A FIELD DAY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4171, 11 August 1939, Page 2

A FIELD DAY

TE AWAMUTU YOUNG FARMERS’ CLUB.

DEMONSTRATION AND ADDRESS Something like seventy young fellows, most of them members of Te Awamutu Young Farmers’ Club, others advanced students at Te Awamutu District High School, and a leavening of older men (mainly, farmers), availed themselves of the invitation of the Young Farmers’ Club to attend a field day, with practical demonstration and lucid address, at Kihikihi on Wednesday. Messrs W. F. Lees and Company’s slaughterhouse on the State Highway was the venue, and Mr G. B. Melrose, stock inspector for this district, was the demonstrator, with this assistant, Mr Mackenzie, and the slaughterman, Mr Hugh Wallace, preparing a carcase for demonstration purposes. The animal was a young Jersey cow, and Mr Melrose, after expressing to the assemblage his keen gratification at the fact that so many members had joined the Young Farmers’ Club, and commending its usefulness to others, proceeded to show just where to look for disease or ailments and how to treat them. He went very thoroughly into the many and varied aspects of the troubles that beset the dairy animal, and gave a lot of very useful advice, based on research and long experience. He also made brief reference to ailments of sheep and pigs, but explained that each of these species was worthy of a special demonstration, and he would be pleased to give this at a later date if the Club executive so desired.

Following the demonstration, Mr Melrose answered a shoal of questions, and these questions and answers were exceedingly interesting, mainly because they referred to a specific case that had been experienced by the questioner. At the close Mr Cyril Eyre, president of Te Awamutu Young Farmers’ Club, heartily thanked Mr Melrose for his practical indication of his goodwill towards the Club, and assured him that the address had been listened to and the demonstration watched with the very keenest interest, and the knowledge gained would be of considerable service to members.

It was also intimated that the next general meeting of the Club would be held on the first Tuesday in September, probably at Hairini, at which Mr S. J. Sheaf, of Hamilton, would give an address bearing on an important aspect of the Herd-testing Association’s activities. It was added that by that date it was hoped that members of the Club would be still further increased, making it one of the largest in the whole province.

POKURU BRANCH. ADDRESS AND DEBATE. There was a very satisfactory attendance of members of the Pokuru branch of the Young Farmers’ Club at the meeting on Wednesday evening, and they listened very interestedly to Colonel C. J. Pierce, officer commanding the .Wiaikato Regiment, give an address on home defenceWlith the colonel was Lieutenant R. S. Sinclair, of Te Awamutu, and both officers were accorded a hearty welcome by the chairman, Mr Percy Ray. The address on home defence was brief and very much to the point, and was much appreciated. > Following this, the scheduled debate, That the young farmers of today have better opportunities than did their grandfathers,” was proceeded with, a team of four novices in debating being engaged for the affirmative and four for the negative. Colonel Pierce was invited to aet as adjudicator. Some of the points made by the debaters were really excellent, and at times there was a good deal of merriment at the clever exposition of the arguments and contentions. When the time came for a declaration Colonel Pierce said he had thoroughly enjoyed the debate —• every bit as much as those taking part in it. He then declared the team taking the negative had been awarded 359 points, while the affirmative side had 350 points. The declaration was received with applause. Plans were made for the dance next week, and also for an address on building and other timbers by a recognised authority at the next monthly meeting on sth September.