HIGH STANDARD OF ENTRIES

Southland Times, Issue 24352, 5 February 1941, Page 6

HIGH STANDARD OF ENTRIES

NATIONAL FLOWER SHOW LODER CUP PRESENTED TO MAJOR JOHNSON (United Press Association) OAMARU, February 4. The National Flower Show which was officially opened by the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. J. G. Barclay, at Oamaru this afternoon has proved, according to the opinions of officials of national organizations, one of the best I floral exhibitions ever staged in the ! Dominion. There were five non- | competitive and six competitive district I displays, making a massive show of nature's colourful blooms at their best combined with the highest form of floral art and artistry of arrangement. The first award for the most comprehensive district display was made to Christchurch and district. The display was massive in conception with a tiered effect containing cut flowers, pot plants and fruit and vegetables of outstanding quality. Otago had a splendid exhibit in which the central motif was a woman with a cornucopia from which flowed the fruit and vegetables of the world on to a lawn, the whole being backed with bowls and baskets of beautiful flowers. The Oamaru Public Gardens exhibit was noteworthy for the brilliance of hanging baskets of begonias, and the Reserves Department, Timaru, and the Department of Agriculture (Horticultural Division) entered praiseworthy shows of flowers and fruit. COMPETITIVE SECTION In the competitive section the first award went to Waimate with 146 points, one point ahead of Timaru, with North Otago third with 124 points. Other splendid stands were shown by the North Otago Women’s Institutes, the , North Otago Women’s Club and the North Otago Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union. In every case the quality and presentation were exceedingly good. The outstanding features of the open competitive classes were the successes of E. H. Taylor (Oamaru), who secured the championship and 15 firsts in the gladioli section against strong outside competition, and of C. A. Teschner (Gore), who gained 10 firsts in the dahlia section, the champion dahlia going to W. Turvey (Oamaru). The Minister presented the Loder Cup to Major F. H. Johnson, of Raincliff. South Canterbury, to whom the trophy was awarded for his gift of 240 acres of native bush in South Canterbury to the country. Subsequently Major Johnson intimated that he wished to give an adjoining area of native bush to the country. The annual conference of superintendents of parks and reserves was begun this morning, at which Mr John Tait, curator of the Oamaru Public Gardens, read a paper on the functions and the work of beautifying societies in which he paid a tribute to the splendid work carried out by the ! Oamaru Beautifying Society in the beautification of the town and the creation in the people of a sense of appreciation of beauty. The following office-bearers were ! elected: President, G. A. Mitchell (chairman of reserves, Oamaru Borough Council); vice-president, P. Blick (Palmerston North); secretary and treasurer, D. Tannock (Dunedin); committee, T. Aldridge (Auckland), T. Horton (New Plymouth), J. G. McKenzie (Wellington), M. J. Barnett (Christchurch) and M. Skipworth (Dunedin)