THE EXHIBITION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8373, 7 March 1907, Page 5

THE EXHIBITION.

By Telegraph—Special Service.

CHRISTCHURCH, March 6. The Fruit and Dahlia Show, which.! opened in the main corridor of the Exhibition to-day, and will be continued to-morrow, is the largest and, if possible, the most beautiful that has been held there. It is half as large again as the Begonia Show of last month which broke all previous records. The present Show has expanded beyond the limits of the main avenue, and the large amount of space beneath the entrance dome is taken up by exhibits that are not for competition. In fact, the promoters of the Show have been at their wits' end to provide space for the collection, which includes grapes, from Waikato, dahlias from Oamaru, and fruit from Central Otago, in addition to the products' of Canterbury gardens and orchards. The dahlias : are a magnificent colleetion, and quite the best that has ever been shown in Christchurch. The improvement in these flowers, which is conspicuous year after year, is again most noticeable. There is also . a splendid show of begonias and pot plants, which are present in great variety and beauty. The numerous exhibits of fruit and vegetables shown are of a high quality. Altogether there kre 561 entries, of which 450 are for competition. Over seventy cases of Golden Chastelas grapes have arrived from the Government's Waerenga vineries, in the Waikato, and were on exhibition this afternoon on a stand which has been erected just inside the main entrance of ths Exhibition, where they attracted much favourable attention. The Flower Show, though it attracted many hundreds of visiw#/tors, was only one of the many attractions at the Exhibition to-day. The orchestra gave concerts in the afternoon and evening in the Concert Hall to big attendances, and the Besses-o'-th'-Barn Band had a large audience on the Sports Ground in the afternoon. But the evening saw the principle attraction of the day in the form of a combined outdoor concert by the Besses-o'-th'-Barn Band, and a display of fireworks by the representatives of Pain and Sons. The night was ■ perfect for both events, and there was an enormous crowd to gratify the double enjoyment of eyes and ears. A colossal portrait of the late Mr R. J. Seddon was a feature of the fireworks display. The portrait was a remarkably close likeness, and was loudly cheered by the immense crowd. The total attendance at the Exhibition to-day was 16,568, which makes the aggregate to date 1,418,665. Over two hundred entries have been received for the Pet Show in "Wonderland," on Friday. The Motor Gymkhana, fixed for Saturday afternoon, will commence with a parade of motor cars through the city, and will include many novel events on the Sports Ground. In conjunction with the gymkhana a concert will also be given by the Besses-o'-th'-Barn Band. ' Elaborate .preparations are being made for the International Fire Brigades Competitions, to be held from the 18th to the 23rd instants, and which are expec!,od to rival the recent Band Contest in attendance, interest and importance. The Easter Holidays will be made a very attractive period at the Exhibition. The Southern, Union and Alhambra Football Clubs, of Dunedin, and also the Wellington Club, have definitely arranged to play off their annual matches with the local club at Easter, on the Exhibition Sports Ground, and several other games are expected to take place there. Special fireworks displays will be given at Easter, and the United Bands of Hope Demonstration on Easter Monday, in which delegates to the New Zealand Temperance Conference, to be held in Christchurch at that time, will take part, should prove a very popular function.