points which are looked for in match ploughing. As a whole, the work in the Champion and Men's classes was also rather below what might have been expected on such ground, but a much worse average is frequently seen. In the Double Furrow and Boys' classes the work was good, considering the nature of the gound, whilst the teams and harness were throughout remarkably creditable. The entries for the ploughing were as follow ■_

The single-furrow ploughs had to plough half-an-acre each, and the double-furrows three-quarters of an acre. The men commenced, work at 10 o'clock a.m., and were to finish by 4 o'clock p.m., which allowed ample time for the greatest sluggard; in fact, it was too much, for one of the tests of match ploughing should certainly be that the men should do their work with reasonable despatch, elie the improvement sought to be obtained by these competitions, so far as the former is concerned, will be only partly accomplished. In other portions of the movinco five hours is considered ample time to plough half-an-acre, and we should certafnly say that it is. Doubtless the committee, as they become more ate fait with their work, will remedy this evil, and any little faults that may have been discerned. Whatever existed were of a very unimportant character, for all the committee, expecially Mr Strange, the secretary, worked energetically and well, and all shortcomings I were rather the result of inexperience than a want of good will, and are sure to disappear I as experience is gained.

Proceeding to shortly criticise the work, the Champion class is first to claim attention. Here the number of entries was more than usually great, a fact that is due no doubt to all men who had previously taken a prize being debarred from competing in any other class. Teviotdale had No. 1 station. He ploughed with an oldßarrowman plough—the first one introduced by Mr D. Coutts to the Eaiapoi Island, a period of about fifteen years ago—and necessarily made very inferior work. We cannot but think it foolish prejudice on his part, seeing that he is a good man, to stick to an antiquated implement of this kind for a match. His line, fiering, and finish all displayed excellent judgment, but his furrows were very rough. Under the circumstances, the, work was a great credit to him, and was good ftp: cropping purposes. His team comprised' Mr J. Wall’s two entires—Balmoral and Sir Colin—which not only by the beautiful manner in which they worked, but for the way in which they were groomed, and for the condition of their harness were the theme of general comment. Storer struck out well, showing a good line and a fairly laid fiering, but his furrows exposed rather too much grass, and he made a bad finish. Dunn made a splendid line and a very evenly laid fiering. His general work was also very firm, with a good angle, and though one of his finishes was rather out, the other could not possibly have been better. Hatton started well, though his first large furrow was a trifle light. His work was clean cut throughout, and had a moderately firm appearance. He showed much less grass than Storer. Lodbrooko cut his fiering rather high, but still it was an exceedingly good one, the line being almost perfect. His general work was well cut and laid, but he never made a worse finish, considerably too much ground being left for the two last green furrows. Brooks only turned three or four furrows and then retired, which was judicious on his part. Dixon showed an indifferent line, and his fiering appeared rather cramped and lumpy. His furrows were, however, well packed, and his finish moderate. Mathews showed a worse line than wo have been in the habit of seeing from him. His fiering was, however, equally cut and laid, and all his furrows were well packed. His finishes were rather heavy. Scoon was evidently not working comfortably as may be readily understood from the fact that he had only borrowed both horses and plough the previous evening. Under the circumstances it therefore be unfair to criticise his work. j

Id the men'* class, Merrin is first on the list. He mode a bold line and poor Soring, whilst his general work, though moderately packed, was rough. Reid, a district man, struck out a good line, but his Soring was rough and broken, whilst his general worse was too flat, and his finish bud. Watson showed a fair line, but out his flering high, added to which, it was broken and crowded. His general ploughing Wak good strong farm work, but he wants practice m the nicer principles of the art before hd can be successful at a match. His finish displayed a want of judgment. Farland, a district man, retired early, and was wise in do doing. M'Connel hod an Indifferent lino and fienng, and his general work, though well ou(, showed a want of packing. O’Shaughnessj; made a bad start, but improved as he went oh. His furrows were clean

cut, but were laid nthor Idciijtoiand bin finish was very inferior. Highttm struck out a good line, but his floring;. was rather high and cramped. lie mauefft capital seed-bed throughout, but the furrows were a trifle rough. Ho- made two,';beautiful finishes, in fact they were generally- considered the best on the ground, Lucasja district man, showed work something after the old stylo—useful, but not of muon account in a match. King struck out a bad lino, but throughout his work ho showed a good angle and solid packing. Hie finishes showed very good judgment, being of rather a superior character. Philpots, a district man, was a trifle out in his line, but his floring furrows wore evenly cut and laid. The floring was rather high, but that was its only fault. Ho made good strong work throughout and moderate finishes. In the Boys’ Class Lndbrooko cut hi# work very clean, and packed it fairly, also showing a fair Bering. His line was not, however, very straight, and ho made an unequal number of furrows in his main ridge. Nuuweak, a district boy, showed the want of more practice in every respect, Robinson made a good tiering on his main ridge, and a highly superior one in his wing, indeed many were inclined to say it was the best on the ground. Certainly it was exceedingly creditable to him. His general work was also good, though a tritterough. I'isch, a district boy, knocked off after ho had turned a few furrows, and evidently wants practice, which, it is to be hoped, ho will have before next match. White made a bad line and a moderately well laid iiering, and his general work had a tendency to flatness. Thompson made a bad liering and rather flat work, but his finishes were very fair. Dixon’s line was fair, but his fiering was rather indifferent, and his general work rather rough. His finishes were very creditable for a boy. In the Double-furrow class we come first to Plaskett, who seemed to be rather out of his usual groove. His fiering was very good for a double-furrow plough, and his line as usual was capital, though some of his work was rather flat. Cavill made very loose open work, showing a want of longer acquaintance with his implement more than anything else. Caldon’s work was exceedingly good throughout, considerably better than either of the others. His fiering was very good indeed, and all his furrows were well packed, with a good angle. His finishes wore also very creditable, and altogether was superior to a deal of the single-furrow ploughing in the men’s classes.

The judges, who had been on the ground the whole of the day, commenced their final scrutiny at four o’clock, and in about an hour gave in their awards, as follows : CHAMHOK GLASS. First prize, £lO, John Dunn. Second prize, £3, H. Ladbrooke. The judges considered Ladbrooke’s work well ploughed, but the finish was too heavy. They highly commended Joseph Hatton’s ploughing, which they considered good, but rather loosely put together. They also commended J. Dixon, whose land was well ploughed, but rather rough. The pnze for the best tiering, a horse cover, given by Mr Hale, Christchurch, was awarded to J. Dunn. men’s class. First prize, £B, Tollerton. Second prize, £5, George Higham. Third prize, £3, W. M'Connell. Fourth prize’ £llos, C. O’Shaughnessy. Best tiering prize, £1 ss, C. Tollerton. bozs’ CLASS. First prize, £G, A. Robinson. Second prize, £4, W. Dixon. Third prize, £2, W. Thompson. Fourth prize, £l, W. Ladbrooke. Best Fiering prize, a Pelham bridle (given by Mr W. Lawrence, of the Selwyn Hotel), A. Robinson. The judges desired to note that Ladbrooke’s centre ridge was unequal, or he would have taken higher honours. DOUBLE FUEEOW CLASS. First prize, £7, A. Caldon. Second prize, £4, W. Plaskett. Third prize* £2, T. Cavill. BEST GHOOMED HOUSES,

Judges: Messrs Jas. Lowe, J. Thompson, and Thos. Potter.

First prize, £2 2s, Mr Yale’s team. Second prize, a pair of plough back bands (given by Mr Suffield), Mr Storer’s team. Highly commended, Mr Walls’ team, Mr Tiseh’s team, and Mr Merrin’s team. BEST KEPT HAKNESS. First prize, a pair of plough back bands, value £6 (given by Mr Clarke, Christchurch), Mr J. Walls’ team. Second prize, a cart bridle, value £1 5s (given by Messrs Wood Brothers, Christchurch), Mr Yale’s team. Highly commended, Messrs Teviotdale, Storer, and A. Robinson.

The decision of the judges gave complete satisfaction, indeed the first prize-winner in each class had been “ spotted” long before the awards were made known. As will be seen by a reference to the list of entries, Mr Blyth’s ploughs were remarkably successful, all the prizes excepting two falling to men who used that make of implement. It is due to Mr Clarke, who gave the pair of plough backhands as a special prize, to say that they were exhibited on the ground, and that the superior quality of the materials used, the workmanship and finish, were generally admired. After the decision of the judges had been made known, the whole assemblage adjourned to the Sawyers’ Arms Hotel, where the conventional dinner was held in the evening. The table was laid by Mr Wild in a very superior manner, and in itself could not possibly have been a paying speculation. The viands were served with a liberality and skill that would have done credit to a city dinner. Mr W. Norman presided, and upwards of sixty persons sat down. After the cloth had been removed, the hon. secretary of the match, Mr W. H. Strange, stated that he had received a letter from Mr Wynn Williams, apologising for his inability to attend through indifposition, and forwarding a cheque for two guineas as his subscription to the match. The following list of toasts were then submitted : “ The Queen,” “ The Prince and Princess of Wales and Royal Family,” “His Excellency thcGovernor,” “The Superintendent and the Provincial Council,” given by the chairman, and “ The successful competitors ” given by Mr Boag and responded to by Mr Tollerton'; “ The unsuccessful competitors,” proposed by Mr Tollerton and responded to by Mr Lucas; “ The Judges,” proposed by Mr Palmer and responded to by Messrs Boag, Duncan, and Pashby. “ The Agricultural Interest,” given by Mr Keetley and responded to by Mr Gebbie ; “The Agricultural Implement makers, given by Mr W. H. Strange and responded to by Mr Keetley; “The Match Committee,” “ The Subscribers to the Match,” “ The Secretary,” responded to by Mr Strange; " The Treasurer,” responded to by Mr Wild; “ Mr Preston," for his kindness in lending his paddock, and providing refreshments for the Champion and Boys’ classes, to which Mr Preston responded; “The Host and Hostess,” to which Mr Wild responded ; “ The Press,” to which Mr Hebden, of the Lyttelton Times, responded; “The Chairman,’' to which Mr Norman responded. Songs and recitations wore given in the intervals between the speeches, and altogether a most pleasant evening was spent.

It is gratifying to learn ‘ that the great liberality with which the match has been supported will enable the committee, notwithstanding the valuable prizes given, to carry forward a balance of about £25 towards nest year’s match.

Champion Class. Judges : Messrs J. Gebbio, Gcbbie's Valley; R. Duncan, North road ; and W. Boag, Fendalton. Owner. Ploughman. Plough. John Dunn Ownor Blyth W. Mathews Owner Blyth W. Brooks Owner Mainwright and Davie J. Dixon Owner Hornsby J. Walls M. Scoon Keetley W. Ladbrook Owner Blyth J. Walls C. Teviotdale Barrowman J. Storer, sen. J. Store'r, jun. Keetley J. Hatton Owner Keetley

Men s Class. Judges : Same a9 in Champion Class. J. Merrin A. Merrin Keetley W. Watson Owner Hornsby H. Vale S. Reid Blyth J. Grimsey a. Hieham Blyth W. Philpotts — Tolerton Blyth R.King J. King Keetley P. O'Shaughnessy P. O'Shaughnessy Blyth. C. Lucas Owner Keetley W. M'Connell M'Connell, jun. Blyth A. Philpotts G. Farland Grey Boys' Class. Judges : Messrs Pashby, Kaiapoi; Duncan, Hillsborough ; and W. Munro, Papanui. R. Nunweek, sen. R. Nunweek, jun. Hornsby Rev J. Wilson W.Thompson Blyth W. Judson A. Robinson Keetley W. Preston, ser l. W. Preston, jun. Keetley W. ladbrook G. Ladbrook Blyth W. Dixon, sen. W. Dixon, jun. Hornsby P. Tisch, sen. P. Tisch, jun. Keetley W.White A. White Blyth. DOUBLE-FUBKOW CLASS. Judges: Same as in Boys' Class. Rev J. Wilson A. Caldon Blyth

T. O'Callaghan J.Keetley — Rippingale T. Cavffl "W. Plankett — Sullivan Duncan Keetley