OTAGO A. AND P. SOCIETY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14211, 12 May 1908, Page 3

OTAGO A. AND P. SOCIETY.

WELD TURNIP COMPETITION. The annual field turnip and other root crops competition, held under the auspices of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association, has been concluded for the 1905 season. Messrs J. Macphenon (Totara) and William Jaffray, jun. (East Taieri), the society's judges, having returned from their tour of inspection round the various districts,'announce their decisions as under: Cloes I: Best 10 acres or more of swedo turnips (any variety). Messrs Nimroo and Blair offer' trophy, value 15gs, to be won three times (not necessarily in succession).— John Mosley, Stirling, 1; Alex. Barclay. Kailangata, 2; G. H, Gilroy, Stirling 3Peter Anderson, Stirling, and Joseph Smith Stirling (equal), 4. Class II: Ten acres or over of Aberdeen turnips (any variety). Messrs Kempthome, I Prosser, and Co. (N.Z. Drug Co., Ltd.) offer trophy, vame logs, to Ik- won three tiroes (not necessarily in succession).—Diack Bros. Waikouaiti, 1; N.Z. and Australian Land Co.! Mocraki Estate, Hampden, 2; John Douglas's ■Trustees, Palinerstcm. 3. Only half crops, the leaves having been eaten by the diamondbacked fly. Class III: Ten acres green crop, including turnips, carrots, mangels, etc. First ' prize, six tons of Agricultural limo (presented I by the Milburn Lime and Cement Co.) - ! Walter Blaekic, East Taieri, 1 (18 tons tur- '■ ni'ps per acre. 103 tons mangels per acre j 30 tons carrots per acre; total, 105); AVm! ' Souter, Flag Swamp, 2 (CG tons Gcwt turnips' I per acre, 56 tons tart mangels per acre, ' 24 tons Oowt carrots per acre; total, 147): Jos. Patrick. West, Taieri, 3 (15 tons turnips per acre, 102 tons 4cwt mangels per acre. 15 tons 17cwt carrots per acre; total, 133)-' 11. Hugan, Flag Swamp, 4 (58 tons turnips per acre, 30 tor.s mangels per aero, 33 tons 3ewt carrots per acre; total, 121); Antony I'lermhg, Palmerston, 5 (23 tons turnips per acre, 23 tons mangels per acre, 31 tons Mcwt carrots per acre; total, 83J); W. E. Aubrey ' 6 (24 tons turnips per acre, 28 tons mangels : ■per acre, 27 tons B:wt carrots per acre: I total, 70?.). ' Class IV: Best (wo acres or over of mange*. First prize, £2; second, £1 (given by the societyl.-Johu Dow, Outrani, 1 (17Q tons per acre); Walter Blackie, East Taieri 2 (108 tans per acre). ' Class V: Best 10 acres or over of turnips (any variety), grown with Challenge manure Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co. offer Challenge trophy (value 15gs) and gold medal; tropny lo be won three limes, not neces- ; sarily consccutively.-Jclm Mosley, Stirling 1 (85 tons 4cwt per acre); G. 11. Gilroy! Stirling, 2 (72, tons per acre); Peter Anderson, Stirling, 3 (60 tons per acre); Campbell and Sons, ffyndham, i (53 tons Gcwt nor acre). ' judges' hemakks. : The judges remark as follows on tho ! various classes: — Class 1.-Mr Barclay, who is placed ! second in this competition, had, unfortunately only eight acres in one paddock, instead of 10, as -prescribed, and to qualify had to include two acres from an adjoining paddock, where there was a light crop. Had there been the proper area in his one paddock he would have secured first position. In the Hampden, Palmereton, Waikouaiti, Beaumont, and Taieri districts wo found that blight and the diamond-backed fly had affected the turnip crops very badly, and checked the growth; but in the Stirling and Wyndham districts the crops were not affected, and arc still srowinij vigorously. In the last-named districts the crop* will grow much heavier during llie nexi month or six weeks. Class ll.—We found the entries of Aberdeen turnips very poor as to weight per acre, the diamond-backed fly having damaged this class of turnip even worse than the swedes. It is to be regretted that some entries in this class were not received from south of Milton, as we noticed during our tour some heavy crops in Southland quite free from the ily. « Class lII.—In this class the mangolds and carrots were very good, but some of the turnip entries were rallicr poor, owing to the ravages of the fly. Chits IV—The bpsl and heaviest crops were Found in this class, first honours falling to Mr Uow (West Taieri), who had a magnificent crop of mangolds. We found i Mr Dow's three different 'varieties of mangolds heavier per acre than those at any of the other farms we visited. Other eutrie's in this class were very crcdilnble to the growers. Class V.-Mr Mosley (Inr-hclutha) has a splendid crop of .Magnum Bonum swedes, which arc still growing vigorously. The second and third competitors also had good crops. In order to assist us in arriving at, a true estimate- of the different crops we weighed a certain proportion of each, and calculated the yield as nor figures given, General.—We received every kindness aud attention at the different farms we visited, and desire to thank members of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society for teh trouble taken by it in driving us to the various exhibitor.;' fur ins.