ANNUAL PLOUGHING MATCH.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 2414, 27 May 1876, Page 2

ANNUAL PLOUGHING MATCH.

It may have been remarked that on many previous occasions the Committee of the Taranaki Agricultural Society have been unfortunate in their selection of the days for the ploughing matches ; and there seems to be something like a fatality connected with the event. Last year, thoroughly soaking rain prevented a very large muster of spectators on the ground; and this year the weather was almost as bad. It must have been very disappointing to many, for, on the Mouday previous, the weather had apparently cleared up for a time ; but during Tuesday the barometer fell rapidly, and during that night and since the rain has fallen in torrents. The Committee, since the Society has been formed have been consistent in their decision that the weather should not interfere with their arrangements; so, accordingly, on Wednesday morning, some of them were on tho spot the first thing for the purpose of measuring off the land into sections for the match.

The convincing ground was pretty ceutrally situated being on the Frankley Road and about a mile from town. It consisted of a paddock which had been placed at the disposal of the Committee by Mr. Peter Elliot. It was an admirable piece of ground for the contest; and the rain if anything had improved it. The land had beeu down in grass for several years, aud the part used was as level as a bowling gretn.

There were seven entries sent in for the first class, but only|five competed forthepri7.es ; for one did not show at all, whilst the other only cut in, made two or three furrows, and then gave up. For the boys' class there were only two entries (sons of Messrs. John and William Jury), but even this is better than at previous matches. It is gratifying for us to be able to state that both the boys turned out their work in a very creditable manner, and if they practice and use their observation, we shall yet have to record them as taking the leading prizes in the«e matches. There were no entries for the second class. The competitors had to plough half-acre each, the depth of each furrow to bo not less than five inches and to plough the seed furrow or the work would not be considered finished. Each competitor had to gather a ridge of ten furrows, and the fourth to the full depth of five inches. No feather edge ploughing was permitted. The time allowed was five hours, and competitors could use any kind of plough drawn by horses or oxen, but with the former no driver wnß allowed, and only a lad of sixteen permitted for the latter. The men were on the ground by the appointed time, ten o'clock, but a start was not effected until ten minutes to eleven, and during the whole of the time the men were at work cold | and heavy squalls were constantly passing from 1 the east to west. It is no doubt attributable to this the length of time taken by tho men to do their work. The following is a list of the competitors in the matches, the ploughs used, and the time taken by each to complete his work :— FIRST CLASS. Cut. Competitor. Maker of Plough, Time— h. tn. 1. G Carter fgaTC in; 2. H.George Hornsby's RC -2 horses 512 8. F. Victory Hornsby's ltC-i h0r5e5......! 33 i. C. Hampton frtbsant; 5. R. B. Honeyfield... Hornsby's H— 2 horses * :<3 fi. A. Geor«e Hornsbv's FG -2 bullocks.. .4 5 7. C. Ward Hornsby's HA— 2 horses 123 THIRD CLASS. Cut. Competitor. Makor of Plough. Time— h. m. 1. W. Jury Hornsby's RA— 2 horses 1 20 2 It. Jury Homsby's RA— 2 horses 1 15 It is curious to note that the whole of the ploughs in use at this match were of Hornsby's make. We have stated that, owing to the miserably cold, wet weather, the men were longer at their work, thau otherwise would have been the case ; but for tho sake of comparison we reproduce the time in wluoh the winuers of previous matches have performed their tasks : — h. m. 1tl ~ n f A. George (Ist Class) 3.45 16/U— j R B Honeyed (2nd Class)... 4 11 IQ . O C S. Rundle (Ist Class) 4 20 , 18/-—^ H Tftte (2n(l Claßg) 4 20 , IQ ,-., CF. Vickery (Ist Class) ... 4 £9 lb ' J ~| A. J. Hoskiu (2nd Class) ... 5 0 .„,, (F. Vickery (Ist Class) ... 420 j 1»'1 »' i — { j. Hooker (2nd Class) ... 320 ! 10 _ X < It. B. Honeyfield (Ist Class)... 5 0 1J575— w >Ti Honeyfield (2nd Class).- * 35 .„,. CC. Ward (Ist Class) 423 Ib7b— j w Jury (Srd c , nss ) 4 20 The Judges were — Messrs. A. Davidson, C. j Hamblyn, and W. Dymond; and, iv going over the ground, they must have found they had a ! difficult task before them to decide on their awards. As No. 1 and 4 cuts were not finished, and No. 2 disqualified through not completing the work in time, it was left for the Judges to decide on the merits of cuts 3, 5, 6, nnd 7 for n>Bf and second prites. Sfar^ing then with No. S cut it was fpund this had pei'tainly thp best cut in nnd the hesf finish : it was not so well pressed as it ought to have been, nnd grass was visible in many places. The furrows were very regular, and altogether it wns a very good piece of work, and to it was awarded the second prj^e. Cut No. /} was very good and even ploughing; the ljdges were equal anil pretty straight, and although the finish was not so good as it might have been, it was evident the ploughman was fully up to his work. Cut No. fi the Judges passed over, rs not equal to the others, and it being a question whether it was not short of a furrow. To cut No. 7 the first prize was awarded, from the fact that the furrows were well pvessed and put together. At starting, the mau had uot covered so well in as he might have done, and his finish was uot quite so good as No. 3, bufr> the furrows were straight, clean and free of grass. Altogether a splendid job had been made of the work. For Class 3 there I w'cvq twfl cuts . No, 1 cut had the best start J and finish, and was the besp put 'together. tft 1 was, perhaps, not so square as No. 2, but it | was best work. Cut No. 2 was very good work for a boy, and, with a year or two's practice, 1 will make a vast difference in his work. I In the third class, the boy who had cut No. 1 | is the son of Mr. W. Jury, and is between seventeen and eighteen years of Bge ; whilst cut No. 2 was Mr. J. Jury's son, and whose nge, wo learnt, was about fifteen. During tho day Mr. P. Elliott rodt over to the ground aud invited the Committee aud several others to his house, where he had hnd a cold repast prepared, and to which justice was done, the air having sharpened the appetites of all that had assembled. Mr. P. Elliott, has one of the nfcatost farms in Taranaki, and ho evidently has spared neither labour nor care iv bringing it to the slate of perfection' it id ridtf in. The weather was so wot, that we could not go over it all, but in passiug through the paddocks, a very good idea of the completeness of tho farm is obtained. We also inspected his piggery, where he has some excellent porkers. His cows look in good conditiou, aud altogether lna place U )H capital order. At about half-past four, the judges havjuj completed their task, a' move was made on the part of till for towii. "'" ' ] We ennuot conclude this portion of our account without a word of praise to Mr. Couuett, (the indefatigable Hou. Secretary of the Society), who has always takou a very

active part in bringing the shows and ploughing matches of the Society to a successful termination. He was assisted by Mr. W. Hoskin and Mr. A. J. Hoskin, and these three, notwithstanding the weather of Wednesday last, might have been seen early on the ground preparing ererything in readiness for tho coming contest.