PLOUGHING MATCH.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 193, 18 August 1869, Page 2

PLOUGHING MATCH.

Judges : Messrs. Stratford, Castle, and Smith. The ploughing match which . took place yesterday in a grass paddock on Mr. Thompson's farm at Richmond may be said to have proved a great success. By 10 o clock there were twenty ploughs on the ground and shortly afterwards the work commenced. But few spectators were present at first but as the day grew older the friends of the competitors, and others who were interested in, the day's proceedings began to flock in and by 3 o'clock, the hour fixed for the termination of the match, there were several hundreds 'on the ground. Of course every ploughman had his supporters aud many of the criticisms which reached our ears were evidently suggested by the estimation in which the man himself was held, rather than by the intrinsic merits or demerits of his work ; but in this all were agreed, that the ploughing of yesterday was on the whole a most creditable performance and showed a marked improvement on that of past years. We also noticed that the horses appeared to be turned out in - better order aud showed signs of having more care bestowed upon them than was the case in previous years. We were glad to find the interest taken in the match was not confined to residents in the country, but that many townspeople were on the ground and showed that they were by no means indifferent to what was taking place before tbeir view. Indeed, we heard not a few rather . shrewd criticisms passed by gentlemen who confessed to hardly ever having seen a plough before, and one more adventurous. that the rest" was even bold enough to take his place between the stilts where he was detained by the powerful grip of a brawny Scot , until certain transactions of a pecuniary nature had taken place between them, by . virtue of which the novice was declared to have become a member of the ploughing fraternity. But whilst we are talking, the judges have been doing their work, and a crowd of eager faces collected round the Secretary who is placed on an elevated position with the prize list in his hand seems to be the centre of attraction. Pushing our way through the throng we hear the list read of which the following is the substance: — "WHEEL PLOUGHS. Thomas Russ, Waimea West - - 1 John Satherly, Waimea West - -2 G-eorge Satherly, Waimea West - 3 The judges considered that the ploughing of the undermentioned competitors was " meritorious," and recommended that a reward of 15s should be awarded to each of them : — J. Ching, Wakapuaka ; Wm. Eyles; Richmond; Wm. Russ, Waimea West; Wm. Eden, Waimea East; C. Gapper, Appleby; G. Silcock, Waimea East; and E. Cresswell, Stoke. Five others competed. SWING PLOUGHS. William Biggar, Waimea West - - 1 William Hill, Waimea East -. - 2 James Leighton, Waimea East - -3 Two others competed. straightest furrow. William Eden, Waimea East - - 1 Fifteen, started. The decision of the judges seemed to give very general satisfaction, and all the competitors must have gone home feeling that their work had been judged upon its merits alone.- - Shortly after six, dinner was announced at the Star and .Garter Hotel, and we regret to say but few were found to respond to the summons. . An excellent dinner had been supplied by Mr Tbvey, and the tables were laid for thirty, whereas not many more than half that number sat down. Those, however, who .were present seemed bent upon enjoying themselves, and after a capital dinner had been disposed of, and the usual loyal toasts drunk, - . -./, / ' The Chairman, Mr Barnicoat, proposed the. health of " The Successful Competitors," iand in doing so s said; that itwopld be difficult to enumerate all the advantages that had arisen ; from the. "'-founding 7 of an Agricuiturat Association in the Province, -but there 7was one pto.^hichit-'WE^kipeciany necessary to make allusion upon that occa- . jsion—he,^:^ amount of good was likely to arise, as they • ?7were;t^ : jmeansv of "Jor: ingiijg; Itogether!-; the/; veteran ploughman who had received hia

colonial born youth, who might receive many a valuable hint from his elders, with whom he was thus brought into com peti) tion. There was in New Zealaud plenty of the raw material from which might be turned out ploughmen as good as, any other country could produce, and in attaining this desired end ploughing matches were likely to prove instrumental to a very great extent. Mr Luckie proposed " The Judges," to which toast Messrs Stratford and; Castle responded. Mr Jackson proposed the health of the Secretary, for which Mr Thompson returned thanks, and in doing so took the opportunity of expressing a "wish that the Agricultural Association, which was a general aud not a local institution, might receive a larger amount of support than was at present bestowed upon it by the public afc large. Several other toasts were drunk, songs were sung, and the party broke up about ten o'clock, after spending a very pleasant evening.