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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7790, 9 November 1886, Page 4

Yesterday the annual exhibition of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association was opened at Elierelie. The ehow differed

very little from that of previous years. Iα all exhibitions of this class there is necessarity a certain amount of sameness, but an effort should be made to bring in new features every year. The trade add resources of the district are yearly progressing or changing, and seldom a year passes without some new form of industry connected with the soil being either inaugurated or well discussed in the public papers. A living and active society of this character would notice all these new industries and give encouragement to them by at least putting their products in the schedule of prizes offered. Unfortunately the Auckland Society, - under its J present management, has never been guilty of going out of very common place and wellbeaten paths. Although the Indian and Colonial Exhibition in London gave a splendid opportunity for representing the agricultural resources of the Auckland dietriot to a very wide circle of visitors, nothing, whatever was done by the association to make oar existence as a district known in London. The Gardener's Society took aotive measures to have our fruit represented at London, and had it not been for the blameable carelessness of the Government and the New Zealand Shipping Company, the produce of Auckland orchards would have been well represented at London. Bat nothing whatever was done by the Agricultural and Pastoral Association to make known the resources of our district. The more energetically-con-ducted sister society at Ohristchurch obtained its best samples of grass, grain, etc., from the ,North Island to exhibit in London. . The contrast i« not favourable to Auckland, and is liable to make people ask, why this difference in the management of the two siator {societies? During the last year the subject of silk culture has occupied a good deal of public attention by discus* aions in the newspapers and otherwise. But though this would have given a clue to an active committee of management in the framing of a schedule of prises, no mention whatever is made of it. No prize offered for locally grown cocoons, raw or reeled silk, or an exhibition of silk worms being fed, &c. Such a feature added to the show could not have failed to be attractive to a large number of visitors. Then, again, in regard to fruit evaporation. Though the question of frui culture and its disposal has been a prominent question during the last two or three years by farmers and orchardists, this form of fruit-preservation is utterly ignored in the prize schedule. So is the production of cider, perry, locally made wines from grapes, or other fruit, and when such an utter disregard is shown in the framing of the prize schedule to the changes taking place in our community, it is not to be wondered that the exhibition this year is inferior in many respects to its predecessors. But however the class of defects to which we have alluded may have detracted from the importance of the exhibition as compared with what it might have, been, upon the whole it is fairly good, and in some respects, especially in horses and products of town trades, it may be regarded as representative. This said, however, there is no doubt there is a considerable falling off as compared with many previous annual displays, and in subsequent years efforts should be made to increase its attractiveness by increasing the variedness of its character. All new forms of industry springing up amongst us, directly from the products of the soil or otherwise, should be represented, and the prize schedule so framed each year as to bring their incipient industries into the light of day. A judiciously regulated prize list will do much to secure this end ; but to obtain such a boon the framers of it must be in hearty accord with the progress and changes taking place amongst and around us. It can never be accomplished by ten months' absolute idleness and complete disregard of everything relating to the industrial and agricultural life around us. To be really successful, the association ought to make itself felt for good during the whole year, and not content itself by making a little fuss a few weeks just about the time of the Prince of Wales' Birthday. With- an active and intelligent secretary at its head, guided and directed by judicious councillors on the committee of management, the association might become one of the most useful institutions amongst us, and perform an amount of useful work in many directions, which would make it a source of pride to be connected with its conduct. However, it has much to do before it can aspire to such honour" able distinctions.