STRATFORD SHOW ESSAYS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 16, 17 January 1913, Page 8

STRATFORD SHOW ESSAYS.

BY THE PRIZEWINNERS. The following Essays on the Stratford Agricultural and Pastoral Show were awarded the honours in Class B: FIRST PRIZE—“FERRETT. ’ ’ W. Hotkler, Marco Road, Whangamcna. I was very pleased when I heard that I could go to the Show, because 1 have never been to one before, and it was my first trip in a train. Well, 1 after a lot of anxious waiting, the day came. I could hardly sleep the night

before. I was up at three o'clock on Thursday morning, and after getting ready and having breakfast, my brothers and I started. Everything was strange to mo, and you may be sure I

did not lose sight of my brothers. It

was four oclock when we started from home, and it was a fine day, so wr

had a pleasant journey out. At six

o’clock we reached the Mangare Sid iag, on the Public Works’ tramline. If

is a distance cf five miles from home and we had to walk it. While we were sitting down resting, the train came in, and there was a rush for seats. When all were settled, the guard came round distributing tickets among the passengers. When he had given each oerson a ticket for a shilling the train started. For some time we went along very smoothly, when, all of a sudden, it grew dark, and we were in the Whangamomona Tunnel. This was a new experience for me, and at first T could not tell what had happened. We did not stay long in the tunnel but went on till we reached Rohoknra. where we changed trains for Stratford which we reached about twelve o’clock As soon as the train stopped at the Stratford Station, eager people stepped out of the carriages ou to the platform. We also stepped out, am 1 Mie first persons we met were some of cur relations. As soon as we had given each a hearty greeting our cousins took, us down to their house, where we bad a nice dinner. Their house i c down the south end of Stratford, and rs we went down to it we passed many rhops, and some of the fruit in them looked very tempting, but we had re Rme to stand and look at it, so wc passed on down the street, for wc wore in a hurry to get to the Show Grounds. It was a very pleasant walk from Auntie’s to the ground, and wc passed many motor cars, and traffic ef all kinds, even down to a perambulators in which we saw rosy-cheeked babies. Indeed, that was one thing that I could not help noticing. Every one’s face fairly beamed with expect ancy and good humour. Well, after ; short walk we reached the ground and after paying a shilling each, w. mitered through the gate.

What a surprise! People! People People! i nad never seen' such ;

crov\ ci before, and it is a puzzle to nu \.nere they all came from. However, be'started round to look at things lu e first tning tiiat I went to see wa. me dogs, because my brother had oiu m. 1c took two first prizes. Theiv

..-era many kinds of clogs, such as col .ms, pug clogs, terriers, bull clogs, set:ers, nouncls, rough clogs, srnoocn nogs, pleasant dogs, and nerce dog-3. • veil, after tiiorougnly seeing tuc uogs, we decided mac tne entries ~ere more numerous and the nogs bet ier prepared mail ever ueiore to* ocractord Show. We uo*v passed to the cattle stahs. lucre were some rum .jersey cattle, and one cow was such .. nice one tnao 1 could not help stro.c .ng it. After 1 Jiad been ail rounc me cattle, and had seen tne different dads, sucii as Jersey, Ayrshire, anu jtulstcin, I went to see the sneep which struck me as being very nu specimens. Tnere were all kinds of cheep, from large rams down to a little pet lamb wnose name was Haisy. .vie. cloland, a man of our district,

was very successful in his entries, for tnis class. I was very glad to see this, us tvo ourselves hold a good deal of land here, and to see a local man winning so many prizes, encourages us tc nut in entries ourselves.

Well, after seeing all the sheep, r made up my mind to go into some side snows. 1 was just coming away from the slieep when I heard a man saying: “Did yon see Sago, the wild man ?” I had not seen him, so I paid sixpence and went up to the tent. His name was Sago, and he was down in a pit. He had long teeth, and he looked very savage. Then I visited tut laughing gallery, which was a most amusing place, for there were three people all shapes and sizes and laughing just as you would. When 1 had seen enough, I went to see the circus, and the ocean wave—a large swing. The circus was in a large tent, and J had to pay sixpence to got in. I saw a man on a donkey who was trying to sit on lus back without being bucked off. For a while he sat on all right, hut tho donkey had been trained all kinds of tricks, and one of these it played, and threw its rider off its hack on to tho ground, and after this he did not wish to mount it again. Well, the circus stopped, and 1. went to see the milking machines, which 1 thought were very good. I rather wished we had one, as wo have a good number of cows to milk. The machines are driven by steam, and they made a good row. so 1 left them and went to see the sheep-shearing machine. ’ The owner of it showed me how to shear with it, and T thought that it would he very handy to shearers. Next T went to see tho grass seeds. There was every kind of grass seed that you could thinkl «f, and they were all done up in neat little packets. Then 1 went to see the Home Industries. The first was tho scones, because my Auntie had some there' which took second prize. There were many entries in this department, which showed the interest the ladies

took in it. There were jam rolls, sponge cakes, toffee, butter, cheese, and puddings galore, and 1 thought them a great credit to their makers. Next I made my way round to where the sewing was, and there were some lovely things there. All kinds of sewing from beautifully-worked sheets down to pincushions, as small as a sixpence. I looked carefully at the sow-, ing, for my mother is a dressmaker, l! thought the work exceedingly lovely, and well done, and the way the girls had worked in the coloured silks was wonderful.

Xcxt came the poultry, which 1 thought looked very good, and 1 intend to put some in myself next year. There were all kinds of fowls, such as White Rocks, White and Brown Leghorns, game fowls, bantams, Houdans, black Minorcas, and buff Orpingtons, which all looked excellent, showed that great attention had been given in preparing them for exhibition. In a quiet corner I spied three sleepy cats. I was rather taken in over the cats, because I thought I would see some lovely Persians of which I have heard a great deal. The people seem to be losing their interest in cats, for this year there were only three entries against about fifty last year. I had a good look at the cats, because I am fond of them. Then my brother told me to come and get a seat on the grandstand because the grand parade was going to start, and if I did not hurry up the seats would be filled, so vou may he sure that I did hurry up.

When I got to the grandstand, ther was such a crowd, all wanting to get up, that I was blocked for a. while, hut it soon cased off, and after giving my ticket to the keeper, I event up on the .stand and got a comfortable seat with my brother. Just before the parade started, two bands began to play, and it was very pleasant to listen to them Just as the hands stopped playing, the parade started. The first animals to come out were the doge. There were three hundred, and though they all looked nice marching round, I think the collies looked most beautiful of all. Following the dogs came horses. There was not an ugly point about any of them, and they all showed good breeding and careful grooming, and some of them were gaily decorated with their tickets or ribbons which showed their standards of merit. Next in the first parade of horses came the trotting horses, which were very good trotters. After they had been trotting round for about half an hour they stopped, and then came the jumping, which I thought was the bes* part of the parade. There were some good jumpers, and one lady was having her photo taken, when she was jumping. but the horse did not jump clear of the hurdle and it hurt its leg. This of course, spoiled the photo. The jumping was the last of the Show, and when it was finished the people began to leave the grounds, and we followed their example, too. When we left the grounds we went to Aunties for tea md after having a little talk, we said “Good-bye” to them and made our way to the station.

Before entering our carriage, wt went into a shop and got some bananas to eat on our way home. Oi course, in our carriage there was a great deal of talking about the Show. Most of the people agreed that it was much improved on previous years, and would soon be one of tho largest Shows in the Island. We reached the Siding at twelve o’clock, very weary but we still had a five mile walk in front of us. We “spelled” frequently. About one o’clock we reached home, had some supper, and tumbled into bed. Next morning w« quite forgo* to wake up, and it was .-Inso on twelve when mother called ns for dinner. A 1 together I had a splendid day’s enjoyment, and ray eyes were opened to many things undreamed of before. I shall heartily look forward to the next Show, and intend to try to have a few exhibits in myself. SECOND PR IZE—‘ ‘PRECIOSA. ” Miss Molly Jamieson, Kohuratahi. The twenty-seventh and twentyeighth of November, 1912, will long be remembered as red-letter days by all who were so fortunate as to at tend the Stratford Agricultural and Pastoral Show. Heavy rain having done its work to perfection during the night, the morning .of Peoples’ Day broke bright and beautiful, the birds twitted gaily in the trees, the gentlest of breezes blew, and the softest of vapoury cloudlets sailed across the blue heaven’s face, away, away. At an early hour people in all parts of Taranaki were astir, getting in readiness to catch the various excursion trains that were to convey them to Stratford. When the trains arrived at the station, thousands of people alighted from tho carriages. Some made their way to the shops before they closed, many wont straight to the Show Grounds, while others went to friends’ houses before going to the Show.

The magnet of attraction was the Show Ground, drawing towards itself locomotion of all kinds, motor-cars (in one of which were my mother, sister, and myself), cabs, carriages, brakes, and prams, filled to overflowing with happy holiday-makers. Our first impression of the well-dressed throngs of women, was the tendency of their gowns towards mermaidism, hut with I a greater wealth of colour and beauty. Some fifteen thousand people comfortably covered the spacious grounds, and commodious grandstands. They i were to be heard chatting and greet-i ing each other while passing to the! numerous side-shows. 'Among the: shows were “Sago,” the wild man, circuses, swings, and the laughing gallery. The good humour in which the people accepted all the “haves” showed they were out to enjoy everything. Adults were to he seen on the “ocean wave” just as keen as their grandchildren, while merry old ; ladies and gents, viewed “Sago” for sixpence or attended even the circuses

, The luncheon hoollis provided good fare for iumgry travellers, while the j sweets stall was still in a state of I siege ail day, oy children, with cop- j pers and silver coins, the besieged! replying all the time with various delights, in the .shape of oranges, ap-l pies, chocolate, and ginger-pop. As 1 the afternoon wore on, tired mothers,! • 7 I and weary little ones, found a wel-i come repose in the W.C.T.U. tent,! which was greatly appreciated. The entries for home industries, were many, and showed what an interest must be taken in the department. There were excellent bread, scones, cakes, roils, jams, and jellies, not forgetting wines, sauces, preserves, and pickles, all temptingly arrayed. Butter, eggs, bacon and cheese, looked inviting. The judges

had no light task here. Then we saw the plain and fancy sowing, from the homely pincushion to the elegant bedspread in commonest cottons, and daintiest silks. This section was an education lesson that will not be easily forgotten by the girls at least. The poultry section was thronged with groups discussing the different points of various birds. Very noticeable were the Wyandottes (gold, silver, and white), also Leghorns (white and brown), and turkeys, ducks and geese. The cats were but few, and a very poor selection—there being only the common house cat, not even a Persian cat. We visited the remaining stalls in a hurry, for we wanted to see the grand parade. Sheep of all breeds were there, llomney, Shropshire, Southdown, long wools and freezers, and not forgetting the pet lamb named Daisy. Some splendid specimens of pigs were to be seen, noticeably the Berkshire type. Vehicles of every kind were on exhibition, from the dainty phaeton to the heavy farm waggon. Several local firms had wares on exhibition, and they were kept busy demonstrating to keen observers all day long. The grand parade was a time of much enthusiasm, and we early found good seats. First to come out were three hundred dogs, of all sizes, shapes and colours—pointers, setters, retrievers, and spaniels, rough coated and smooth coated dogs, as also good and bad-tempered dogs, quiet, and noisy dogs. Jersey cattle were in strong force, and some beautiful specimens were to bo seen, Mr D. B. Darkness's cow, winning the “butter fat” competition with over lllbs of butter fat. There were also some splendid Holstein, Ayrshire, and Shorthorn cattle. Following the cattle were horses of all descriptions, from the stately stallion to the baby foal, heavy draughts, hunters and ponies, fractious and docile, all gaily bedecked with various ribbons, denoting the different classes of merit. After the parade was over came the horse events, which was a very attractive feature. It was very pleasant to sit and watch the jumping, riding, and driving. At intervals the Stratford Brass Band played excellent music. Nothing marred the day. Everything was carried out like clockwork. The faces of all the visitors plainly showed they had had a good time, though, I must admit, the judges and stewards looked worried and important. This Show, I may venture to say, is onQfof the best managed in New Zealandfiand has made great strides in its short life. Its success is assured, should it continue to move forward, keeping the educational aspect in view, and taking for its motto, “Advance New Zealand.”

THIRD PRIZE—“WEKA.” Marion Saunders, Ngaere. On Wednesday and Thursday, 27th and 28th November, the Stratford Agricultural and Pastoral Show was held on the Association’s picturesque grounds. Although the rain poured down on the first day and on the morning of the day following, yet, as the day wore on, the sun shone out brightly, and crowds of well-dressed and apparently prosperous people attended. I shall now endeavour to give an account of the Show.

At the lower end of the grounds the cattle pens were situated. In this section there was a large number of exhibits—mild-eyed Jerseys, dainty Ayrshires, glossy Holstoins, and fat Shorthorns and Herefords. Bilberry X., the cow winning the championship of the Jerseys, is worthy of mention, as she was recently sold for 200 guineas to a Taranaki breeder. Grade Jerseys were well represented. The butter fat and casein competitions were of special interest to farmers. The honours were contested by some of the best coavs in the surrounding district. Ido not consider that'there was such a large exhibit of pigs as were shown the two previous years; those exhibited, however, were of tho finest class. Judging by the number of exhibits in the Berkshire lino, that breed is apparently the farmers’ favourite. As Taranaki is not a sheepfarming district, the exhibit was comparatively small, although there were some very good specimens shown. This year the dog section formed a record, there being nearly 200 entries from different parts of the Dominion. Many kinds of dogs were represented, from the sagacious collie to the tiny terrier. The poultry tent was not very well filled although several kinds were exhibited. For the benefit of the farmers, a number of farm implement, seeds, manures, and machinery were displayed.

There was a number of side-shows. Some of the proprietors seemed to be doing well, and if they did not, it was not because they lacked the ability of making themselves heard. Viewed from a scientific standpoint, some of these shows were of special interest,

particularly the Maori Ori. Although there , was not a very big competition in the butter and cheese sections, yet it was somewhat compensated for by the keen contest in the cookery department. Here the cheap-jacks had their stalls, with many pretty trinkets to attract the eye of the crowd.

In the driving contest a good deal of skill was shown in the handling of I the horses, many of which were deckjod in bright colours. Some of the i vehicles were painted in a very artisi tic manner, especially the gigs, buggies, and bakers’ carts. 'Uie dog parade was a very interesting feature I of the Show, and called forth much admiration. Next came the grand j parade of prize-winners. They were ( really a handsome lot. One would j think it was hard to decide which of the number should carry off the championship. To my mind, the Jcsreys, iyrshires and Holsteins showed up best in the parade. Hut time flies quickly, and I found the hour had come for me to leave for home and the cows. Altogether, the Show was a great success, and one comes away with a determination to see the next, if possible.