Manawatu Jersey Breeders’ Club

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 29, 4 February 1937, Page 8

Manawatu Jersey Breeders’ Club

SMOKE CONCERT AT PEILDINO. JERSEY OAKS PRIZE MONEY PRESENTED. In celebration of the outstanding success of the £SOO Manawatu Jersey Oaks competition decided at the feilding A. and P. Show on Tuesday, the Manawatu Jersev Breeders Club held a smoke concert at the Oddfellows’ Hall, Bedding, on Tuesday evening, Mr J. A. Russell, president of the club presiding over an excellent attendance which included exhibitors, members and officers of the Peilding A. and P. Association, officers of the Department ot Agriculture and representatives of the Live Stock Auctioneers’ Association. Apologies tor absence were received from the Hon. Lee Martin, Minister of Agriculture, Mr Singleton (director Dairy Division, Department Agriculture), Mr Jos. Batcttelor, president Manawatu A. and 1. Association, and Mr Kissling, secretary ot the Manawatu A. and P. Association. The toast of the Department of Agriculture was proposed by the Mayor, Mr T. Collins, who described the department as the fairy (iodfather of the farmer, it was to the department that the farmer turned for all information pertaining to his industry and the very best advice was always available. (Applause). Acknowledging the toast Mr E. I • Connell, Agricultural Department, said that as he listened to the proposer of the toast his mind had run to the remarks of condemnation which had often been levelled at the department. He would say that the department did not deserve all the condemnation it received nor all the praise. The department was doing a big job but the part played by the farmer could not be overlooked for ho was worthy of every praise. The fact that this year there was a record number of breeding ewes in the Dominion reflected, he suggested, the care farmers took of their pastures. Without such care and proper pasture management it would not be possible to carry so many breeding ewes. Again there was the record butter production of two years ago and now on top of these notablo achievements, was a record pig carcase production expected to reach 700,000 carcases as against the Dominion output of 35,000 carcases twclvo years ago. These figures, Mr Connell said, resulted from the team work among the oflicers of the department and the farmers and ho would say that the department had learned much from the farmer while the farmer had also learned from the department. It was not generally appreciated the great eminence the New Zealand grassland farmer had attained in the eyes of the world. The speaker had recently spent some time with Dr. Murray, of Australia, who had been sent to New Zealand to make a study of our pastures and this authority had informed the speaker that he was recommending to' the Commonwealth Government tiiat New Zealand was the place to go for a knowledge of grassland farming, fco, he stated, the New Zealand farmer had some standing particularly when this same authority refused to acknowledge that New Zealand had anything to learn by* grassland training in England. (Applause.) .Proposing the toast of the Feilding A. and P. Association coupled with that of the town of Feilding, Mr fc>. B. Thomson, manager of Messrs Abraham and Williams, said that the association must feel very proud at having staged the Jersey Oaks at its show'. This major event in the history ot A. and P. Shows would bo something to be remembered and he realised that Feilding would long remember the event and its importance to breeders. The speaker went on to deal with the value of New Zealand's pasturelands and the wonderful productivity of the natural grasslands. Not only had the land, without apparent Impoverishment, responded to the demand lor greater production, but the high quality of the produce had been well maintained and was steadily improving. The importance of this matter of maintaining quality could not be over emphasised and in this regard he pointed to the increasing competition overseas. Mr Thomson went ou to illustrate by quoting statistics the enormous development of our export truue and said that the infant industry of chilled beef was rapidly reaching large dimensions. There was no country in the world so dependent on its farming industry as New Zealand and this was realised when it was known that 94 per cent, of our exports came from our grasslands. Dealing with inter-Empire trade the speaker quoted figures pointing to the necessity for developing new overseas markets and increasing a demand for the Dominion's primary products. Feilding, he said, was looked upon as one of the greatest centres m the North island. (Applause). The town was the centre of a vast store stock selling organisation and was surrounded by some of the best land in New Zealand. He had every pleasure in proposing the toast. Mr H. J. Lancaster, president of the Feilding A. and P. Association, said, m reply, that his association had appreciated the honour in being asked to run the Jersey Oaks competition and it was a wonderful thing that Feilding had been chosen as the centre for the exhibition of the cream of the Dominion's Jersey cattle. He trusted that tho visitors to the Show had enjoyed themselves as much as his association had enjoyed having the Jersey Oaks contest.

The Mayor acknowledged the toast on behalf of the town and said that Feilding bad been a town* of steady growth. The town had always supported its A. and P. Association for it realised the valuable work that organisation was performing. Feilding claimed to bo the largest store stock centre in the North Island and although Stortford Lodge was seeking to win that distinction it had a long way to go before j: eilding's claim could be upset. (Applause.)

The toast of the N.Z. Jersey Cattle Breeders' Association was proposed by the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, member for the district, and in a humorous vein tho speaker dealt with a tribute he had paid, some four years ago, to tho Jersey cow. Ho had then stated that the Jer-

gey cow, from the point of view of national wealth, was worth more than all the politicans but he had since found that politicans, by means of taxation, could produce threo times the revenue derived from tho produce of Jersey cows. (Laughter). Seriously he wished to acknowledge tho great industry of Jersey breeders and concluding urged farmers never to forget the importance of producing only the very best. (AP‘ plause). Mr G. H. Bell, president of the Jersey Cattle Breeders' Association, paid a tribute to tho foundation members of the association and said that breeders to-day were indebted to the vision and industry of those pioneers. Touching ou the, Jersey Oaks competition the speaker eulogised tho Manawatu Club for its enterprise and congratulated it upon the outstanding success of the venture. The original entry of 170 heifers had exceeded expectations and was a reflection of the great interest the competition had created. There were many factors that had entered in tho competition to cause a reduction in the number of heifers that came forward tor final judging. The future was unknown and no oreeder could tell whether his entry would complete the conditions laid down. That twenty-two heifers had completed the conditions and come througli to the final judging was a matter for congratulation. {Speaking as one who had had considerable experience in the show ring the speaker sounded a note of warning by suggesting that A. and P. Associations should take the broad view when preparing their show schedules. He had noted a tendency towards localising the interests in the classes and eliminating the outsider. This is considered a fatal mistake and one likely to cause injury to breeders. The utmost should be done to encourage only the very best in live stock and it would be a shortsighted policy to place any limit on entries. Mr Bell went on to stress tho fSiuc of the C.O.R. test which his association supported by annual subsidies. The results had more than justified tho association's practical interett in such testing and tho work calleu far more widespread and sympathetic support. Concluding, the speaker praised the stock which had come forward for the final judging in the Jersey Oaks. (Applause). The toast of Kindred Societies was proposed by Mr K. Kirk, of Palmerston North, and responded to by Mr J. H. Mason, of Feilding. Both speakers stressed the value of greater attention to tho breeding of the best stock. The toast of the exhibitors was proposed by Mr C. E. Robertson, Messrs Wright Stephenson’s dive stock expert, and in the course of his remarks he said that the Jersey Oaks competition had made history and was a tribute to the breeders who had been successful in bringing their heifers right through to the final judging. He congratulated the successful exhibitors, Messrs Lepper and Lancaster, and the other exhibitors who had brought their stock forward for the final judging. The competition had involved a vust amount of work and in- > dustry ou the part of the exhibitors and the stock reflected the immense care that had been taken with them. Ho considered that more attention should be jiaid to line-breeding as had been the case with Mr Lancaster’s heifer, Heatherlea Alice, and it had been a pity that something of the pedigree of the heifers entered had not been incorporated in the schedule. He instanced whut had been done in the case of recently imported Clydesdale horses where the pedigree for several generations back had been included and this revealed the steady line-breeding down the years.

Replying, Air Lancaster said that he was pleased to share with Mr Lepper the honour of winning the Oaks. As to line breeding ho had followed that out with success and in the case of Heatherlea Alice her ancestry included a definite strain of that great cow Majesty's Fox. He concluded by extending congratulations to the other exhibitors for their wonderful sportsmanship. Taranaki was not beaten yet," said Mr Lepper in joining in returning thanks. “As to the breeding of Maori Kismet, well—She's a Maoril" he exclaimed midst laughter. Tho opportunity wa3 then taken by the president to present the cheques to the successful competitors, Alessrs Lancaster and Lepper, each receiving £175, and the other prize-winners the apportionment originally provided. The recipients were each warmly applauded. Air C. G. C. Dermer proposed the toast of thp Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture, and said that