236 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Mar., 1898. 
Show Reports. 
DRAYTON AND TOOWOOMBA AGRICULTURAL AND 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S SHOW. 
Tue always interesting show of this society, which should have been held on 
the 12th January, was postponed, owing to the continued inclement weather, to 
the 26th January. The exhibits were numerous and of excellent quality, 
especially the fruit, vegetables, preserves, pickles, and wine. Vegetable 
marrows were very much in evidence. It seems a pity that in the case of 
such vegetables six should be required to be exhibited in each entry. This 
must debar many small growers from showing perhaps finer specimens than 
were staged. The owner of a small garden might be able to find three 
specimens worth showing, but cannot enter them owing to the regulations 
requiring the larger number. The same may apply to the quantity for entry 
of cucumbers, peas, beans, &c. We do not particularise the exhibits, as all 
details are recorded in the local journals, but mention must be made of the 
excellent exhibit of farm produce and of preserves made by Mrs. Tardent, from 
the Westbrook Experiment Farm, in charge of Mr. Henry Tardent. These, 
together with a similar exhibit from the Hermitage Experiment Farm by Mr, 
Ross, were subsequently shown at the Exhibition on the 2nd February of the 
Horticultural Society of Queensland and the Queensland Fruitgrowers’ 
Association, when they attracted special attention. 
We often hear it remarked that Queensland bottled fruits, pickles, jams, 
&e., are not equal to the imported articles; but anyone who has seen and tasted 
the beautifully got up goods shown by Mr. Roessler must admit that for 
freshness, purity, colour, and taste they are equal, if not superior, to those 
imported from Europe. 
Considering that the district round Toowoomba produces excellent 
potatoes, we were surprised to see so few exhibits of this product. The same 
may be said of the fruit exhibits. A district in which twenty-two cases of 
cherry plums have been gathered from one tree in a single season should be 
able to present a magnificent array of fruit. Flowers were not numerous, but 
Mr. Searle had a very beautiful stand, which was greatly admired. 
Amongst the machinery, the greatest interest centred in the Osborne 
Columbia Corn Harvester, an invention which appears to be destined to effect 
much economy in the harvesting of maize. The machine (which can be worked 
with two horses) cuts and binds the standing corn, and it is claimed for it that, 
no matter how the crop has been laid by wind and storm, this machine will 
harvest it. The gathering arms and chains, reaching well ahead, guide the 
corn upright towards the cutters; then the feeding jaws, reaching forward of 
the knives, grasp the stalks, forcing the cut, and, with the aid of the chain 
conyeyers, carry the corn rearward to the binder, where the bundle is formed, 
tied, and discharged from the machine. The machine is capable of cutting and 
binding from seven to ten acres per day. It was intended to give an exhibi- 
tion of its powers on a field of corn in the neighbourhood, but, unfortunately, 
the ground was too wet for horses to work, and we are thus unable to inform 
our readers as to its performances. 
LOGAN FARMING AND INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION, 
BEENLEIGH. 
Mr. FI. W. Prex, general secretary of the above association, forwards us the 
following notes of the annual public meeting held in the Agricultural Hall at 
Beenleigh on the 28th January, when Mr. John Mahon, Instructor in Dairying, 
read the paper on “Farming and Dairying” which we published in full in our 
last number. 
