ROYAL SHOW.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21163, 22 October 1930, Page 6

ROYAL SHOW.

HAWKE’S BAY’S CREDITABLE EFFORT. BUSHEY PARK COERIEDALES TO THE FORE. (From Our Special Reporter.) HASTINGS, October 21. The itinerant nature of the Royal Agricutural, Society's annual exhibition of livestock is the cause of the keen competition which characterises the staging of the show each year. The Hawke’s Bay A. and P, Association is making a determined bid to present a display equal to the best of the past seven years, and it must be admitted it has achieved something more than ordinarily good. The association’s grounds have no equal in the South Island from the viewpoint of picturesque appearance and spaciousness, nor can any southern association lay claim to better buildings and appointments; but it will be generally agreed by Otago and Southland visitors to the show that compactness of display has been sacrificed to completeness of accommodation. The show is spread out over 74 acres in a more or less haphazard fashion, which is in marked contrast to the methods adopted at the Christchurch,Dunedin, and Invercargill shows. The Hawke’s Bay Association has spent £40,000 on its grounds, and can make the proud boast that it dotes not owe one penny. There is a large contingent of Otago and Southland' farmers in Hawke’s Bay at the present time, and the judges’ panel includes more southern breeders than any others. Southlandera are more than justified in their contention that the Hawke’s Bay Association has by no means surpassed the outstanding show staged in Invercargill last year. Whether the uncertainty of the pastoral outlook at the present time has affected the show it would be hard to say; but it may bo stated that as a representative exhibition of the Dominion’s livestock resources the Hawke’s Bay Show falls considerably short of the exceptional all-round display made in the south in 1929. The sheep pens are not as full as was the ease last year, and the breeds represented are fewer m number. In fact, the North Island is represented virtually by two breeds—Romneys and Southdowns, The Corriedale entry comes almost exclusively from Canterbury and Otago, and there are scarcely enough Border Leicesters, English Leicester, Lincolns, Ryelands, or merinos to make a competitive show. Oattle are, of course, a strong feature pf the show, both beef and dairy breeds being well represented. Beef shorthonis, Aberdeen AngiiSj Herefords, and Red rolls are forward in W-ge numbers, and Jerseys, Friesians, and Ayrehires are numerous enough to provide their respectove judges with some very arduous work. The horse classes are not out of the ordinary, although the competition in the various light horse sections is very keen, Otago and Southland have no need to 1 fear serious competition from the North Island_in the matter of Clydesdale horses. Were it not for the Moore Hunter Estate at Hawera and the Fairlie breeder, Mr Andrew Grant, there would be a very poor showing of the'hcavy breed. Working draughts are even fewer in number than breeders, both sections indicating that the_ horse haa tost infinitely more ground in the north than in the south. The Fairlie breeder is represented by his imported sire Desire, by Carrondale out of Grange Darling, which will be remembered as the Otago horse parade champion last year, and jvinner of the Wright, Stephenson Challenge Cup. Mr Grant also has a bunch of youngsters by Desire, SHORTHORN CATTLE. The Otago breeder, Mr J. A. Johnstone, of Bushey Park, Palmerston, met with stiff opposition in the beef shorthorn section, where he was opposed by cattle from the estate of the late Mr Archibald M’Lean, whose Greenhill stud has always held a prominent place in North Island shorthorn honours lists. Mr Donald Buchanan (Masterton) was also represented, and the Waiterenui stud of Mr W. A. M'Farlane (Hastings) was represented by some cattle that made a, distinct impression on the judge. Mr M'Farlane won the bull championship, and also the female award. His champion bull was the three-year-old Bushey Park Royal Mandarin, who won the royal championship at Invercargill last year for his owner qnd breeder, Mr J. A. Johnstone. Mr M'Farlane purchased Bushey Park Royal Mandarin at the Invercargill Show, It would appear that the son ot Bushey Park Lavender Royal is going to achieve no less fame for his present owner than he accomplished for his breeder, for whom he won many prizes from a yearling up. Mr M'Farlane’s champion cow was another of his recent purchases, having been acquired at the dispersal of Sir R. D. D. M'Lean’s Maraekakaho stud. She was Maraekakaho Silver Bell, a seven-year-old cow of the old-fashioned type. The Bushey three-year-old heifer, Bushey Park Sweetbriar, by Bushey Park Lavender Royal out of the imported cow Sweetbriar, easily demonstrated her superiority over the Waiterenui and Greenhill entries, winning a well-deserved red ticket. Bushey Park Sweetbriar is an attractive roan heifer of the type now so much favoured in Britain and North and South America. She is near the ground, but on close inspection is found to be of great depth of side and spread of rib. A robust constitution, along with a nice female head and expression, leads one to believe that this must become a valuable stud matron in years to come. The reserve champion heifer was found among the Greenhill entry, the award going to a two-year-old, who was adjudged a better heifer than Mr Johnstone's Bushey Park Belle 111, by Bushey Park Augustas Hero, out of Cluny Belle (imp.). A fifteen-month-old heifer from the Greenhill stud impressed the judge more than did Bushey Park Ten Rose X, by the imported sire Rothie Brisbane Diamond, out of Bushey Park Tea _ Rose. The Otago heifer was second, with another Greenhill heifer third.

There were only two North Island animals in the aged full class, and it was in the three-year-old class that the Otagobred Bushey Park Royal Mandarin won the championship for Mr Macfarlane. Mr Donald Buchanan took the red ticket for two-year-old bulls, with Bushey Park Golden Fame and Bushey Park Matador filling second and third places for Mr Johnstone. Bushey Golden Gift, a magni-ficently-fashioned little yearling bull, by Bushey Park Lavender Royal, out of Sweetbriar, won the red ticket for Mr Johnstone in its class. This bull fras selected by two English breeders in the British farmers’ touring party earlier in the year as one of the finest specimens of the Scottish type they had come across. Competition was remarkably keen in this class, and the judge made six awards. The Otago breeder was beaten in the champion group class, being placed second to the Greeuhill entry. The Bushey Park cattle were third in the class for a pair of two-year-olds, but the two-year-old bull Bushey Park Golden Fame and the yearling bull Bushey Park Golden Gift were adjudged the best of the half-dozen entries in the class for a pair of young bulls, Bushey Park Golden Gift is a roan son of Bushey Park Lavender Royal and the imported cow Sweetbriar, He is a very level, deep-fleshed young bull. He has ail the appearance of developing into a quality animal, showing abundance of constitution and masculine character.

CORRIEDALE SHEEP. South Island exhibitors provided the entire Corriedale display with the exception of a small entry from the Wairarapa flock of Mr W. Rayner. There was a heavy representation from Canterbury studs, but the Otago breeder Mr J. A. Johnstone, of Bushey Park, emerged triumphant with all the championships and reserve championships as well as the points prize for the' greatest number of wins in ordinary class awards. The Hui Hui stud of the late Mr H. T. Little (Hawarden) offered solid opposition, and there were also some excellent entries forward in the names of Messrs 0. T. ns J9 hr jf tc £ urch )’ N - D - Campbell (Gjendhu), Cochrane Bros. (Ashburton), and N G. Rayner (Masterton). The Bushey Park sheep, however, almost swept the pool. Practically all the ewe awards were awarded to the Otago sheep and the principal ram awards also came to the south. Mr Johnstone secured the ram championship with a typical three-year-old Corriedale. This ram carries himself as a stud sire should, with that boldness of outlook and carriage so essential in a high-class male animal. He combines a good carcass with a heavy covering of high-quality dense even wool. Good on the points and below, he stands firm on good sound feet and legs which show plenty of bone. The reserve championship for rams also went to Mr Johnstone’s eight-tooth ram, which showed plenty of size and weight, in addition to

breed, character, and constitution. There was also about this ram that boldness of carriage which denotes' a sire of quality. His fleece of bushy, bright, medium-strength wool had all the true Corriedale style.

Mr Johnstone also won the champion ribbon for ewes with an aged ewe of great character and quality. She was as good in fleece as in carcass, and presented a picture of a serviceable matron that must have been admired by all lovers of a good sheep. Her fleece was uniform in quality and fineness, and her conformation and condition were such as to appeal to all good judges of carcass. The reserve champion ewe was also a Bushsy Park entry She was a good specimen, well up to standard. She had an attractive fleece with a blocky tip and clean opening wool of good quality and style, i addition to all the championships, the Bushey Park breeder won many class awards, particularly in the female classes. 11 Bushey Park ewe hoggets have been well to the front at all the leading shows in the Dominion during recent years. The specimens forward at this show were fully representative of the female section of tne stud, and did the well-known southern stud credit They were all good examples of the breed, with nicely covered heads, but not by any means wool-blind. Ihey were excellent types of the true dualpurpose sheep, exhibiting a thick mutton ca *p c “ B s covered with an attractive fleece. '“Y 1 , U 1 fbeep made an impression on the judge, but could not beat the Bushey Park flock for the points prize, which was won by Mr J. A. Johnstone last year also. The position with regards to the points prizes was as follows:—J A Johnstone, 41 points, 1; H. T, Little (North Canterbury). 33 points, 2; Owen if " va ?? (Ganterbury), 18 points, 3. Mr ■N. D. Campbell (North Canterbury) eeeigH pointe > and Mr W. Rayner (Masterton) seven points. OTHER BREEDS. The best of the other breeds were Romney Marsh and Southdowns, of both ot which there were some exceptionally fine types. In the Romney pens there were many fine sheep, but at the same time there were not a few that were scarcely fit to be shown. Mr Alex. Murray, of Mosgiel, judged the natural classes and waa well pleased with most of theni. although he saw a good number that he did not like.

The Southdowns were a very good Jot and competition was very keen among .North Island breeders. A run through idawkes Bay is sufficient to demonstrate the importance of both Romney and Southdown in the north. The crossing of Southdown rams with Romney ewes has proved eminently successful, and the result is a marketable and profitable type of lamb. Both of these breeds find great favour in the north, and the extent of the displays in each section indicates the widespread nature of their popularity. There were a few Ryelands of very fam quality, but it ia noticeable that the North Island Ryeland is a very different sheep from the South Island variety. The northern part of the Dominion appears to have developed a new type of the breed Climate and general conditions have apP a rently affected wool and conformation. The less said about Border the better. Suffice it to say that Otago baa hundreds of better quality and character, English Leicesters were scarcely any better, but Lincolns, although few in number,‘were an excellent lot. The handful j* raer * nos forward was well up to standard, and the Shropshires were a very lot, albeit there was very poor competition, two Canterbury breeders, Cochrane Bros, and Sir Charles Clifford, providing the entire entry.