Round the Ploughing Match

Southland Times, Issue 13285, 12 August 1895, Page 3

Round the Ploughing Match

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Having some spare time on. hand yesterday I made up my mind to visit the champion ploughing match field in the afternoon, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed myself; not so much perhaps at the sight of the ploughing alone, as at the best a ploughing match is to many like myself rather a slow sport. There were, however, many splendid teams of horses, good harness well kept, and I heard from experts that the ploughing was very creditable on the ,whole. My enjoyment, however, was very much increased by seeing the innovations, or, might I say, side shows, which were on the ground. These consisted of a gorse-cutting competition, where some halfdozen sturdy hedgers had each a certain quantity of work allotted; this they very soon changed from a rough wild overgrown hedge to a neat well-kept fence. Next in order was a meet of the Birchwood hounds under command of a well known jovial Southland sport. They landed in an adjoining field about 3 p'.m. amid great din and Iconfusion. However after a little trouble the dogs were rounded up and the whole party rested for some twenty minutes. This I learned was for the purpose of giving the hedgers, time to reduce tne height of the nearest jump, which I considered almost necessary judging from the appearance of some who had followed over higher jumps previous to the halt. Hedge cutters are now cleared away and the bugle being sounded for a fresh start all seemed ready ; dogs, huntsmen, riders—and some of the horses. The dogs gob on the trail, but unfortunately at a part of the hedge where only a very small number could get through ; the bulk of the pack were howling up against the cruel hedge which they were unable to negotiate. The dogs seemed quite at a loss to get over the hedge or the present difficulty. Some kind pedestrians however grasped the situation and almost at the same moment in desperation grasped the dogs and threw them over the hedge as a man would throw turnips to a cow. By this means many of the dogs were enabled to join the pack, which otherwise, like many of the would-ba huntsmen who unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate the first hedge, would have been mustered up at the starting side. I remarked to a bystander that it seemed strange hunting. He acknowledged that, with the exception of the new way of getting the dogs over a hedge, he had often seen such hunts before. The jumping contest and the getting to the city by the 5.30 train brought a most enjoyable day to a close,—l am, etc., Admirer of New Ideas. 8 th Aug.