MOTUEKA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 6 April 1915, Page 4

MOTUEKA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

AUTUMN SEpW. MAGNIFICENT DISPLAY OF FRUIT. The outstanding feature of the Motueka Horticultural Society's Autumn Show, held yesterday, was the magnificent display .of fruit, which was an.. eyeopener to the large, attendance of visitors and. the public generally.. There was a very large entry, in. this section, and for 'quality, it is gathered from some experienced growers arid exhibitors, .that it is certain that no better display of apples has yet. been seen in the Dominion. The contributing feature in this was the keenness-shbwn by the growers on ■the new lands in competition .with - the. men on the older and well-known orchard lahds of Motueka and Riwaka neighbourhood. The standard that was taken lay the judge was the utility-of the speci 7 men from the commercial aspect, and it was clearly shown how the productions of the new lands equalled those grown '-on these older and ..ifi some cases excelled them for colour. Tie most interested among v those attending were the new orchardists, who sought to compare their produce, and hO doubt the many points they were able to pick .up through competition Should prove an incentive for further effort; arid those contemplating entering this new sphere were no doubt convinced in their decision to endeavour .to make their mark in future competitions. The judge i xi the fruit section was Mr 1 David E. Fry, of Riwaka, who is I acknowledged to be one of the leading I experts in the His decisions 1 gave every satisfaction, and he is to be •complimented on his expeditious and conscientious work. The colouring of the entries . tor £>£ Sturmers'was beautiful to behold, and Mr W- Briggs carried off the Riwaka Dramatic Society's Cup. MrE. Droge-| muller was last year's winner. I Mr Percy Ellis, of Motueka, secured | the leg-in for the Motueka Dramatic So- , ciety's Cup for Munroe's ■ Favourite with a well-coloured entry. Mr H. Everett was awarded tne v Motueka Entailers' .Cup for 32 Winter Cole pears with a very even lot of high class fruit. "■...' j. .i . So close was the competition lor tne Cup fruit that the. jlidge's; ..stewards', busy with the calipers on one occasion, found that one applenyas l-16th.of an inch oversize, which, caused the entry to lose the special. ..; - v '"'. J, .-. ; The Cup competition fruit occupied tne slopes of two long stands, and was the centre of attraction. , There were five silver cups offered in this section, arttt the excellent quality of the large entries gave the judge many trying moments in deciding the winner. For 32 specimens of Cox's Orange {ji to 34) there were eight entries for Mr H. Saunders' Cup, and the judge, when awarding the special to the Flaxmore Estate, Moutere (Mr E. ,Lowe, .manager), described this collection a» perfect m every way. The other seven entries contained fruit of almost equal quality. Last year's winner was Mr L. G. Duncan, ot Of six entries for 1 32 Jonathan .apples for Messrs E. Buxton and Co.'s Cup, Mr L. G. Duncan was awarded the special for a good sample. Last year's winner was Mr E. C. Drogemuller, of Upper Moutere. ' , Mr F. E. Nfatfcage. exhibited, a large stand of fruit grown in the Tasman district, mostly from,trees growing in land that 2X years ago was a mass of' scrub, manuka, flax, toi-toi and taniwha and of no value, and- the splendid specimens of Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Munroe s Favourite, etc., were sufficient evidence of the value of the land to-day for fruit Mr C. (Primmer exhibited "some apples of the same varieties from Redwood s Valley Mr F. J.- Hall, of Stoke, had a fine display of Premier apples and also of photographs of his orchard containing these varieties. One tree, -four years old,' was pictured carrying 21 cases of first-class Premiers. This apple promises to become a prominent ■ variety. There were about 130 entries _of five specimens in the Open classes,- besides the above large entry in the special arid cup competitions, and the whole of the staging on the side of the large hall was devoted to them. _ The vegetables and domestic produce exhibits filled up the tables on the other side of tho hall, while the centre in the front was • devoted to the flower section j and decorative classes. ' The decorated mantelpieces made a I very attractive background for the ! special fruit class at the back of the hall, and the animated scene in tho midst tof such surroundings,' made a very : charming picture. Cactus dahlias were tho main feature of the floral section, and some grand blooms were shown. A few early chrysanthemums were also exhibited. The six' decorated tables flanking the floral exhibit were judged by popular vote, which was given to Mrs S. # B. Canavan, and' the decorated mantelpiece to Mrs Jas. Wallace. Despite the dry season, there were some magnificent specimens in the vegetable class, and. the pumpkins and potatoes were very large. Mr. H. L: Goodman presented a cake for a guessing competition for the Bel- , gian Fund, which was won by Mrs Gray. The fund benefits to the extent? of £3 12s. ' •'..-. ''". During the evening the President (Mr Horatio Everett) appealed for contributions of fruit for: the soldiers at Trentham, and announced, that Mr-Jas. Wallace had offered the sum of £2 2s to be expended in purchasing cases to pack the fruit. At v the end of the show it was fourid that 50 cases will be forwarded"as a result of such, worthy effort. Judged on the splendid exhibition \n all classes, and the financial results, this show was the best yet held by the - Society, and reflects credit on the committee, - ■ ..