THE SHOW.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10924, 13 November 1913, Page 5

THE SHOW.

SECOND DAT. LARGE CROWDS, SPLENDID DISPLAY. REMARKABLE EXHIBITION OF SHEEP. The weather, the grounds, the atmosphere, the very heavens themselves, were perfect ixMiay, and the second day of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association's show is highly successful from every point of view. I'liere is a large attendance of the pub- . lie, who are showing desp interest in ail the details. < It is, of course, partly a work-a-day day, and judges, marshails and other oiliciais are as busy as bees, but there are ample items of a lighter cnaracwjr wiuen, wrnie possessing uo uuuuauoAai value, attord amuseliiuut. Amongst these, are tha tents and stands, iney are neat outwardly, and inside they are gay with Uoral ana ocner aedorauons/ wnile in many eases the arucleii displayed supply brilliant schemes of colour. The gentlemen . with tile tables aid'not allow the grau to grow unuer their feeU They were on tiie grounds bright and early, and ' by the ume the YiP'tora began to arrive there were the aeap .jacks, with their stentorian voictw and their insist* . enb cries. W nile-you-wait photograph# are dotted about, the grounds, games oi skiil are going on merrdy, ana preparations are hemg made for the inevitable boxing contents, iu-jitsu, merry* go-round, bueis-j umping- and so on. ' u rum the serious point of view, the most important. feature of the show is tne display oi sheep. To country visitors, it is fairly sensational. Judges say that they nave never seen such sheep at a New Zealand'show before. -Their numbers are about the same as those of lait year, but their quality is praised without stint. They are more even in quality than usual, and the reoent weather nas .enabled them to come forward- in the pirns of oondition. They occupy a proud position to-day, and. farmers and others have been crowding around their pens this 1 - morning and afternoon, in order to see a eight which may not be seen again. ' . « Amongst other sections of the stook ; department judged to-day, the draught horses aro strong in .the young classes.' In. the old classes, many of last year's successes in the ring were repeated'to*. ' day. On the whole,"the judges speak highly of the horses. They are well worth seeing. This fact was recognised to-day, large numbers of people crowd- ;, ing the fences while the competitors , were in .the ring. Some disappointment was expressed with the cattle, which, on the whole, do not come up to standard, established in previous yearsV This is, specially noticeable in the fat cattle. The pigs may be described as a good average lot. The dairy produce and bread, butter, ' scones and similar exhibits isr still a ■weak section of the show. This year, there is" the additional attraction of the' Kennel Club's show. The dogs are accommodated in large marquees close to the main entrance, on the left side of the avenue, and are making their presence felt by a loud and discordant . chorus, which certainly has the effect of drawing attentioYi to' the fact thai a dog show is being held. . ' Mr 0. B. Pemberton, secretary of the Agricultural and Pastoral Associaton, is tha busiest man on the grounds. .With the Association's other officers, he is attending to every detail. They nave made their preparations so well .that 5 no hitches have occurred, and all the affairs . of the show, are running with admirable smoothness. MOTOR-CARS AND AIOTOfr- : CYCLES. NEW FEATURES.

_ The. .motor-driven vehicles on tha ShowGround range from 1 the little motor-cycie and. runabout car to tlio powerful motor-waggon. . Taken as a whole-this section oi the show is a very good one indeed, and the cars and so oil were tile centra of attraction to many people all day long. Each year one sees some new development in this pro- , gressivo branch of industry. The strike eiiectuaiiy prevented some exhibitors from snowing the latest models, for ill more ' than one case the cars which were to have been shown were in vessels at present lying in Wellington harbour. One car on Exhibition was rescued from the Devon, but appeared to be none the worse for its immersion. The most .striking developments noticeable this year are the self-starting devices and the electrio lights. The firstmentioned created great interest among motorists and the demonstrations given, in the various tents ,were closely follow- • ed. In many cars a small electric dynamo has been attached to the engine and the current developed is used to light the cars. The lights themselves are not large; but the use of powerful reflectors makes them throw a strong light at a minimum cost. Fashions in motor-cars change, as .in everything else, and if electric, lights are now "in" artillery wheels appear to ba going out rapidly, for very few were to be seen yesterday. " Improvements have been made ih the acetylene lamps, and many novel designs- were on exhibit, as well as. one or two patent generators. Tne general design of the cars was very u.ne indeed. The lines of most of them were beautiful,: and in this connection the four-seaters, with their long bodies, were triumphs of design. Tne various exhibits were made more interesting by the fact that the engines in many of them were kept running, enabling motorist and nonmotorist to see exactly how they worked. The cars in the various tents and marquees, for exhibition, totalled fortysix, and the retail value aggregated £19,255, an average of £4lB lis. Prices ranged from £l9O to £975. Many sales were reported during the day. The most marked development in tin motor-cycles is the three-speed gear, which evidently has come to stay. Several minor improvements in design and fittings were noticeable among -the various makes, of whioh there are a large number 1 at the show. Some exhibitors added to the interest of their exhibits by showing the different parts taken to pieces, and there, were hooters of every sort and description, some producing weird noises. .Every- accessory was on show. The side-cars seemed to be mueh more substantial In build than were those shown last year, and the provision of a wind-screen promised more comfort to the passenger In taie case. When a Reporter visited the exhibits there were in all forty motorcycles in the show, for show purposes, but others were brought in during the day. The aggregate retail value was about £3250, ma.ving an average of £Bl 3s._ Pfices ranged from £lls downwards: In this section also several sales * were recorded during the v SHEEP. BEST EXHiBiT TO DATE. Entries: 1911, 1004: 1912, 1007: 1913, 983. Although slightly 'fewer in number than last year, the fact that sheep numbered 983 entries out of a total oi slightly over 2000 bears eloquent testimony to the all-important position they occupy in the dominion, and to their vaiuo as the principal 6ouroe of the country's prosperity. . i The following table shows the number oi entries under the various head- • ■ ings at the shows helddn 1911,19,1,2' and ' > , ,?h' ] , r '. v * : ■■■■■ * v.

1913. It will ho noticed that during reebnt vears there has boon a shrinkage ■in merinoes, this year's total being 78 against 82 last year, and 104 two years ;iro. English Leicester? advanced from idl last yoar to 129. but these fibres suffer by comparison with tho 19.11 show when 150 entries cAnio forward. Border Leicesters showed a slight advance in numbers, but iiv Lineolus there was a very serious falling off, the total dropping from 64 to; 34.. The entries of Romneys, on tho other hand, showed a decided, increase, the number nd■vancing from 4S to 70, whilst ShropPhuces increased from 80 to 83, and Southdowns from 80 to 92. Ry elands remained unchanged, but Corriedales, a. breed that as fast -paining favour on account of its excellent wool and mutton qualities, continue to forge ahead, the entries totalling: 144 against 122 ' last year! During the last three years' the number of entries of fat sheep varied very little.

Fat' Sheep arid Lambs . GO 61 GO Necessarily the. interruption of the Bteamer services had a prejudicial effect on the show,. several overseas exhibitors of high-classed animals being unable to forward their stock. Notwithstanding, this, .however, the exhibit of sheep,was a highlypraiseworthy one, and it is a moot point whether, considered, collectively, a better exhibit was ever seen in' the Christchurch .show pens, and of course that is equivalent to saying that tho sheep were equal to any display ever made.in the dominion. Experts,'after a critical examination of the large number of exhibits, were loud in their expressions of praise and admiration, and there vras ,the greatest unanimity that never ncforo had the sheep befen better brought out. The eminently satisfactory-condition of the' sheep was attributed largely to the mild winier and .the abundance, "of feed available right through jtbe season. Unfortunately there; was no competiof securing six first ' prizes awl four tained .12 entries, all in the name of Mis Isaac Andrew, tlio well-known and successful Ellesmere breeder.' His sheep were of undoubted excellence, -and the only pity was tliathe was not compelled" to face competition. as his exhibits were of a description-that, would have successfully withstood a very sovere test. Mr Andrew had the distinction of securing six first-. prizes and four seconds.'' The Association does not award championships in this class, but more than one of the _ exhibits were quite wortry of this-distinction. CLASSES DISCUSSED., . As previously stated, the once popular Lincoln breed is rapidly being displaced by other breeds, and this fact was very strongly :, emphasised . iii -the entries which fell from 84 to 34. However, though tlie entries wero" disappointingly small, quality was in no wise lacking,' nearly all the animals . Bhowing very fine constitution, wool and conformation;- Once again, tho NeS? Zealand and Australian Land Company's Moeraki Estate was a very prominent exhibitor, but, 'although' successful, was not successful in captur- ■ ing the ram championship, that distinction going to. Sir Albert Withell, of ißrookside, ..whose winner was typicalof the breed in overy respect, being of fine constitution and conformation. The same _ exhibitor also took tho reserve championship in rams with a l /sheep little inferior to the champion. In ewes, however, the New Zealand and Australian Land Company wis not to be denied, securing the championship and reserve with sheep of a high type, both animals being bred by the company. In addition to the ram championship, Mr Albert Withell captured three first awards, all tho • other premier honours going to the •New Zealand and Australian Land

Company. Oh about the.same strength numerically as .(luring, several recent years, the'fat sheep were noted principally for the unusual evenness which marked all the classes, a feature that on some occasions has been notable for its absence. Without exception the quality was :©ntirely satisfactory, < and, Bpf akirig niter ho had made his awards, thp judge said that really ho could find no fault with any of the sheep placed before. , The first prizes were awarded to Messrs M'Ciellafld Bros. (Rimberley), F. Bull (Waddington), W. J.'Clinton (Darfield), and G. ;E. lihodes (Papanui Road). - Taken all. round, the. fat lambs,, althouglv good, scarcely compared favourably with the fat sheep, and Considering the favourable season experienced, the entry was disappointingly small. However, few of the exhibits lacked condition and finish; indeed, it was found necessary to disqualify more than one exhibit on 'account of overweight. Here, again, Messrs M'Clelland Bros, were promin-

ent and successful exhibitors, the other first prize winners being Messrs James Stapleton (Doyleston) and J. Brooks (Brookside).

The merino classes suffered somewhat from the absence of Mr Douglas M'Lean's exhibits. _ Once more the sheep«in- this division were of a high lilass, possessing'all the best characteristics of the famous Spanish breed, and,, although the classes were not particularly strong in numbers, quality was certainly not wanting. In the fine lambing section competition was between Sir George Clifford (Stonyhurst), Messrs C.' H. Ensor (White Rock), A. W. Rutherford, jun. (Brookdale) and James Stevenson (Flaxton). Tlie ram championship was awarded to Sir George Clifford, who beat last year's victor, Mr, C. E.- Ensor, with a,"splendid slieep,. and the same owner also l appropriated the reserve championship in rams. In fin-e combing merino ewes Mr 'James Stevenson was not to be denied, securing the championship and the reserve with magnificent sheep. _ ' Mr C. H. Ensor was successful in ' ewes under sixteen -months ' • - .

•'The classes of strong- I ,voolled merinoes were of average strength throughout, and the complimentary references .made to th<? .fine-woolled section also apply to this one.- The' exhibitors ineluded some, of the best-known breeders, some previous championship win- • iiers being amongst their number, and consequently visitors had evei»y reason to expect quality. In .this ihey were certainly not disappointed, as the sheep one and all were quite up to the best standard of recent years, and in every way worthy of the Association's Jubilee Show.' Last year the championship in rams went to Mr A. - AV. • Rutherford, jun., but this year that coveted distinction was awarded to Mr James Stevenson, of Flaxton, Mr Rutherford having to; be "jontent with the reserve cis-Kinpionsh'ip. - In ewes, however, Mr Rutherford had his revenge, securing the "championship and reserve,' both winning animals; being oi a very nice and well worthy of the position in which they were placed. The other first prize winners in this section were Messrs W./VY- M'Rae (Waikari), E. B. • Millton (Birch. Hill) and Walter Macfarlane (Kaiwara). « . i ; English Leicesters have long been a ■popular breed throughout the province, end §karcfore it at as not surprising to find that) this section • was' strong in

-numbers and quality. .In every class competition was, noticeably Keen, and in quite an- unusual number of cases ' little separated the placed from the unplaced sheep, the judge requiring the greatest powers of discrimination to separate ..the exhibits. In rams, Messrs R'.'and J. Jleid. the successful Parfield • breeders' ■ and . exhibitors, achieved son:-? notable successes, their entrants vanquishing those of many formidable coiupetitors and securipa; both the championship and the reserve championship with sheep that reflected the utmost credit bn their owners. It is worthy of note that this is the third time in succession that Messrs Rcid Brothers have "captured the ram championship, and the ninth occasion • .at.

intervals, a proud achievement indeed for any breeder. Both the winning rums were by Ringman and were bred by the exhibitors. The oilier .successful exhibitor? in rare wero Messrs R, H. Rhode:;, I). Archibald and C. Si. Threllcoltl. The most successful exhibitor in English' Leicester ewes was Mr R. H. Rhodes (Otahima), who secured, with wr.v lino sheep, the, (--hampioiif.hr"> and Ihe reserve championship. Ho did not, however, win this distinction easily, for he had arrayed against him a large number of exhibits of a high class. Tho honour, however, was ire 11 deserved, and the prize-winners were much admired by visitors during the day. Other winners'of first prize, honours in this section were the Canterbury Agricultural College and Mr C. M. Threlkeld (.FlaxLonj.

BUSTLE AND VARIETY. TENTS AND STANDS. The showground would b.> n bare piace indeed if it were not for the tents and stands, which lend and air of variety Mai bustle and fill up spaces that etlienvi.se would be empty and unattractive. This year's lot is an exceptionally 'f.-xtt-nsivo oiio, and com-pnse-s an array of practically everything from the proverbial needle to an anchor. A long double row lines the path from the ground to the ring, and the. space from tho ring to the 'north-oast boundary fence is filled. ! Enumeration and stands,, which lend an air of sibie. Along the path motor-ears and cycles head the list in point of numbors, and- comprise exhibits from all tlv leading firms, of makers, whose names are familiar to everyone. (Published by arrangement.) W. STRANGE AND CO. Strange's furnishing exhibit at tho Show was a groat centre of attraction, and rightly so, because it would Ik? liard to find a more'tasteful exhibit of its kind. Six rooms were devoted to it. each nortraying some particular colour • harmony or special design in furniture. Tho sightseer is first impressed by the preponderance of oak used. This enduring and serviceable timber is deservedly popular, and tho exhibit of W. Strange and Co., Ltd., shows that they are in the forefront' to meet tho demands of the public. The first display shows a sitting-room, the furniture being of the most modern designs, built for strength, comfort and"attractiveness, quite at variance with the fragile style, which- was in' favour a few years ago.' The colour scheme in room No. 1 is particularly good, tho soft shade of green in the covering of the furniture harmonising 'perfectly with the handsome Persian carpet. Strange's have an enviable reputation for originality of design in furniture, and room No. 2 shows some splendid specimens which savour strongly of those seen in good English homes. The sideboard, beautifully inlaid, attracted much attention, and tho dining chairs, while of tho simplest design, matched splendidly. A superb Axminster car-: pot in delightful shades of brown and green contrasted excellently with the whole, giving an air of solid comfort. , Fumed oak is very popular just now. and in the third room, to the right of the entrance, was shown an artisticallyfurnished dining-room, quite the ideal for the modern bungalow. . The furnishing in this room was simple and in good taste, but inexpensive.- . A very charming idea for bedroom furnishing was also shown. The neatness and proportion of the furniture .was so correct that there was an entire absence of that heaviness which is so often jmparted to bedroom furniture when made of oak.." A feature of this exhibit was the 'gracefully-shaped true oval mirrors and a pjain art carpet, pink in colour, which contrasted pleasantly with the. fumed oak. Another room : shows a bedroom suite in the Sheraton style, made of mahogany, inlaid with satin wood. This style, although two hundred years old, lias always been more or loss in vogue. This suite was designed with a view to retaining the main, features of the work of Sheraton, and only a 9rm catering for tho highest class of art furniture could have carried out the work so successfully-.

•.The'last' of the six rooms comprising Strange's exhibit shows a bedroom suite distinctly modern and original.

The workmanship shows that an expert has conceived the spirit of the designer in . the making. " • A toilettable, with a circular-mirror is quite, a departure from the stereotyped style, and .the floor, covering, an attractive Brussels carpet, satisfactorily completes a very elegant style of . bedroom furnishing. • : \ No' one viewing this exhibit of Strange's could fail to be impressed with the quality of their work, and prospective buyers of furniture could ,not do better than ask the assistance of. this reliable firm when about to fur-' nisli. Every piece of furniture shown in the exhibit' -was manufactured at their own steam factory, and patrons of 'Strange's are thus patronising local industry. .

1911. 1912. 1013. Morinoes, fine combing . •12 ;J7 31 Merinoes, strolls'combing 62 •15 47 English Leiceaters ' 130 " 101 120 Border Leicestera, ( . 139 l.'iJ l'!8 Lincplna , ' , . -w St ;M liomneys . . 50 •ta 70 Southdowns " , , 05 so 92 Shropshirea . . 67 30 S.l Kyelands . . . . , 10 12 ■ 12 Corriedales ... . . l'.il 1U2 1-U Half-breds ' Gi 63 52