CENTRAL WAIKATO SHOW.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13691, 6 March 1908, Page 8

CENTRAL WAIKATO SHOW.

A RECORD EXHIBITION

FINE DISPLAY OF STOCK

Tkk Central Waikato Agricultural and Pastoral Association's annual show, held at. Cambridge, proved a great success. Considering the fact that Ih<> country has had 110 rain since New Year, the stock were 111 remarkably fine condition, and the show is the largest the association has yet held. All sections of the show were strong, horses in particular accounting lor a show in themselves. The competitive portion of the, show totalled 1562 entries, the largest total by a good many that the association lias yet received. Of these, horses number 616, cattle 280, sheep 198. and pigs 16. Thoroughbreds and carriage horses were judged by Mr. W. McKenzie, of Masterton; roadsters and saddle horses by Mr. E. D. O'Rorke, of Auckland : draughts by Mr. ,T. 1). Mitchell, of Manaia ; Shorthorns ami fat cattle by Mr. .1. Baldwin, of Turukina: dairy and .Jersey cattle by Mr. F. Cornwall, Taranaki; longwool sheep In Mr. J. Strang, of Gladstone; short wool sheep by Sir. J. Vine, Te Kuiti ; and pigs by Mr. '1. 15. Clow, of Pa pa toe toe. EXHIBITION OF HORSES. There was only one thoroughbred entire forward. This was Mr. H. Smith's .Yliiskerdale, sired by the famous champion Musketry, out of Sunningdale. The horse shows plenty of good substance, and has a line head. It was deemed worthy of a first and champions]tip. There was a very nice field of seven orood mares, including some really nice foals, and the championship went on general points to Waimangu, by Explosion out. of Stepfast, by St. Hippo, a splendid mare, related to Elevation, and with a most promising foal at foot, owned by Mr. J. Cavanagh. of Ohatipo. The second marc was Mi. R. Hannon's Zuleika, b # v Seaton Delaval out of Abydos. There were six good dry mares, and in tiiis section Mr. R. Hannon was again successful, with the pretty little chestnut Millie, which was sired by Tasman, and "mothered by Duchess, beating Mrs. J. Martyn's (Broadmeadows) Cressy, by Hippocampus. Carriage and | harness horses formed a particularly good section, there being very great difficulty in selecting the placed horses from such uniformly good fields, hile children's ponies were ail handy animals and well ridden. Roadsters, hacks, and hunters were the feature of the horse classes, and showed what the district is capable of producing in horseflesh, experts considering the display one of the finest in the- North Island. The best horse in the roadster or hackney stallion class was Woodstock, a Patchem horse out of Ohessv, bred by Mr. C. J. Storey, and owned by Mr. J. Pollard., of Te Awamutu. The section included some beautiful mares, well adapted to breeding weight-carrying hacks. Great interest centred in the, ridingcompetition for girls under 17, a class of 12 competitors, four of whom proved very difficult to divide. Miss V. Allw ill was at length awarded first, and Miss J. Hicks second.

The draughts provided very keen and interesting competition, there being 158 entries. The section opened with tin; heavy draught entires, four years and upwards. There were two competitors, Mi". V. L. Bagnall's Beniuore's Pride, by Benmore out of Bloom, bred by H. Pellow, and Mt. C. Hargreavo's Lord Elclerslie, by Hard Times. The former was awarded the honours. It was first and champion at Te Aroha, first as a two-year-old at Pukekohe, and second at Auckland, but it had 'to stand down for the championship before the only entry in the three years and under four class. This was Mr. H. Rhodes' (Paterangi) bay, Lord Ilopetoun, which was got by Lord Roberts out of lima, by Quality King, and bred by Mr. A. Hastie, of Manaia. Lord Hopetoun is a very fine, good "standing, and weilformed horse, and it was first at Wanganui as: a yearling, and also at New Plymouth and Hawera, first and champion last- year at Cambridge; jus two-year-old, beating the first prize Auckland and Hamilton horses. The two-year entires were a good pair, and Mr. F. Corrigart's Prince McCormick, by Ben McCormick out of a Better Times mare, making its first .appearance in a .show ring, "was awarded first. M'r. N. Dickey brought forward a nice colt in Arawa-, by Armadale, which was first at both Tanrailga and Auckland; this colt promises to develop into a very fine horse. Mr. W. Taylor, of Greenhills, Te Awamutu, was the only exhibitor in brood mares, but his Diamond, by Contingent, a newcomer, to the Waikato, but a known prize winner in tlie Wanganui district, was an exceedingly line mare, and she beat Blythsome, by Crown Prince, from the famous stud of.'{ho Hon. M. Holmes, near Oamaru, and mother of the great, horse Marcellus. The -brood mare class; from which stud animals we; excluded, was a strong ring, and Mr. F. Corrigan's win with Bonny, by BetU-v Times, was of more than passing interest. There were some splendid dry mares, of which \ the best was Mr. W. Taylor's Sylvia, by j Grown Prince, another of the lion. M. Holmes' breeding. Fillies and geldings were all splendid, and all were shown well.

THE CATTLE SECTION. The pedigree, Shorthorns were probably the feature of the cattle classes, but unfortunately there was not very keen competition, the principal honours all going to Mr. W. Taylor's Te Awarnuiu stud. His champion bull. Frederick Edward, was champion as a yearling .md .second as a two-year-old at Auckland, and, curiously enough, at this show lie beat the bull which beat him ■at Auckland. Taylor's Baton Rose 111., by Oxford Duke VIII., which was bred by Archdeacon Williams, arid this was also a. reversal iof the Hamilton decisi-j;i. Frederick Edward shows strongly* the strain of his sire, the imported bull Edward XXI . In yearling bulls Mr. Taylor's Edward Florist, by the same sire out of ldalia I V., beat a bull by Duke Edward 11. and shown by Mr. V. L. agnail. In cows the well-known, champion, Mi. Taylor's Freda 111., by Lord Rothesay, and exhibited in the aged class, was outclassed by one of his three-year-olds, Wild Eyes 111., by Edward XXII., which had previously scored three seconds and also a. first at Auckland, the younger cow taking the championship. The Auckland champion, Wild Eyes X., by the samesire, a two-year heifer, was first in her class, but did not get a look in on the championship. The grade Shorthorns included some very fine, useful cows, and Mr George Rose's Billy was first in the bull class. Mr. A. McFarlane's two bulls were the only pedigree Hereford.-; forward, and Mr. ,1. C. Allen, of Annnndfile, was the sole exhibitor of pedigiee Angus cattle; his lot, however, included two

noticeably fine bulls. Fat cattle wen- all well up to the mark, and the dairy section, considering the drought period, was a strong one, and consisted of very (inc. useful cows. In pedigree Jersevs the championship in bulls w»nt to Air. <'. Day, of Tamahere, for Viola's Dairyman, by Doctor —Viola's Duchess", and Messrs. Willis Bros.' Fitzwilliam,' by Sweat William—Gossip 11., was placed second, this being a reversal of the Auckland decision. Mr. Day showed some beautiful heifers, taking firsts in the three-year, one-year, and bull calf classes, but, being beaten by Willis Bros, in the two-year class. Grade Jerseys were all good milking cows and heifers. The pick of the Ayrshire's was the champion bull Prince of Wales, by Prince Charlie, out of Beauty, shown by •Mr W. J, Hall, of Mata'toke. 'I his splendid bull, a. thoroughly true type of Ayrshire and well shown, has been first and champion tit Palmerston North, Hawke's Hay, \Vaikato, Cambridge, Ohinetnuri, and Auckland from 1905 to ds.t*. Mr. George Watts' two-year bull. Belle Roy, by Ferguson, was deemed worthy oi special mention by the judge. I he tows and heifers made up as good a selection as could be found at any North Island show. Holsteins were but few in number. The only bull was Mr. G. W. Lux ton s William King, bred by Newton King, of New Plymouth.