THE EXHIBITS

Southland Times, Issue 22011, 10 May 1933, Page 11

THE EXHIBITS

BRILLIANT SPECTACLE DAIRY PRODUCE A FEATURE DRILL HALL TRANSFORMED Any fears held by townspeople that a Winter Show is a dull affair will be dispelled as soon as entrance is made to the Drill Hall. It is no ill-assorted array of stalls scattered throughout a big, cheerless building that greets the eye. Rather is it a resplendent spectacle of the fruits of the earth and the skill of man arranged with consummate artistry and logical sequence. The directors, the secretary, and the staff have fully realized that the Show possesses a much wider function than providing an opportunity for competition among farmers. To continue a success it must please the public; and to achieve this a bright, attractive and rational lay-out is imperative. In this respect the 1933 Show leaves little to be desired and it will be surprising, indeed, if the attendances for the two remaining days are not very large. Southland has won world-wide distinction for the quality of the cheese manufactured in its factories. It is therefore not surprising that this year’s display should be of outstanding merit. In fact it is generally conceded that it eclipses that of last year which was regarded in turn as the most important in the South Island. The home industries and fancy work sections are invariably a source of keen interest not merely to women, but to ordinary males. The stalls of farm produce, of preserves, of bread, scones and cakes, and of needlework speak eloquently of the industry and efficiency of the housewives of Southland. Several hours may be most profitably spent inspecting this attractive part of the Show. The fruit section is of a much higher standard than usual, numerous entries from well-known Central Otago growers adding to its interest. School Displays. The displays from the schools are sure to evoke admiration. Each' year it seems that the children are growing more skilful. Many of the articles displayed at this year’s show would be highly creditable if they came from the hands of master craftsmen/ An exhibition by the Invercargill Camera Club is an outstanding feature of the Show. Not a few of the photographs have been exhibited in foreign salons. The trade displays, though not so numerous as usual, attracted a lot of interest. In the inner hall are to be found the exhibits of a more direct agricultural interest. There are fat cattle, sheep and lambs which Southland farmers know so well how to exhibit to perfection. Other bags contain vegetables roots, seeds and grain of superb quality. The wool section has been made much more attractive than in the past, more attention having been given to the display of the fleeces. The exhibits from the Boys’ , and Girls’ Agricultural Clubs Association are sure to be keenly inspected and genuinely admired. There is indisputable evidence here of the great educational value of this movement.

Two very popular adjuncts of the Winter Show are the Garden Club’s Chrysanthemum Show and the Invercargill Poultry Club’s annual show. The former is to be found at the westtern end of the main hall. So magnificent are the blooms that everyone who enters the Drill Hall will be extremely ill-advised to miss seeing them. Not only are there glorious giant chrysan-

themums, but other beautiful flowers in the daintily arranged tables. For young and old a poultry show is most interesting and entertaining. Domestic fowls, ducks, pigeons, canaries cats and a host of other feathered and furred creatures are to be seen • and heard. This, the twenty-second show of the club, is well up to standard. Educative Value. Not only is the 1933 Winter Show spectacular and interesting, but it possesses a very high educative value; not a mere passive absorption of-informa-tion by studying the various classes but an addition of practical knowledge by discussions among farmers and with instructors of the Department of Agriculture. Officers from many branches of agricultural science are present at the show and their advice is being freely offered to, and eagerly sought by, the farmers of Southland. A table of entries, with comparative figures for the 1932 show, is as fol-

OFFICIAL OPENING HON. A. F. HAWKE’S REMARKS. SOUTHLAND’S FLOCKS. At 2.30 p.m. the official opening ceremony was performed by the Hon. A. F. Hawke, the oldest life member ot the association. . Before calling on Mr Hawke to speak, the president of the association, Mr W. R. Ronald, briefly addressed the gathering. He apologized for the unavoidable absence of the Hon. Adam Hamilton, Mr J. Hargest, M.P., and his Worship the Mayor (Mr John Miller). “I think you will agree,” continued the president, “that our 1933 show js most creditable to all concerned. The entries in some sections are not quite up to last year’s, but there is no falling away in quality. The exhibits have been brought forward in excellent condition. Though the ladies rather let us down in the baking sections they more than made up for this in the household section. “The cheese section, I can safely say, is the finest exhibition that has ever been staged in Southland, possibly much further afield. Possibly recent adverse criticism has spurred the factory managers on. I have been steward in this section for many years and I have never seen such a splendid finish on the exhibits. The Government graders say that the quality is as good as ever. The cattle section is good and the fat lambs and sheep sections are even better represented than last year. “I wish to commend particularly the displays by the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs. There is a great exhibition of calves and some of the pigs are so large that our scales will not weigh them. The wool' section is an innovation which deserves high praise. Special thanks are due to Messrs Colin McKenzie, E. Henderson and J. McGregor for arranging it so. well. ' Fat Lamb Competition. “I should like tb take this opportunity of referring to the last district fat lamb competition. As you are aware the Meat Board inaugurated the competition two y<?ars .. ago. Last - year Southland won out of two entries. This year there were four entries and Southland again won. (Applause). Further distinction came to Southland when out of the 180 entries in the South Island one of our best known exhibitors, Mr William Kennedy,

Bayswater, gained first place. ’ (Applause). I wish to congratulate him most heartily on behalf of the association.” Mr Ronald concluded by referring to the excellence of the Garden Club and Poultry Club’s displays and to the somewhat regrettable falling off in the trades displays. The Hon. A. F. Hawke began by making a humorous reference to his first connection with the Southland A. and P. Association when, as a boy of eleven, he had sold tickets from a box for the association. “That must have been nearly sixty years ago,” he added. “Since then I have been president of the association and was elected a life member.” He congratulated the association on the all-round excellence of the 1933 Winter Show. He said that under prevailing conditions there might well have been a serious decline in the number of exhibits and in public interest, but he was grateful to see that the entries were so well maintained and the attendance so good. He was satisfied that the show was as good as any which had been held in the last five or six years—and that was saying a great deal. The energy of the president and the secretary was responsible for much of the success. Mr Hawke then referred to the remarkable increase in Southland’s flocks that had taken place in the last seven years. In 1925 there were approximately 1,500,000 sheep in Southland. By 1932 this figure had risen to 2,600,000 —an increase of over a million sheep. No other district could show the same increase over a corresponding period. The freezing works figures were equally satisfactory. Already this season close on half a million lambs had been killed. As a cheese producing district Southland was almost unrivalled and the display in this section was well worthy of the province. Mr Hawke concluded _by warmly commending all the exhibitors and by appealing to the public _ for generous support to the association. “I have great pleasure,” he said, “in declaring the 1933 Winter Show open and I ask you to give three cheers for the Southland A. and P. Association.” These were heartily given and a call for cheers for Mr Hawke met with a similar response.

COMMENTS OF JUDGES OUTSTANDING EXHIBITS. HIGH STANDARD SET. The judges of the various sections were warm in their praises of the exhibits on show and declared that the standard set by exhibitors generally was high, while in some cases _ the quality shown was quite exceptional. There was very little critical comment in the remarks made by the judges when interviewed and what there was mainly referred to improvements that might be made. Hams and Bacon. The entries in the hams and bacon section showed a considerable improvement over the exhibits displayed a year ago, the judges (Messrs Mackley and Rountree) said. The entries were generally well prepared and were nicely conditioned. In the home-cured section especially a great improvement was shown. Dressed Poultry. The winning exhibits in the dressed poultry section were outstanding, the judge (Mr J. Matheson) said, and would have held their own in any show in New Zealand. The entries were only fair and the other exhibits were a long way behind the winners of the first places, which were all exhibited by Mrs Corner, Invercargill. The first pair of fowls were very well dressed and well matured for their age. The other prize-winners were also well dressed and the presentation of the exhibits generally, was better than last year. The pair of ducks were also very well dressed and their condition was much better than last year’s exhibits. .The first goose was a very nice bird, beautifully dressed and exhibited. Eggs. The eggs exhibited, though limited in number, were of good quality and very uniform. The judge had considerable difficulty in separating the first and second prize-winners. Honey. The entries in the honey section were good and there was fair competition in each class. The bottled honey was of good colour and the section honey and extracting combs were well finished. There were only two exhibitors in the class for collections, but there were four entries and the quality was good. Bread and Scones. The entries were good in the section for bread, scones, etc., and the display was a very tasteful one. Most of the exhibits were very even and showed evidence of very good baking. The bread was particularly good and gave the judge (Mrs H. Ross) a good deal of work in judging the entries. Baking. There was a very good display of cakes, biscuits, puddings etc., and the judge (Mrs J. Clouston) stated that the section was a uniformly good one and well up to the standard or past shows. The first plum pudding was of excellent quality and was an outstanding exhibit and the single entry of biscuits was very good, . with a splendid variety arranged with taste. The sponge sandwiches also formed. an excellent section, the quality being uniformly high and difficult to judge. Needlework. The needlework exhibits provided one of the most brilliant features of the show and were a constant attraction to the ladies. The entries were good and the quality of the work generally was very high. The judges (Mesdames G. M. Polson and H. O. Stuckey) had a very difficult task in separating the exhibits in some of the sections, particularly in the supper cloths, which were magnificently done. Part of the difficulty which confronted the judges in this class was the fact that both white and coloured needlework were included and they suggested that in future, it would be of benefit to both the association and the exhibitors if separate classes were provided. The tea showers were very good and showed considerable evidence of neatness and artistic ability. This could also be said of the worked aprons which made an excellent display, the shading and colouring in many instances being marvellous. The richelieu work was particularly fine and the entries were not easy to separate. The entries of cushions were disappointing, but those that were exhibited showed evidence of much painstaking work. A very good section was provided in the collection of articles, the entries being plentiful and varied and the work generally splendid. There was a comparatively small entry in the knitting but the work was good. The entries in the infants clothing were also below normal but the work was good, the first prize winner, Miss Jean Hunter, Waianiwa, putting in exceptionally fine work. Home-made Soap. Taken on the whole the home-made soap exhibited was a very good line, the judge (Mr J. Matheson) said. The first prize winner was well matured and had a very good lather and the ingredients were well balanced. The second prize winner was well matured, but lacked in lathering qualities. Ths entries were good.

Fruit. The fruit section was well supported bv exhibitors, some of the entries coming from well afield. The quality generally was very good and the exhibits were tastefully presented. Potatoes. In the potato section the entries this year were much more even than was the case last season, owing largely to the unfavourable season which obtained, mitigating as it did against good growth and early digging, the judge (Mr R. B. Tennent) said. The quality of the tubers shown, although fairly good, is not what one would have expected when it is borne m mind how excellently Southland farmers can produce potatoes,” he added. A departare was made in the judging this year, in that all potatoes were judged on a scale of points, which after all is the only thorough manner in which judging can be carried out. In view of the fact that it is obvious that many exhibitors are unfamiliar with the main points upon which a judge awards prizes, it is to be pointed out that the following standard score card was utilized, and should in future be used as the basis for showing potatoes:—Shape 15, surface 15, size 7, colour 5, cleanness and freedom from mechanical injury 15, freedom from disease 15, flesh quality 10, uniformity 25; total points 100. Although schedule conditions distinctly state that tubers should not be washed, future exhibitors should certainly use a soft brush for removing surplus earth. Too many exhibitors at the present show were not careful enough in selecting potatoes of uniform size, but in this connection Mr Wilson, of Lorneville, must be complimented upon the excellent uniformity of the various lines which he exhibited. The most successful exhibitor was Mr D. Burgess, of West Plains, who scored the greatest number of wins, and secured the prize for the highest number of points. Mr Burgess, who grows only certified seed potatoes, is a comparatively new competitor, and deserves every credit for his meritorious performance. Some exhibitors showed lines of potatoes which were badly diseased with corticium and powdery scab. Naturally their exhibits had no chance of winning. Diseased entries should be excluded from any show exhibit.” Vegetables. The entry of vegetables proved surprisingly gcod considering the lateness of the season, although a number of the exhibits showed evidence of overfeeding to a certain degree of coarseness, this being particularly noticeable in one exhibit of silver beet. . Theparsnips were very good, the judge (Mr J. Bayne) said, but some were a bit strong. The beetroot was fair, some of the roots being coarse and some of the silver beet had graduated from the vegetable class to a stage where it was more suited to stock feed. The marrows showed good growth, but were not well paired. The onions and shallots were good and the leeks were large and well formed, but showed softness due to overfeeding. The cabbages were very good and the exhibit of cauliflowers, though small, was excellent. The carrots entered were fine roots, but some were placed in the wrong class and that tended to detract from the appearance of the dis-, play as a whole. Grain and Seeds. “The competition was limited, and it is a pity that more entries were not forthcoming for grain and seeds, as Southland can produce these commodities equal in quality to other parts of the Dominion,” the judge (Mr J. F. Miller) said. “In wheat some very fine samples of Montana King variety were submitted and they were almost inseparable as regards quality. The winning exhibit weighed 661 b to the bushel and appeared to show less broken grain than the other two, but there was little fault with any of them in this respect. Some of the other exhibits of wheat were not in as good condition as the Montana King variety, and for milling purposes it is absolutely essential that the grain be thoroughly matured and hard. In Dun Oats the winning sample in the open class was a large plump oat weighing 481 b to the bushel, even and very free of impurities. Some of the other samples showed a proportion of white oats and also black oats, and a sample in the farmers’ class was of good weight and in splendid condition, but lost points because of the proportion of shelled oats and other varieties in the sample. In Gartons what was considered the best sample in the open class was a welldressed plump exhibit weighing 521 b. to the bushel. There was only one entry in the farmers’ Garton class, and it was a good sample, not overdressed and' of good colour. The exhibits of black oats, sparrowbill oats and barley, though not numerous, were of quite good quality. “In seeds there were one or two exhibits of outstanding quality, notably the winning exhibit of crested dogstail, which was a particularly heavy, well-dressed sample, very free of impurities. The ryegrass samples could have been improved on as regards weight both in certified and uncertified seed. The first award in uncertified seed class was, however, an exception as it was a heavy seed of particularly good colour, though slightly knocked about in dressing. “There was only one entry in the collection of seeds of not more than 12 varieties, and most of these were superior samples, being well-dressed and true to name. The exhibit of crested dogstail in this lot was poor, and the exhibit failed for this reason to secure a first award.” Fat Cattle. The fat cattle were not outstanding, the judge (Mr Walter Murray) said, as far as the big classes were concerned. In the three-year-old class the winner was of nice, level quality and the same could be said of the winning two-year-old. In the one-year-. old class there was very little between the first and second prize-winners. The heifers were of good quality in the younger classes, but the three-year-olds were poor. The winner of the two-year-old class was of good quality and the beast placed first in the one-year-old class was outstanding, and would have taken •• the championship had there been one. Sheep. There was very good competition in the sheep sections and the judge (Mr Walter Murray) declared that he had never seen a better display. All of the lambs were extra good, the classes being strong right through, a great deal of consideration having to be given to the placing of the prizewinners, especially in the freezing classes. The quality of the exhibits was so good that the judge was satisfied that many of the unplaced entries would have secured prizes in other shows. The championship classes were very good and the heavy lambs for butchers’ purposes were a good class, the three placed animals being exceptional, being of especially good quality and well matched. “I have judged from Christchurch right down,” Mr Murray said, “and I consider that the Southland stock exhibited here to-day of better quality than any exhibited further north.” Fleece Wool. The exhibit of fleece wool proved one of the most interesting in the show, and those responsible for its arrangement deserve great credit for the educational value built into the arrangement of the exhibits. Many of the errors made in wool-growing were shown and those interested were able to see just why fleeces lose value and how loss in quality can be overcome.

SPLENDID DISPLAY BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ CLUBS. ' The display staged by the Boys’ and Girls’ Agricultural Clubs Association was one : of the most striking in the show, every exhibit showing evidence of careful and well thought out work. The association is now in its fifth year and its membership has grown at an astonishing rate. The display made this year proves conclusively that the work being carried out is of a highly educative value. The standard to which the boys and girls have attained is shown by the splendid trophies which are held by members, and which are tastefully displayed in the stand. These are the Farmers’ Union Shield, the Institute of Horticulture Shield, the Henry A. Lane Dominion Challenge Shield, the New Zealand Pig Breeders’ Association Cup, Sutton’s Cup, the Stuart Wilson Dominion Challenge Cup and the Reginald MacKinnon Chanlpionship Medals. The main features of the display are the calf club, the pig club, the root crops competition and the records kept by competitors. Different breeds of calves from all over Southland have been entered and the pig section has also been well maintained. In the root section the display of carrots, potatoes, etc., shows that the children are able to equal their elders in the raising of crops, the standard being very high. School Gardens. The display from school gardens was a vast improvement on last year’s entries, the judge (Mr A. A. Hume) said. The work shown was deserving of the highest praise and those _ responsible for the staging of the exhibits had done exceedingly well. Waihopai School secured first place for the collection of vegetables with a fine exhibit and Ohai came very close with two exhibits of considerable merit. A special feature of the section was the display of carrots, which were ' excellent in shape, size and texture and would have been a credit to any show bench. The work of producing the vegetables was under the supervision of the Southland Education Board’s agricultural instructor (Mr T. Mathews) and the results obtained were a credit to him, the teachers and the pupils of the schools. The standard they had set would be. hard to retain at future shows. The collection of weeds proved a very popular class and the children showed evidence of having obtained much valuable information regarding the natural enemies of the vegetables they are encouraged to cultivate. Some of the exhibits were not all correctly named, but on the whole they made a very impressive display. PRIMARY SCHOOLS HANDWORK EXHIBITION. A very high standard was shown in the exhibit of writing, drawing, colour work, and handwork displayed by primary school children. Unfortunately this section has again been relegated to an annex of the Drill Hall and as a consequence is not likely to receive the attention due to it.

Work from all classes is shown and the pen-drawing is particularly interesting. Pupils from Standard 3 upwards show that they have a good knowledge of the basic principles of sketching and a fair amount of artistic appreciation. The exhibits of writing are also good and show general evidence of neatness. t

lows:—■ 1933. 1932. Cheese 192 193 Butter 5 7 Farm butter 72 74 Ham and bacon 49 23 Dressed poultry 17 13 Honey 26 27 Bottled fruit, jam and pickles 60 112 Bread and scones 107 140 Cakes 158 235 Home-made soap 16 17 Needlework 153 109 Fruit 36 11 Potatoes 42 96 Turnips 100 53 Vegetables 81 55 Grain 25 27 Seed 12 14 Fat Cattle 28 28 Fat sheep and lambs 43 34 Carcass classes 30 23 Fleece wool 27 21 Private garden competition 3 4 Totals 1282 • 1322