YOUNG FARMERS AT WORK

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1929, Page 19

YOUNG FARMERS AT WORK

FIELD DAY AT SHOWGROUNDS ADJUDGING CHAMPION CALVES. EGMONT VILLAGE’S PROMINENCE. —' The calf-rearing competitions conducted by the North Taranaki Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs under the aegis of the Taranaki Metropolitan Agricultural Society were finalised at the vVaiwakaiho showgrounds yesterday. About 50 calves, which had been selected oj the judges in their visits to the schools a week or two ago, were' brought together for championship judging. There was an excellent attendance both of competitors and other children and those who had taken a keen interest during the past few years in fostering and developing the work of the clubs in North Taranaki must have felt well repaid by the enthusiasm and interest displayed by the children.' The two rings in which the' judging took place were surrounded all the time by adults and children who followed the judges keenly and later listened attentively to their remarks concerning the place animals. Entries in the grade classes originally totalled. 312 and of these the judges chose 11 Jersey-A) .shire calves for championship judging on dairy condition, 14 for dairy type, eight Shorthorn-Fries-ians for dairy condition and seven for dairy type. There were too few pedigree calves to be judge-’ in the separate groups and all the entries were brought to o 'ther at the showgrounds. The JerS ys attracted 12 e tries, the Ayrshires four and the Frisians two. There was no entry in the Shorthorn class. The results are: —

GRADE CALVES. JERSEY-AYRSHIRE. Condition. Jack Stockman, Oaonui, Ruebe Cup, 1 and champion; Mavis Grigg, Ratapiko, 2; Connie Staplcto.; Egmont Village, 3. Others whose calves were selected by the judges for judging at VVaiwakaiho were. —Trixie Rea (Omata), George Smith (Lower Mangorei), Thomas Hall (Albert Road), Leslie Hodson (Tikorangi), Phyllis Baker (Pukearuhe), M. Flintoff (Tikorangi), Ray Butler (Huirangi), Edith Hopson (Bell Block). Type. ■ . Connie Stapleton, Egmont Village, 1 and champion; Margaret Bridger, Egmont Village, 2; Phyllis Baker, Pukearuhe. 3; Mavis Grigg, Ratapiko, v.h.c. Others were. —Jack Stockman (Oaonui), Aitken Julian (Warea), lan Cockran (Oakura), Thomas Hall (Albert Road), Walter Rowlands (Tarurutangi), Noel Fraser (Okoke), Eileen Holley (Okoke), Peter Davidson (Durham), Ray Butler (Huirangi), Leslie Hodson (Tiko L rangi). SHORTHORN-FTIIESIAN. Condition. Connie Stapleton, Egmont Village, Washer Cup, 1 and champion; Alfred O’Byrne, Egmont Village, 2; Ina Baldwin, Dudley, 3. Others were.—John Goodin (Okato), Roy Hicks (Tikorangi), Mollie Lord. (Okoke), Hector Goble (Durham), Hope Western (Bell Block). Type.' Connie Stapleton, Egmont Village, 1 and champion; Alfred O’Byrne, Egmont Village, 2; Betty Manning, Dudley, 3. Others were.— ~ohn Goodin (Okato), Roy Hicks (Tikorangi), Mollie Lord (Okoke), Hope Western (Bell Block). PEDIGREE CALVES. JERSEYS. •Condition. Roy Bell, Oakura, 1 and champion; H, Marsh, Hillsborough, 2; Percy and Don Klenner, Kaimata, 3. There were 12 entries. Type. Roy Bell, Oakura, 1; Fay Bell, Oakura, 2; N. Sampson, Hillsborough, 3. There were 12 entries. AYRSHIRE'S. Condition and type. May Weir, Lower Mangorei, 1; Lindsay Weir,, Lower Mangorei, 2; Sadie Olson, Lower Mangorei, 3. Alan Weir’s (Lower Mangorei) was the only other entry.

FRIESIANS. Condition and Type. Maida Soffe, Tikorangi, 1; George Pepperell, Rahotu, 2. The only entries. The judges of the grade calves were: Condition, Messrs. D. Alexander, J. Whitehead, F. W. Sutton and E. J. Phillips. Type: Messrs. W. K. Morris, A. E. Washer, R. J. Linn, A. J. Luxton, W. F. Olson. The pedigree calf judges were: Jersey, Mr. E. Griffiths; Ayrshire, Mr. R. W. D. Robertson; Friesian, Mr. W. K. Morris. Other members of the executive of the clubs acted as stewards. A calf-judging competition for children was held, the competitors being required to allot points to three Friesian calves, their points being compared later with those awarded by the judge (Mr. W. K. Morris). Previously competitions in cow-judging were held, but the executive felt this year that a competition in calf-judging would be more valuable in view of the requirement of picking lx good \ pe of calf for the rearing competition. A calf-judging competition would also prove whether the instruction being given in regard to dairying type was fruitful. The children were required to allot points for head, neck, body (including legs and walking), tail, udder and teats, colour on escutcheon, ears, horns and skin, and general appearance. The total points awarded by the judge for the three calves were 74, 74 and /OJ respectively. The competition proved very interesting and the winner came extremely close to the judges. In nearly every particular ho pointed the calves almost exactly the same as the judge had. The placed competitors, with the points they awarded the calves, were: — Aitken Julian (Warea), 83, 72, 76 •• 1 Doris _Goldsbury (Lower Mangorei), ; 79, 79J, 79. 2 May Weir (Lower Mangorei), 78, 83 76 ..... 3 Demonstrations by the three pedigree judges were given at the conclusion of the judging, each judge having with him in the ring the best of the beasts of the

breed he had judged. The judges went carefully over the animals and demonstrated to the children the good qualities and the faults foi' vyhich they had awarded or deducted points.

Mr. Robertson pointed out that the calves which had gained first places in the Shorthorn-Friesian and Jersey-Ayr-shire ■.. competitions were both sired by the same Ayrshire bull. The Ayrshire breed was not so popular in the district, he knew, but he was a keen supporter of the breed and he was sure it would receive a good hearing in the future, and would find a place in the great herds of the district. The demonstrations were the beginning of a new era which would see the development of a race of farmers who would not want to go into the towns. Judging at all times was merely the expression of one man’s opinion, said Mr. Griffiths, and calf-judging was extremely difficult. He congratulated the competitors on the way in which they had brought the animals into the ring. The animals were just on the fight road to develop into fine cows. One had only to drive around the country to see the popularity of the breed in which still higher producers were being obtained. Numbers of cows were giving 5001 b. of butter-fat and some had reached 6001 b. He congratulated the executive of the clubs on the way in which they had conducted the competition, which, he thought, was the right way of encouraging the breeding of better animals, leading to better conditions generally. Demonstrating the Friesians, Mr. W. K. Morris called attention to the fact that the breed bad produced a cow that had given 8001 b. of butter-fat. He emphasised to the children that calves were very hard to judge and that they should not be surprised if a winner of to-day was beaten next year by a calf it had beaten in that competition. The serving of luncheon and afternoon tea was in the hands of the wives of members of the executive under the control of Mrs. A. E. Washer. Others were Mesdames 11. C. Sampson. M. Goldsbury. A. T. Moore, Parker, A. G. Riffling, A. H. Palmer, B. Furze and Miss P. Furze. A canteen and ice-cream stall was conducted on behalf of the society by Mr. i W. McNiven.