AGRICULTURAL SHOWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXII, Issue 13604, 25 November 1904, Page 2

AGRICULTURAL SHOWS.

OTAGO. [From Or/a Correspondent.] D UNEDIN, November 24. The twenty-eighth annual show of tba Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association was inaugurated to-day under conditions ti«(t. prc-miied well, but failed in.realisation. Blight, warm sunshine was brofem twico by thimckr a.ni heavy rain showers', the raid at the. close of the day being fairly persiytcwt. The abtendamsa waa as small as us-irai on tie first d'ay, being practically limited to those concerned and those specially interested in stock. Should the weather prove iavomrablei, a record attendance is expected to-morrow. Taken us a whole, iium exhibition is not EOl goad aa that of last year, but will he strengthened to-morrow by tira addition of horse's. SHEEP. Sheep'made a fair display, though; seme classes lacked competition, and l tlitira were. no exhibits of Southdowiis, and only a single entry of Fine-combing;' merinoes numbered! seventeen entries, Mr R. M. Turnbuil claiming a dozem, and taking most of the prizes, including the ship for ewes. Mr S. Rutherford scored two firsts and a second with four exhibits, carrying off the rain championsftiip with a grand animal imported from Tasmania. i'liia ram wais first in his class at Christchurch, and won, the championship at Oamaru, having also been champion at botfe i'imaru and Oamaru last year. Strongcomibingi merinoes were poorly represaaiteid, being confined to ai few good specimens sent by Mr R. M. Turnbull. Border Leioeaters were a strong chase, mid provided! good 00mpetitioh, Messrs Little! Bros. (Ngapara), Mr b. Murray (Warepa), Mr Watson Shemnan (Pomahaka), Mr W. Grey (Bemngton) and Mr A. Murdoch (Riversdale) all ■ contributing to a good display. The North) Obago breeders 'had the 'best of the contest, winning prizes with sheap that were shown at Oamaru against Mr N. M. Orbell with varying results. They won the ram championship with a rami that. was. champion last year at bofhi. Oamaru ■ amid 'Duriedin', but which was beaten at Oamara last week by Mr Orbell's ram. Mr Murray was next, in success*, and the others' scored 1 some points, Ma- Grey securing tihe ewe- championship with a'fine animal. Mr A, Murdoch, Mr Wiiliainv Dixon (Kflliachy), and Messrs Little Bros, provided a good competition in English. Leioesters, except in tins two oUusea for pairs of awes, ..in. which Mr Murdoch, had no opposition. .Mr Nixon gained ai place in every class, though mostly in positions subordinate to Messrs Little Bros. His most conspicuous 'euoeess was in the section for. rami above thirty months, wherein. he secured tha iireti award with a grand ram, showing high quality. This ram was proclaimed the champion of the day. Messrs Little Bros., in addition to other prizes, obtained the championship for ewes, with a ewe that won at Oamaru, and last year carried off champion honours at both Oamaru and l Dxmsdin. Lincolus were once more shown by the New Zealand and Australian Land Company's Moeraii Estate, and the most noteworthy point to .'record is that the judge reversed the Oamara <laastara amd upheld that of Chrifitchurch in the case of rams over thirty months, the champion ram at the Canterbury Metropolitan Show being again chosen ao champion. Thanks largely to the enterprise of Messrs Bealey Bros;, of Hororatn, there was a good show of Rorancy Marsh sheep,, and./they were' rewarded with an unbroken esrie'a of sue-. denies in all tha ck&sce. in which they competed. They 'were first in riun over thirty months, 'with a good specimen of the "breed, that was subsequently awarded the. championship, and were first, second and third in both the classes for rams under eighteen months, beating two other exhibitors. James Fulton's Trustees Mr Watson Shennan were the other successful exhibitors, the former carrying off the ewe championship. Cheviots made amodest showing', the honours being divided between. two Lumsden exhibitors,, Mr- T. L. Banihill and Mr R. Watson. "There, wan a good display of inbred half-bred eheep, Mr James Stringfellow, of Cherteey, scoring' nearly all tbo awards, including both champion certificates, hio sheep being unbeaten. The show of fat sheep was a. irood one, the prize-takers being Mr John Tough (Miiton), the Land Company's Totaro,'Estate, Messrs Blackwood Bros. (Dunedin) and' Mr H. Watson (Oamaru). PATTLE. Taken as a whole tlie. show of cattle was somewhat disappointing. The only really strong class was the Shorthorn, ■ in which exhibitors from Canterbury, North : Otago and South Otago entered' into keen, rivalry. There were a number of full, ■strong rings, and the exhibits were gener ; ally of high quality. The whole of the bull sections were unusually strong. Tii the, section for bull, three years and! over, Messrs Mitchell Bros, won with Roan . Duke, the. Oamara champion, to which the championship was subsequently awarded. Mr . W. Nixon's President . was placed second, and Mr Donald Miller (Palmereton) secured the third award. A number of good bulls were sent out tiekctless, including Mr A. Chamberlain's (Bropkside) Baron Rothc- , say. In two-year-old bulls Mr D. Murray (Ware-pa) claimed t-h/e fiwt, Mr S. Young (West Taieri) the second, and Mr A. Chamberlain the third. In a great ring, of yearling . bulb Mr W'. Nixon He-cured first, honours, with Mr J. Gow (Mosgiel) and Mr G. Anderson (Wright's Bush) third.. Mr Chamberlain's turn came in a. splendid ring of cow* four years old and over, his Selsey H. registering a, most meritorious win, and subsequently gaining the female championship. Tb? other places were filled by the representatives of Mr - D. Miller and Mr Murray. Mr John Miller (Maungatua) furnished the first and second three-year-old heifers, and in two-year-old heifers M-cssre > Mitchell Bros, gained first place and Mr J. Gow the second, while in yearlings Mr Murray's pair were divided by Mr Gow's. Mr Chamberlain won in the section for cow with two of her progeny, Mr. John Miller coming second and Mr'D.-Murray third. Messrs Murray, Roberts and Co. had no opposition in Polled Angus, of which they showed some capital specimens. Ayrshires" were not so numerous as kst year, and the quality also suffered owing to the alxsence of any representatives of Mr Cowan's North Otago herd. The Seacliff Asylum had entered a number of animals, but these did not enter into the competition. The chief exhibitors were Mr P. Ireland (Goodwood) and Mr T. Leo (Alianton), who divided most of the prizes pretty equally, the former getting.

tie bull championship with King Cole «mi the latter the female championship ,-withi Princess. Aldemey and Jersey c&ttls,and r dairy cattle were few da number"ao.d call for no mention. There was a good array of fat cattle, in which, tiw prizes" wtera divided between Mr A. J. Keith (Oamsru)* Jtc J. Kirk (Mosgiel), Messrs Blackwood ; Bros. (Dunedin), Mr Wm. Duke (Dunov din) and the Land Company's dydeTalSj estate. PIGS. The show of pigs was a really good" ena. The Seacliff Asylum sent, a number, of good pigs of several breed;; for exhibition! only, and the actual oompetiitioii was lefd to two North Otago exhibitors, Mr W v &th" Smith and Mr A. Avery, who fairly divided the honors in point of awards,, though the former came out best where the two met in rivalry. Fat. pigs wesre few j Vad Mr Awry and Mr H. Sonnteg eaohij scored ,a first. j MISCELLANEOUS. The sheep-dog trials wena well earned out, and some good work was done by,-' most of the competitors. There was little in the way of competition to rouse- any warmth, the only eventa got off being a race for ponies and & leaping match for ponies, both of which weaxs won by Miss I. Button, of New Brighton.., Undoubtedly the feature of the show to* day was the great exhibition of machinery, implements and other manufacturers, which covered a, wide area. Nearly all the leading implement manufacturers of Chrisfcchuroh and Dunedin and many other agents are well represented by their leading mach* ines and implements. The list of exhibi- ; tors under this heading is too long for to-* dividual mention; and many of th« exhibits were only being got into position the afternoon. It may, however, be noted! that Canterbury makers were weS reprew sented a,nd did a great deal towaid making the- exhibits both imposing and interests ing.