A DIAMOND JUBILEE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17192, 8 November 1923, Page 4

A DIAMOND JUBILEE.

THE OPENING DAY. ATTRACTIONS FOR ALL. The Diamond Jubilee Show of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association was commenced to-day. This is judging day and it is the best 1 day for seeing the stock and trade ex- j h.ibits. as the attendauco is not likely to be so large as it will be to-morrow (People’s Day). Given line weather • -and to-dav was a very hue day in<.ood —the show should ho a great success and one quite worthy to mark the diamond jubilee of the association The total number of entries is larger than it was at the show a year ago. and there are some fine displays of • stock. The tradrt exhibits are another j interesting feature and give the public j ar. opportunity-of inspecting a wide j i ange of articles. The side shows aro 1 more numerous and more varied than J they were last year. At J. 30 p.m. to- | morrow the grand parade of prize stock ! will be held. His Excellency the Gov- ' ovmor-General will visit the show toThis evening a carnival will be held on the Show Grounds, which will be specially lighted for the purpose. An attractive programme of interesting j events has been arranged for the carI nival, which gives every promise of j proving a huge success. The proi gramme includes pony events, flag, i liending and Gretna Green races, buck II jumping and leaping competitions. A musical programme by noted artists will also be given, members of the Caledonian Society will provide a selection of national (lances and other items ! and the Woolston 'band and string and j pipe bands will l>e in attendance. The ' lighting arrangements for the enter- | tainment are perfect. Powerful lights j have been placed round the oval and through the grounds and when the ! side shows are lighted Tip the effect will Iho spectacular. There will be plenty 1 of entertainment in the ring and at 1 the side shows for everybody.

DETAILS OF ENTRIES.

The oh tries this year total 2098 comparcel with 1988 last year. There have been increases in the entries of horses and sheep, while cattle and pigs show a very slight decrease. There has been a substantial increase in the entries in the dairy * produce section and the sections of a similar character. SHEEP. In the fine combing merino section there are twenty-one entries compared with nineteen last year. At the last show a section was provided for medium combing merinos and attracted six entries from two breeders. This year the entries are much better. They total twelve from seven exhibitors. As was the case last year the strong combing section is much the best supported of the Merino classes. At the show last year there were forty-three entries in the strong combing class from six exhibitors. This year {here are iifty-threo entries from eight exhibitors. Last year the entries of English Leicester* showed a tailing off compared with the previous year, the total beitig 87 as* compared with 111. However. this yean this failing off has been more than recovered, the entries totalling 115. All the English Leicester classes have !*•< n well supported and there should he good, competition in each. Most of the Border Leicester classes have also been well supported and the entries show an increase of twelve over those of last year, which totalled 82. There are only two exhibitors in the Lincoln section and in no class do they conn* into competition with one another. Several of the Lincoln breed of sheep have beep sent forward for exhibition only. At the show last year there were .‘37 entries in the Lincoln I section. This year the total is 32, but I this number includes the sheep for ex- ! hibition only. At the 1922 show the hulk of the Lincolns came from two I breeders but there was at least some competition. . I Compared with last year the entries I in the Komnev Marsh section show a I verv considerable falling off. At the j 1922 show they totalled seventy-four whilst this year the number is forty--1 four. This falling off is due princi- { pally to the fact that two well-knowi breeders, who sent forward several ex J hibits last year. , have not done so or this occasion. j The Southdown section lias again at I traded good entries, and although tin I I number of exhibitions is not particu I ! larly large competition in most of tin classes should be fairly good. Tin entries number 111 compared with 10 at the show twelve months ago. In the Shropshire section there ar three more entries than last year when the total was fifty-four. Hn same well-known breeders are repre | sen.ted. That the ftyeland brood is makin; head wav as a fat lamb producer i I shown hv the fact that during the pas j year or so the entries have steadil; ! ! don's show. In 1921 the entrie ! | totalled twenty-two. in 1922 the; | totalled thirty-one, whilst this yea the number has risen to thirty-four, f As usual the Corriedales have at I 207 compared with 214 at the p rev ion I show. All the classes have attracted 1 arize number of entries and. as wa

he case last- year, competition is likey to he particularly keen. The section for lialf-breds is again a un all one, but the entries are better ban last year when they dropped lowii to twenty. This year they number thirty-six, and in most of the 'lasses competition is likely to bo somewhat better. At the show’ twelve months ago there was a very poor entry of fat sheep, numbering only sixteen. This rear the entries have doubled, but 5-fcill they are not up to what they aught to be. In most of the fat sheep •lasses there is little if any competiCATTLE. -^■ s * J> r as cattle are concerned the Shorthorns, both beef and milking, aro again well represented, though the number of beef Shorthorn cattle that will be shown this year is fewer than that of last year by twenty-four—-ninety-seven as against 121. ' In the milking Shorthorn classes the entries are live more than they were last year —fifty-seven as against fifty-two. Judging by the catalogue competition should be good in most of the classes, but whether the quality of the beef Shorthorns will come up to that of last year is another matter. “'Hie finest display seen in New Zealand for some years.” was the verdict of Mr F. Vaughan, judge of the beef Shorthorns last rear. Sixteen Rod Polled cattle have been • ‘ entered, but- all of them oomo from : 3 one breeder. The entry of Jersey cattle totals forty-seven head compared with thirty-four last year. Competition promises to be good in the Jersey classes, especially those for t-ho younger females. Like the Red Polled cattle the Guernsev cattle that will bo shown are all from one exhibitor, lie lias entered ten animals. Amongst the Ayrshires there should be fairly good competition, though one or two of the classes are not particularly well supported. The entries number thirty-six compared with thirty-one last year. The Friesian s should make a good display, and in most of the classes the competition should be satisfactory. The entries total sixty-four, about the same as those of last year. The entry of fat cattle is again disappointingly small. It was bad enough last year, when there were only ten entries, but this year the position is worse, the entries having fallen to seven. The absence of well-known Peninsula graziers is again most marked.

HORSES. In the draught horse section fairly good entries have been made, though they are not so large as they mi'dit have been in an agricultural district like Canterbury. The entry includes several well known entires and mares On the whole, the entries in the sec tion ior carriers’ and tradesmen’s turnouts are somewhat better than they were last year. This is one of the most interesting sections of the show, though, with the growth of motor traffic it has lost something of its importance during recent years. It is one of the few sec tions in the show in which the exhibits ai’e drawn almost entirely from the city. The class for military horses is a small one. The entries are about the same its those of last year. Two of the classes for harness cobs and ponies have been poorly supported this year as compared with last. These are the classes for cobs not ‘over 14.2 hands and for ponies not over 14 hands, for which two entries and one entry respectively have been received. However, two extra classes havo been provided in this sec tion, one for pony stallions and cne for pony brood mares. Tlio former class have attracted six entries and the latter three. In several of the classes for saddle cobs and ponies the entries are better than they were at the last show, noticeably in that for polo ponies. Good entries have been received for the classes for saddle horses, and competi j tion should be good. Some of the liar j ness horse classes, however, have not boon so well suppoi ted as they were last year. The section for trotting and pacing horses shows an increase in the number of entries. As was the case last year, no blood horses have been entered. PIGS. The entry or pigs is about the same this year as last. The Berkshrres are again well represented, but the classes ’ for the other breeds of pigs have not , been well supported. The total entry sixty five last year.

SHOW RING EVENTS.

Following is a list of jumping and other events which will be decided at the show. The time at which they ar. to start is given in each case: — TODAY. 2 p.m.—Maiden hunters, open tv non-previous first prize winners. 2.30 p.m.— Pony jumping, over foui flights of hurdles, for ponies not ovei 11 hands. 3 p.m.— Pony jumping over foui flights of hurdles, ior ponies not ovei 14.2 hands. 3.30 p.m.- —Handicap pony trot, foi ponies under 14 hands. 3.45 p.m.- Handicap pony trot, foi ponies 13 hands or under. 4 p.m.—Go-as-you-please, for pome: 12 hands or under. 4.15 p.m.-—Best actioned horse, showi in harness, open to all classes. TOMORROW. 2.15 p.m.—Heavy-weight hunters list. 3 p.m.— Light-weight hunters, list.

3.30 p.m.—Ladies’ hunter competi tion. 4 p.m.—Competition for Renown Challenge Cup, ior qualified hunters. 4.15 p.m.—High jumping competi tion. 4.30 p.m.—Consolation jumping com petition. The events for boy and girl riders will be decided to-morrow morning. The grand parade of prize stock will l>e held at 1.30 p.m. to-morrow.