PRODUCE SHED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19940, 26 October 1934, Page 10

PRODUCE SHED

STRONG ATTRACTION The produce entries provided a strong attraction for show patrons, and all classes of the community found a great many items of interest on the benches yesterday. As has been the case in many previous shows, however, the farmer’s wife, or the farmer’s maid, was responsible in this section for the display. Those sections devoted to primary producers in which the Association invites the man on the land to show the choicest of his products, even if only for the purpose of conjparison with samples grown in a neighbouring district, drew a very small entry list in most classes. In the seed classes, many sections failed to draw an entry, and even in wheat, the growing of which constitutes one of the most important of the primary industries of the district, competition was found in only one class in the schedule. This fact, however, was in a measure compensated for by the high grade of the samples submitted. Mr R. McGillivray. Agricultural Department, Christchurch, said that in the root section entries were rather poor, owing principally to the absence of one prominent exhibitor. The entries in the mangold section were only two in number, but their quality was quite good and well up to show standard. The entries of potatoes also were of creditable quality, while the most interesting class was that of cut lucerne. In some instances in this section, the exhibitors had allowed the crop to grow too long and thus reach the “stalky” stage, but the winning variety was of good quality and had been cut at precisely the right time for showing purposes. Fruit also failed to attract competition among growers, but in the butter section, where the women were responsible for the entries, both the salted and unsalted separator classes drew a fine field, and the quality, taken all round, would probably hold its own in most of the competitions held in the Dominion. In the honey section fairly good competition obtained, and the standard reached the high mark which has ruled in South Canterbury for many years. The competition for home-made soap also drew very strong competition, and all the placed exhibits in this useful commodity class were rated exceptionally high.

On the benches the poultry industry was represented much more freely In eggs than in the important dressed poultry section, and ag n the pleasingnote of high quality was maintained.

As in past years, preserves commanded a lot of attention from both exhibitors and patrons, and throughout the day one rarely heard any but complimentary remarks from the many people who thronged the shed, and they were unconsciously re-echoing the opinion of the official judge.

COOKERY SECTION The cookery section again provided the widest range for inspection and competition in recent years has raised this section to the very high plane which is to-day required to win in any of the classes under this heading. in every class a very high attainment in the culinary art was disclosed, and many of the unsuccessful competitors may take consolation in the fact that the "luck of the game," otherwise a very slight variation in the required oven heat made the difference between defeat and victory.

In the children’s cookery classes, as with those of adults, a uniform advance in quality was always noticeable, and taken by and large it can safely be said that never on any previous" occasion has an all round word of congratulation to competitors been more merited, which remarks can also be applied, if not quite so generally, in the classes for children’s sewing.