FRUITS OF THE WAIKATO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18104, 31 May 1922, Page 11

FRUITS OF THE WAIKATO.

GREAT WINTER SHOW.

REMARKABLE EXHIBITION.

FINE DAIRY EXHIBITS.

FARM AND GARDEN PRODUCTS.

IBT TELEGIHAPJt.—SPECIAL IIEPORTEn.]

HAMILTON, Tuesday,

The sixteenth annual Waikato Winter Show was opened at Hamilton to-day by the Minister for Agriculture, Hon. \V. Nosworthy. The weather was exceptionally Sue and thcro was a very l»,rpe attendance.

The Minister was welcomed by the' president of the association. Mr. K. Clark, nnd the Mayi... Mr. J. R. Fow< Other speakers were Messrs. J. A. Young, K. Boliard, 11. Poland, and F. Hockly, memheis of Parliament, who .congratulated the residents of the Waikato in <~ett.ii;rr earnestly to work durinv ihs of financioi stress and mstfatiiip bv hard work an.! ■•.•«.«,ioa>y the pwplc could overcomo thei* diili:allies. This had bce n done «.u the, case of (ho wini.ee ghoiv, which wu-; -lik year st greater suwess than ever.

Thr, dairy exhibits as usiKil iorm a striking feature of tin show. Tho entries ci butter r,nd cheese nui/iimr c J, an increase of over 250 compared ]aat year. Such a rejcarkable increase «s » striking iadicutior. of th';j growth of t;ie dairying iiidustn/ and the importance of the show to the dairy farmer. It slso j: : .'C3 weight- to the s.ia'm 'hat. t :« Waikato Show is tha mo.st important, of its kind in the Dominion, for tlho entries are dra'vn from all parts of New Zealand.

The competition for grading j}' factory h'.a' 1 i'T3, for which the Auckland Farnv's' FT<x-7.ing Company h.-m contr:but-ed £50 in prize money,' will bo the n-ost imjK.irtant competition of its kind 5a New Soaland or Australia. In conjunction with the show the association provides for a number of lectures to dairymen. T>.p Wtter Exhibits. As regards the butter exhibits, the judges st,-ted that the display of butter was not only >„ho largest, but from a quality point of view, considering the number of exhibits, the best that has ever been staged in New Zealand. The great, percentage cf the butter was of a vSry high order indeed, while the nuan- ! bev of low scoring exhibits waj almost j negligible. In some classes over 40 entries were exhibited, so that while the winners were to bo ongrct.: many of the other exhibitors had "o.xson to feel proud of their high though nonprizetaking scores. A very pleading feature, tfie judges added, was the number and quality of the exhibits in the assistants 1, class. The display of products 5s ex-,1 cecdingly good, t!>e roots in pr-vlicular being very fine. The season han been favourable for growth and the r snlt is Teflecte»d in the show exhibits, which maintain high quality combined with »iz« and substance. It is a gr&ttfying feature that the entries have been v'l'c-v.n from a miidi wider area than noval, indicating the ever widening influence of the show. As in previous years root.r from th«- pumice lands command much attention, but there are a'so exceedingly good exhibits from other districts such j as tho King Country. Raglan, Thames, Valley, and Lower Waikato. Swedes , and soft tuniijw mnke a bold showing, 1 and carrots, and other field products are also strongly represented. Such strong ei'nsses have rarely been seen in any show, ancl the wealth, exhibit* is a gratifying manifestation of! the constantly increasing interest taken by, the farmers in the Waikato function Tha District Courts. Additional -valence of the widening influence and popularity of the show is afforded by the increase in the district ; courts this year compared with the number i allotted last yen;-. King Country und ! Raglan, which were the only two dis- j tricts to establish special courts la:-t year, : are again well represented,, and Gorlont jii j and Puketaha have prepared tpi-cial courts to display th'b chief piothiets of their respective districts. The King Coventry court contains a more gen?ral lolcfj tiou than the others And provides striking evidence of the extent and variety of the natural resources of the district-. Limastone is well the various sampiea demonstrating the variety of ways n» which the stone may profitably be' used. There" are also fine samples of locally manufactured bricks and products of other branches of industry and the farm pro ducts include butter, cheese, meat, hams snd bacon as well as oats, maize, roots ! and 'nut. Tha tn the other courts are confic'u tr f ?rm products. In addition to ixr.celJedfc eolioctions of dairy products they 'include first-/'ass samples of roots and garden r-'voduce, together w .h fins <>e!ections of grain in the sheaf. The umplay ■Ch fra;f. is nlso very fi'.e, choice collection® ■oi xir.rr.erous varieties of apples giving eridtnc • of the suitability of the districts' ffiiaitioneci for orchardists, The Ruakura Farm. '.rhe collection of products from the Buakura Farm forms a striking display, though tho general collection is . not _as extensive as in previous years. A portion of the space usually allotted to the collection is devoted to exhibits of the Forestry Service, an innovation which should "be of special interest to farmers. The collection includes a wide variety of young trees in various stages of growth and officers of the department are in attendance to impart information regarding the method of treatment, soil suitability and other details relating to tree planting and forestry generally. The collection from Ruakura is, as usual, a very fine one. Tho exhibits are very artist,,;ally arranged and are displayed for the purpose of providing instruction and demonstrating what can be done on Waikato soil. All varieties of field and garden produce are represented aftd a fine selection of seeds grown and harvested on the farm is displayed. Machinery and Motor-Cars. Trie machinery section of the show this year is more extensive than ever- Milking machines and other mechanical contrivances for use by dairy farmers are exhibited in large numbers and form a never ending source of interest to vigors. Other kinds of machinery and fans, implements include everything that- is necessary for tilling the soil, from tho tractor to the harrow. There is also a line display of motor vehicles, the provision of additional space in the show buildings this year having afforded the opportunity of assembling the exhibits in a spacious court. An interesting -section of the show :s that devoted to school exhibits. The en- ■ tries are exceptionally numerous in all classes, giving evidence of the" interest taken in the show by both teachers and scholars of the schools r>f the province.