SYDNEY SKETCHES. OUR AGRICULTURAL SHOW.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1961, 31 January 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

SYDNEY SKETCHES.

OUR AGRICULTURAL SHOW.

Uy IlAnoi.D W. 11. SiiPHiv.

Fon some years past a cloud has obscured the fortunes of our Agricultural Society and its annual exhibitions have been badly supported, both by exhibitors and visitors. I am glad to be able to ohroniole that the winter of our discontent has been made glorious Hummer by the sun of Webster (the new secretary), and all the clouds that lowr'd upon our showground »ro in the doep bosom of the ocean buried. Now are the brown of successful exhibitors bound with victorious wreaths ; our stern forebodings changed to merry meetings, and so forth, ad libitum. Let us, however, stop at capering in a lady's chamber to the lascivious pleasing of a lute, for I am sure that the prave and reverend signors, who compose the council of the Society, would not sanction any suoh games. To continue ; I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks, nor made to court an amorouH looking-glass— my courting days are long since over, and, any way, I never did see any fun in courting looking-glasses— l, in this

weak piping time of peaco, have no delight to pass away tho time— not particularly caring to desoant upon my own deformity— l am determined thercforo to prove a villain- -that n to say, beoomo a rnporter for tho nonce, and relate my adventures at the show aforesaid. Aa I am fmbtl<\ false and trcaeherom, yon muut not believo all I say ; bnt T assure you that, however strong tho temptation to lie may bo, I will strninhtly endeavor to speak thp polid truth. Now dive thoughts down to my soul ! I will begin my tale. (All tho above is not paraphrased from Shakespeare, but from Colley I'ibber, and fh<> ruhbit-h of tho original is not more original rubbish than my rubbish ) Lot mo commerce by striving to explain the rrmon why tho Agricultural Sooietj fell into disrepute. It has been contended that tho oM committee were to blame, inasmuch as their constant bickerings disgusted the snbncrib n rfl ; but lam not inclined to put much faith in this fißaertion. All committees quarrel, and, whon the qnarrellinga are mado public, outsiders throw up their handa in nmazp, and nRk, " Can flnoh things be? " as if they, themselves, would not take a willing hand in the fighting, should it ever be their fortnno to bpcomo committoo-men. No, the real reason lay in the fact that the pubiio had i had a surfeit of exhibitions, whilst no efforts jof tho Society eonld ever result in offerrig snch a grand display as was on view for nn many months in the ill-fated Garden Palaco. Before, the magnificence of tho International every other exhibition must of necessity pale ita ineffectual fire. Exhibitors, too, wore not particularly Pager to come forward. The glory of an Agricultural Society's medal was as nothing in companion with that greater plory which devolved upon tho fortunate at the Oirdon Palace Show. They had also (or thought they had) experienced all the good whioh could accrue to them by the display of their wares, and they shirked the expense and trouble which would be entailed upon them if they entered for the leeser exhibition. Others had been so injured in business bj the opposition of n«weomers in the field (who had bean attracted hither by 4he International) that they inwardly onrsed all exhibitions, and the very word became hatefuj to them. Time hai modified these feelings ; the people are no longer satiated with novelty ; manufacturers, importers, and tradesmen are beginning again to deiire the notoriety of pnblie exhibition of their goods, and the newly established people have achieved that tolerance which custom begets for the inevitable. As to the committee : By resolution of the members, that body was reduced to a workable number ; and, if they still fight amongst themselves, the outside world is not aware of it. Thus it has eomo about that this last show was as fair to look upon, and as well patronised as were those in days of yore. Tet was there something wanting to tho attraotion, inasmuch as the exhibits were confined to " Agriculture " only. That the oemraittee were wise in deciding to confine their operations to. that department which" was peculiarly the province of the Society is undeniable ; but it ii now open to question whether it might not be, in the future, judicious to revert to tho old system. The Society's grounds aro pleasantly situated in Moore Park, within easy reach of the city, and closa to a tramway. Much care has been bestowed upon these grounds, and they are tastefully laid out, and well in order. The buildings are especially suited to tho requirement 1 ' of ftn " agricultural " show, and leave nothing to be desired in that direction, though some considerable addition*! will probably be necessary should a more universal programme bo issued next yoar. The ihow of stock of all kimlo was really grand in its way. and tho large number of very valuable animali afforded ample evidence of the wealth of tho breedora, and of their determination to have tho beet blood obtainable. It was pleasant to note the rapture with which some comfortable, farmoriah-looking sort of man would descant to his friends upon tho merits of tho vatious beasts. But this was most noticeable in the section set apart for pigs. 1 feel tempted hero to digress a moment, in order to ask how it happens that swine arc so eminently fascinating to tho avcrago farmer? I havo scon men pass horses, cattle and sheep with scarcely more than a glance of approval, but who yet would spend minutes, which grow rapidly into hours, in ecstatic contemplation of a corpulent bow. It is one of those problems which puzzlo us, for no solution of tho mystery has yot been afforded. But be it noted that thiß preference for the porcine race is not by any means confined to farmers and exports only. Bound their pens will be found congregated men of all ranks and patterns, all equally interested, and grinning approval. I am, myself, afllioted that way. Ido honestly love to gaze upon a fat pig. But I know why I do. It is because the swine in the living embodiment of luxurious idleneHs, and I want to be luxuriously idle myself. I should like to bask in tho sun, without a care or thought of the morrow, and without the necessity for doing anything but eat the food that was placed before me. That is what is the matter with me, and that is why I find a melancholy pleasure in observing the placid contentment of my four-legged brethren. About the horsei are alwaysjto be seen a race of beings to whom the horso is the ideal of all that is God-liko in nature. Bucking straws, most of them are, and their trousers cling tightly to their limbs, while their other garments have tho look of being several sizes too small for them, and are garnished with very much more than the usual complement of buttons. Nobody seems to take much interest in the ■beep, somehow, although a few squatterishlooking gentlemen may at times be seen near their pens. Thero is no poetry in a sheep, anyway, and I am not surprised at this indifference to its merits. * I am muoh interested in the machinery exhibits. There it poetry in iron, if you like. The imagination may take far and wild flights whilst the eye is contemplating a steam-engine. Even a boiler is suggestive of romance. Ai the poet eloquently remarks : " What fato's in «toro for this horo blooming boiler? Will «he o'er yeantv oream bo a toiler ? Will nho provo faithful to her saciod trust? Or will sho take tho earliest opportunity to bust?" The poet is me. There arc many more equally beautiful lines, but, as I am not paid to drop into poetry in these columns, I shall reserve them lor a future occasion. How the douoe is it that ono never can talk about boilers without immediately thinking of Tangye? Here was I, soaring away in tho enchanted realms of fanoy, when I am pulled up short by a reminiscence of a name. That is always the way with me. Just as I begin to feel that I am about to produco something extra icsthetical, I tumble off my Pegasus, and have to plod on the rest of my way afoot. Tangye 1 Noh me Tanqycrc ! * -r f * ■* Interval devoted to rest after that last stupondous effort. And talking of Tangye, let us see what he (or they, the firm is Tangye Bros. I see) have to show. I pans over and stand enraptured before a maze of iron-work, all of whioh is to me a dark, unfathomable mystery. I feel that I am getting poetical again, so I turn to a gentleman, who seema to have something to do with tho exhibits, and ask for an explanation of tho uses of what I see. I say : " I prithee, gentle stranger, can a lone and 'wildered orphan obtain olucidation of these Cyclopean mysteries?" He replies that ha don't exactly know what a 'wildered orphan is, and that he don't sco no Cyclopean mysteries around, neither-, but that, if I would like any information with reference to the machinery, ho would be happy to atlord it to me. I said that was exactly what I wanted, and he aiked me why I did not say so at first. Then he pumped out such a store of learning that my head still aches at the remembrance of it. After showing me all sorts of queer machines, ho remarked : " But maybe you're

a squatter, Rir, ami would take more intnrost in our pumping machinery, for examplo ? " I mm mured an incoherent rrply, and nodded my hond. I waH too ovproomo to speak. A squatter ? la squatter 1 Uo I look like one? Is it safo to ink him to lend mo half-a-HOvrreign, on the plea that I forgot my parse, and am a, stranger from tho back blocks? Iluminating thus, I pass on, and an"«et absorbing interest in pumps. He showed mo first an engine, which he j dwcribH an bein^ " a cheap and handy form of portable engine for farmwork, consisting of one of Tangye's well-known ' Soho engines, with horizontal muHitubnlar boiler, specially designed for burning wood, and mounted on wheel 1 ? with abaftn or pole for homos or bullocks, made in seven diiforent sizes from H to H horse-power." All thin lie reeled off with the utmost fluency, and, when he had concluded, it was I that was out of "breath, not he. Then earne a piece of furniture with whioh I felt almost competent to grapple unaided. It was & very nimple kind of puTjp, workod by hor<?«-ge»r — just the thing, it occurred to me, for use on farms or (stations. My friend described it as a " vertical double-action pump, to be placed down a well, and worked from above by a crank on the end of the shaft of the horso-gf>ar, connection being raadfl by rods of the required length." I laid anybody conld see that for himself, and he looked dinned rather ; hut recovered himself as he led me over to another place to show mo a pnrap, which, he said, would considerably open my eyes. I said that my eyes were open to their fullest extent already, but ho only ladled out tho following (statement : "This," ho said, II is what i/oit want. Something to fetch up tho water by the ton, you know." (I nodded acquiescence, but thought it waa whirky rather than water that I required most at the time.) " This," he continued, " is a direct acting oentrifngftl pump engine for deMing with large quantities of water for irrigation purposos, <te, where the required lift is low. In this arrangement, tho engine is connected direct with the spindle of the pump, the disc of the Utter being made of extra diameter, so as to get tho necessary spoed at the blade tips without running the engino at an excessive number of revolutions per minute. The engine, you will observe, oan be detached from tho pump in five minutes, if required, and yon can uso it for sawing, and other purposes." I believe I did understand this explanation, and I began making enquiries as to price— l only wonder I did not buy the thing right away. My ohhging friend showotl me a lot more things in the way of pumps, lifting blocks, jacks, «Vo., and I came away profoundly impressed with the grandeur of being tho manu facturer of such huge and usoful machines. Bat I did not borrow that half sovereign. Could not muster courage enough to ask. If, indeed, I had been on the daily press— why, of course, in such a case I Bhould have had half-sovereigns concealed all over my person. Yes — o£ course. I must Btop now, or the editor will bz curtailing my manuscript, and thon I shall got mad, and abuse him— behind his back. I can't afford to express my real sentiments beI fore the face of an editor. But I think a good I deal.