HAWERA A. AND P. SHOW.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 75, 21 November 1912, Page 5

HAWERA A. AND P. SHOW.

A SUCCESSFUL OPENING. STRATFORD SUCCESSES. A perfect summer’s day marked the opening of the Egmont A. and I*. Association’s big summer fixture. This year the Show has developed in every department, and with the quantity the quality has not suffered. For a first, clay the attendance of the public was large, but to-day’s crowd should be a record in the Association’s history. The Secretary, Mr. F. G. Treweek, and the other officials, have had a busy time, and a*re to be congratulated on the excellent arrangements made, and the smoothness with which the complicated machinery, if the organisation may be so pictured, was run. Exhibitors speak well of the arrangements for the care of their stock. Fortunate it is, too, that they do so, for no Show which has not a good reputation in this respect will command entries from distant breeders.

Jerseys. ' Commenting on the Jerseys, Mr. W. M. Tapp, Auckland, the judge, remarkecl that, taking them on the whole, they were a good average lot. Some were good ones jothers were not in Show condition. Hie champion cow was a silver-grey two-year-old. The reserved champion was not so evenly made, but was a good type of dairy cow. As for the bulls, both the champion and reserved champion wore imported animals. The young stock was very good, and the judge speedily commented on the excellence of Mr. E. C. Barleyman’s (Kaupokonui) Twylish-’s Bilberry, and Hie second placed animal. From this it may lie seen that Mr. Tapp was not especially enthusiastic over the stock exhibited. Not so, the exhibitors. They were practically unanimous that competition was really hot. Mr. A. A. Ward (Miro) carried off the “red,” and the championship as well, with his two-year-old cow, Miro, by Starbright, darn Waif’s Glory. In the aged cow diss, Mr. H. -E. B. Watson’s (Lincoln, Canterbury) Blue Bell Bth, bred by Geo. Gould, Christchurch, by Sweetbriar’s K.C.8., dam Verbena of Meadow Brook, was first, and also reserved champion. The cow, a light fawn, was keenly criticised by breeders. Mr W. V. Harkness (Tariki) secured a second in this class, with “Mayday, and Mr. W. M. Bayly a third, with ilnth 11. The last-named was not in good show condition, being a trifle fat, otherwise, the judge remarked, the cow would have had a higher place. Mr. R. J. Linn (Normanby) took a first with Belvedere Rose for heifer calved since July Ist, 1909, Mr. 1). | Watkin (Huiroa) coming second wit a Blackheart Fury. Mr. J. M. Shutter (Midhirst) secured a third in a very hot class for yearling heifers. In the bulls, Mr. V. Harkness (Tariki) carried off the honours with “Sultan of Oakland,” first aged bull and champion. Mr. R. J. Linn (Normanby) also secured the “red ticket” with Victor, a two-year-old, Messrs. Bayly and Healy’s “Molina’s General,” taking second place. Mr. R. J. Petersen (Midhirst) headed the list in the class, bull calved since July Ist, 1910, with “Daisy King,” and in the yearlings took both first and second, with “Sunbeam’s Monarch,” , and “Heather’s Rainbow,” respectively.

Ayrshires. Mr. A. McFarlane (Dunedin), who judged the Ayrshires. had nothing but praise for them. “They are the best lot I have ever seen,” he remarked, and further comment seemed needless Messrs. Brown Bros. (Ngaire) secured a- v.b.e. with “Trilby of Tra,” yearling heifer, a class in which Mr. E. Jackson failed to find a place witii “Blue Belle the IV. of Porirua.” In the two-year-old heifers, Messrs. Brown Bros, had better luck, and Carnation of Ora, bred by the exhibitors, by Dainty Dame of Inglewood—Empress Camelia, secured a,first prize. The Holsteins. Holsteins were mostly conspicuous by their absence, such well-known breeders as Messrs. Newton King and W. I. Lovelock being unrepresented. Dogs. Mr. T.' Kirkwood walked away with seven first and two seconds in the Setters classes, “Rack-a-Rock,” “County Prince,” “County Count,” “County Belle,” and “Erua Belle,” all having wins. Mr. IT. Voyle (Stratford), however, beat Mr. Kirkwood in the novice class with “Target,” and Mr. John Wylie secured a first in the rough-coat-ed collies.

Horses, Local horses will figure more prominently to-day, and were not much in evidence yesterday. Considerable surprise was evinced at Mr. E. Jackson’s “Barney” being thrown out as over the 13* hands standard. Mainly Testing.

An enthusiast on herd testing is Mr N. Fulton, dairy inspector of the Stratford district. Mr Fulton made the awards in the butter-fat competition, and chatting on the subject afterwards, to a representative of the “Stratford Evening Post,” said these short period tests (four days in the case of Hawera) were not of particularly great value, though the win should stimulate the owners of the cows to institute a test over a long period. Farmers had, he continued, really no need to go to the State Farms to see top-notch cows, for they were to be seen on the farms. The farmers had plenty of good cows, if the animals were only individualised by means of long period tests and figures. Then, knowing which of his cows were winners, applying that knowledge, procuring purebred bulls of the best milking strains, he could proceed on the right lines for building up a herd of high testing, high producing cows. The competitions, even for the short period, showed how a gppd cow would respond to good feed. The manner in which these cows responded, should have a strong influence in urging owners to spoon-feed their cows. The more that is put into a good cow, the more will be got out of it. It was like putting money on to a winning horse at the race meeting. There were some cows that would never pay a dividend; whatever was put in, nothing would be got out. If the farmer secured the right stuff, he would get better nett returns from less cows, with less labour. Speaking of the actual results, Mr. Fulton commented on the splendid result achieved by the Hawera grade Holstein, “Perfection,” which gave 2631 b. of milk in four days, making lOJlb of butter-fat on a 4.0 test. This meant 781 b in a month. A second cow gave 17911) of milk on a 5.G test, making 10.021 b of butter-fat, or 751 b in 30 days. One. cow was a big producer at a low test, the other gave just a little less butter-fat for the month. A second cow gave 1791 b of milk in a 5.6 test, making 10.021 b of butterfat. or 751 b in 30 days. He might point out that this champion cow was a big producer at a low test, and gave just a little more fat than the other cow which gave a comparatively small yield of milk.