THE Reliance Bank Royal Bathurst Show will take place from Friday, April 24 to Sunday, April 26. Anzac Day is on the Saturday and the Bathurst RSL will be holding a ceremony at the showgrounds on the day. This week I have a photo of the fruit, vegetables, preserves and grains display mounted by the Bathurst Agricultural Farm in 1910.
The Bathurst Government Experimental Farm was on the site of the old Bathurst racecourse and had an area of 600 acres. The soil was of a mixed character, suitable mostly for grazing, but a good portion is agricultural land, with the latter fronting the Macquarie River.
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Bathurst had been selected as a site for teaching the higher branches of agricultural education. Mr R.W. Peacock was the manager of the farm and Mr H.J. Ferguson was the chief orchardist. The orchards encompassed some 30 acres. Both men saw to it that their produce and livestock were displayed at the annual Bathurst Show.
Mr Peacock's work was varied and very extensive and a glance at the experimental plots of vegetable products showed that he thoroughly understood the science of cultivation. Stockbreeding was confined to dairy cattle and sheep for mutton purposes.
The dairy was under the supervision of Mr O'Callaghan, the government dairy expert. The sheep experiments were under the general supervision of Mr Bruce, the chief inspector of stock, who always took the greatest interest in breeding lambs for export. He regularly exhibited sheep at the show.
The Bathurst region was growing all sorts of apples which included Alexanders, New Yorks, Munros, Ribston Pippins, Rome Beauty, Coxs, Alfristones, Adam's Permains, Granny Smiths, Stone Pippins, Jonathans, Yates and Buncombes.
The annual show of the Bathurst Agricultural, Horticultural and Pastoral Association was continued on Thursday, April 7, 1910 under ideal weather conditions. There was a very large attendance, which it was expected would be a record. The Wednesday's takings showed an increase of £24 in gate money over the same day of the previous year.
The official opening ceremony was performed by the State Minister for Agriculture, Mr J. Perry, at noon. Mr H.C. Suttor, president, presided. Among those present were Mr J. Miller, MLA, Messrs F.B. Winchcombe, George Lee, and J. Gormley, MLC.
The president, in introducing Mr Perry, stated that Bathurst Show was the largest in the state, outside the Royal in Sydney, paying away more prizemoney than any other society with the exception already mentioned. The Bathurst Show Society had 375 financial members, and although they did not get the NSW Government subsidy, he hoped that the minister would see his way clear to make it a national show the next year.
The Minister for Agriculture, who was received with cheers, stated that he thought that the Minister for Agriculture should get about the country more than any other minister. He wanted to know why there was a seeming falling off in the area under cultivation of the soil in the state. One way to find this out was to get about as much as possible. Regarding shows, they would be a failure if it were not for the exhibitors and visitors and viewing the products of the soil in the pavilion that day, he wondered that there was not more of them grown.
There was a falling off of the area cultivated at Bathurst, but he was told they had experienced a series of bad years without rain, and, of course, that meant a decrease in the production.
Referring to the work of the department, he said it was not created for show purposes, but to be of assistance to the man on the land. It could only achieve success by working with farmers and pastoralists.
If a man who wanted advice did not write to the department, he was sorry for him. It had a staff who were carrying out experiments which would demonstrate what had been done with certain crops.