PENINSULA A. AND P. ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2545, 24 December 1902, Page 13

PENINSULA A. AND P. ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL SUMMER SHOW. t t\as> Peninsula A. and P. Society held its fcnnual summer -s"how at Portobello on Wednesday afternoon. In common with kindred societies this season, it suffered rather badly in the matter of weather, and the particularly exposed position of- the show ground made -things rather uncomfortable for officials ivdZ. spectators. . The wind made havoc of the " luncheon marquee, which Was first badly 'torn and then collapsed, on top \of » number 'of people seated "at lunch. Before the squall passed -there ,was'a general smashing "of crockery; food was swept off the tables on to "the ground, and -general confusion prevailed. In spite of the weather there was a good turn out of the settlers, and the sum of £21 8s 6d was taken at the ' gates. Few country shows are better supported in .their respective districts than the Peninsula show, ■ and it is looked forward r- to for. months .beforehand. The feature oi the shw-tni's-year was, as. usual, tEe dairy cattle.-. It : is not.is'eable that T alterations are* taking place jnj-the types of -cattle favoured. • by the dairy^'faTmers of .the district, and Alde.rneys'-do-jioii seem., to be so. much in '_ vogue, Awhile C^ere Is an 'advAncerin short- , ■'iiomsi ThTs'^jfiay' beC" attributed tb the fact that' less ahcl-fless butter' is being made by the farmers tHemselves, and in many cases Attention is bemg'more closely concentrated on the milk supply. Alderneys, although yielding a milk rich in butter fat, do not give "the quantity yielded by Ayrshires and certain kinds of shorthorns, hence the pre- , ference -of the latter. The Ayrshires were a " stfow va. themselves, and visitors from other districts freely admitted that some of th» cattle" shown in this section would hold theif^own with anything in the colony. Mr A.-M'CabVs'cows and heifers took most of the prizes, without a great deal of opposition, and in the absence of any repreeentatiyes from Mr Lee's herd, which were so , conspicuous last y§ar. Mr Lee, who this year occupies the position of president of the society, has purchased Mr HastieXpro.perty. at the Taieri, and is removing to his new home, and this accounts for his not exhibiting this year. The championship for the best bull went to Mr James Mathieson, who won it with a good type of the breed raised by Mr Lee. A bull that attracted some attention was a five-year-old beset entered by. Mr. R. Hall. There was fairly strong competition in the different classes in the horse section, and here again the peculiarity, of .the district is shown hjy the - type, of - animal - most in vogue. The- hilly, jiaiure^of the country^', combined with the "'reqmr^mVnte'- of the' dairy farmer,' make it imperative -that .the .farm ; horse shall be ■of • quick-stepping, active* breed, able to draw « fair. -load, t*fcd" not-' take long -about it. Consequently- . heavy draught horses .were almost' ,'eßtireiy^.abserit the -ring,' and the horses which came before the judges we're mostly of a. lighter build, .suitable for spring van. .work. .The young stock were, on the whole, a promising lot, and there were'iwo classes for yearlings by Mr J. Craig's horse Clanranald, whose stock seem to find favour on the Peninsula. The hackney classes were very creditable, and a good* deal- of interest was displayed in the judging. - The., jumping contests, which lasted till after 6 o'clock, brought out a fair number of competitors, and the winners were local men in each case. Mr R. Milne proved a very capable secretary, and, thanks largely to him, the show was .well managed from beginning to end. The following is the prise list: —