TOP PLOWMEN of all Canada will be plowing straightesi furrows they can tomorrow and Wednesday for the Canadian Plowing champion- ships at Brudenell Park.

(First Island match ‘ held back in 1839

By NEIL MATHESON Provincial. 'Farm Editor

wing goes back for at least years in this province, as have found that a match w as held in early October 1839 under the direction of the Cen- tral Agricultural Society Nance Villa. property of Char- les Braddock. ' plowmen were in com- petition but The Colonial Herald of that time said it was also an

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en -- "and several gentle- men on horseback” sent at the beginning and the end of the match: presumAbly they went for a ride while the plowing was in progress.

Amount of the aprizze money is not given, but 40 shillings was given to Chester Woolner of match com. petitor plowed one ~ half acne in approximately four iiouns, said The Islander newspaper which practically

Rustico for winning the in October 1848.

complained that

m 1' attended though the site within a short distance". Livestock shows were added to the plowing matches and the 1849 competition became a two - day event with the plowmen performing the first day. and the livestock showing the sec- ond, a class for previous non - winners was provi or plowman. which indicates that there were many former winners

at stake at Brudenell

Many Prince Edward Islan- ders will have a first - ever look this week at a Canadla n Plowing Championship com- petition in action as 16 of C ada‘s top plowmen, represent- ing eight of the 10 provinces ve for supremacy in this country. and the right to represent Ca- nada in world competition in Austria in 1965.

The championship meet will be held in beautiful Brudenell Park, where a hard - wor- king group of men has been active for several weeks mak- ing the necess a r y . arrange- ments for feeding and greeting the visitors who are expected.

9 a

Farm newspapermen from across the country are expec- ted. in addition to people w h 0

will be backing their favorites in the big Championship match on Wednesday.

The stubble competition is hcld in the forenoon and th e sod plowing test comes in the afternoon.

Judging will be done by selec- ted people from each province represented in the champion- ship event. In this case in e n are competing from British Ct»

lumbia. Saskatchewan. Mani- toba. Ontario. Quebec. 0W Brunwick. Nova Scotia' and

Prince Edward Island.

Jack Andrews, a tall poultry farmer who is 57 years of we, and Tom Hickman, 44. a large dairy farmer. are repre- senting British Columbia. An- drews was runner - up for the provincial title on three occas- ions and he was the champion in 1962. He's president of the Chilliwack Plowing Society.

Hickman also comes from Chilliwack. an important agri- cultural section in British Col- umbia. A plowman of experien- ce. he represented Canada in

l were i

occaSlon for "the Iii-FY" .to city. One Lauchlin McNeil]. parade tieir fmery. The Lie- pflncetown Road wag giVen a utenant - Governor — they copy of Fessendeh's “Complete

called him “His Excellency" 1c

in the area at the time. Matches

' Canadian plow tit-1e

interested in match plowing since he was 13. He was provin- ciail champion in 960 an again last year.

Reid, who is also a dairy farmer, has been a contestant in plowing for 20 years. and has been a consistent winner in open classes at the Internat- ional match for 10 years. He won as Esso trip to England in 1952.

Prince Edw a r d Island ’ 5 team comprises Edwin Mills, 36, of Bay Fortune, who opera- tes a mised farm, and Carl Willis, 26. who is a research officer at the Experiment a] Farm here.

Edwin won the Kings County title several times and was run- ner up in the provincial match a year ago.

~Gsrl -won primaries! title last year which he has’

previously taken in 1958. He placed third in world compe- tition in 1959 and is rated as one of the men to watch in the big one Wednesday, because of his past experience. though he’ll be up against a tremend- ous backlog .of experience and skill in the visiting teams. He was third in the Canadian match in 1958.

Represent in g

Romeo Besner, 48, of the same place. Leduc was provinc i at champion in 1963.

Besner is a beef cattle raiser. He has been runner up to the provincial champion on four occasions and competed in the Canadian match each tim

Details are not availale on the Nova Scotia team but they are Aubrey Smith and Roy H oe g. Athol, Cumberl a n d County.

\mrld competition in Holland in 1962.

Trip manager for the Anti? rews . Hickman combination is Bill Cyble. Sardls, who is former champion with the horse - drawn walking plows.-

The 3.6. team was the first on the grounds as they arrived in mid-week and got in some practice competition on Friday of last week after watching the provincial match at Dundas on Thursday.

Reoresent‘ng Manitoba

m

are

Obligation not option

ST. JOHN'S. Nfld. 'CPl—Th-e general council of the United Church of Canada was told Fri- day night that'Christian unity “is not an option but an obli- gation." r

Rt. of

Rev. Duncan Fraser

Glasgow. moderator of the Church of Scotland. told the 600 delegates to the let general council union must come but he saw “no possibility of a com- prehensive church union in the near future."

Dr. Fraser said the challenge

now facing Christianity is to "heal the wounds in the church which is the body of Christ. I doubt if even the youngest among us here will see union complete and the church re- stored."

held close to CluriotIe-f

wn, but contestants came'.

The history of competitive pin? from long dismeei

Only paid up members of the R o y a 1 Agricultural Scoiety which had taken over the annual events. were able to enter. through a son. or a servant. of a subscribing member was ' gible.

T h e r e were eleven plowing, contestants in the 1 ' ma which was held in the Charlot- tetown Royalty, just outside the

8 :r

rmer", and John Mac- Lauchlan, a young man with only one hand, was given the same prize for his unusually good work accomplished under difficulties. .. There was evidence of im- proved equipment, some of it! imported from England in the, Queens County match at Mara s'ifield in 1868. f “Seven plows started in thej men's class and four in]

the lads". Names of former win- ners like John Ferguson. Alex

9:30 a.m.—Visitors’ Class

- land

TIME TABLE Tuesday, September 15th

10:00 a.m.——P. E. I. Junior Championship 1:00 p.m.—-Maritime Championship

1:30 p.m.—P. E. I. Senior Utility

2:00 p.m.—'-OFF’ICIAL OPENING

Wednesday, September 16th 9:00 a.m.—Canadian Plowing Contest—Stubble Plowing 12:30 p.m.—-Canadian Plowing ContestuSod Plowing

5:00 p.m.—Canadian Plowing Contest—Announce- ment of results and trophy—Official Pla orm

7:30 p.m.—Prize Presentation Banquet—Monta- gue Regional High School

MacBeath and George Scott appeared in the list of officials.

The plow used by the first- prize winner, Donald MacDon- ald of the Stock Farm — it's the land known as Falconwoodi Farm now - was 3 Howard that came from Redford, Eng-

“Three other plows of the same make were used an though in the hands of inexper- ienced men", to story said. “there was that about their work which proved that for well - cultivated level and they can hardly be surpas- sed. The dynamometer showed the draft of the winner’s plow. turning a furrow six inches by nine inches. to be about 1 pounds."

a.

The story noted that ‘sever- al well-made Island plows were in the field. Frederick Horne, Malpeque Road, win- ner of the second prize. used on by Stewart of Southport. Donald MacKinnon of Malpeque Road, winner of the third prize in the Lad’s class. used a very good iron

resentation of

@im wool-n

SECOND SECTION

Charlottetown,

PAGE l-A

plow, made by White, Malpe-g que Road and Donald MacMil-i lan, Covehead, second prize! winner in the Lad's class used a‘ composite plow made by Rob- inson. Charlottetown." ‘

“George Essery. Union Roadi won the Lad’s class and made} most excellent work". The nest story chided the contestants who still persisted in using “the old - fashioned wooden plows, an excellent useful implement in its way, but not just the thing for a plowing match." The pap- er also regretted that “many really excellent workmen ab- stain from trying their skill at plowing matches ‘from want of confidence as to their success."

“The Islander" looked for-, ward to a Maritime match and! sugges “provision might very judiciously be made for payment of the expenses of rep- resentative plowmen and their teams from the adjoining pro- vinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick who might feel dis- posed to try conclusions with the Islanders at an Intercolon- lal plowing match".

There must have been an open fall in the year 1871 because the plowing match at New Perth was held on Novem- ber so as it had to be postpon- ed from an earlier date owing to bad weather.

“It soon became evident". said an Island paper. “that in cutting and laying over a fur- row six inches by nine inches. the iron plows were getting the, better of their wooden rivals".

One of the iron plows praised had come from Scotland, but

e other was made by Mr. Ste-

‘ but

wart (first name is not given) of Southport. The wooden plow furrows were “not so smooth nor so evenly laid as those by the iron plows”, the old story said.

A plowing match "of improved implements" occupied a whole day at. the Provincial Exhibition

at Summerside, October 10. 1878 and a plow used by George Essery. Milton — he was the winner — was termed “the best modeled and most

highly finished ever made on the Island".

The implement drew even warmer praise because it had

never been used previously and the two horses used to haul the

used together. which broughti the plowman in for extra com- mendation. ;

Many details of former Island! plowing matches are missing! it was a Dundas wartime

a n a d a I

group Carry Corps. that revived competi-g tions in this province back, in 1941. i

The local group was linei of thousands organized across,1 Canada to raise money forj war urposes. and spark inte-j rest in performing many of the: wartime tasks that were deem; ed necessary on h 0 me. front. All contributed their ser-‘, vices and all of the profits werei turned over to war work. i

Leslie Hunter of Bridgetown? now of Strat'hcona. was cho—l sen as the first chairman of; the group and he has headed the: Plowing Match organiation in} that community ever since. i

The early matches featured many horse - drawn plows and and the tractor plows were suchy a novelty that the people swarmed around the plowingl area to see the mechanical‘ monsters work.

Albert Acorn. Primrose. who has been the match secretary now for many years, won the first tractor class. One of the first walking plow winners was the veteran Albert Curran of Summerville with his team in a truck wagon which carried the plow.

Tractor classes quickly in- creased in popularity with 27 entries in a single class at the peak of interest.

The association introduced a Practical Field plowing class several years ago to be plowed at field speed and this has help- ed in some measure to curb the sharpness of the practical far- mers’ criticism that competi- tive plowing does not begin to represent the practical plowing that must be done on a farm, be- cause of the great deal of time allowed contestants to fix and arrange their furrows and sods, and the slow measured pace of the plowman, with fre- quent stops to adjust furrow widths, depths, etc.

The first match drew an esti- mitated 500 o it

as field on Frank Clay’s farm in Bridgetown — but interest dev-

plow had not previously n

eloped rapidly and the match‘

became known as a place to go to see friends.

Many hundreds of people re- mained near the central head- quarters throughout the day 0 greet and talk with old friends. Many former Island- ers living in other provinces. and in the United States. timed their holidays to include plowing dates. There a number of people who have never mis match through the years.

Frank Clay of Bridgetown was the first man to represent the province in the internation- al match in Ontario — that w 15 years ago —— but many others have plowed in the Canadian champions h i p since then and last year. for the first

'time. an Island man. Stanley

Willis, Cornwall, brought home the Canadian title. Stanley‘s son, Carl Willi i. Pih. ., a Researc‘i Officer at the Experimental Farm here. is competing in this year's Cana~ dian match and is rated one of the favorites for a top position, on the ba sis of his perform- ance in world competition at Armoy, Northern Ireland in 1959 when he placed third. be- hind A. Laurence MacMillan of Northern Ireland and Charl- es Bonney of Ontario, Canada. e Morrisscy family from Cherry Valley are the other outstanding plowing family from this province. Glen Mon rissey won the provincial title four times and represented the Island three times at canad- ian championship meets. His brother Beverley is a former ju- nior and senior provincial c ampion and another brother Clayton. is also a former junior provincial champion. Glen was a mere slip of a ho he first took the provincial title. He was still a very young man when he won it for the fourth

I . The first plowing match at Dundas had a orse show as a side attraction. To be eligible the horses had to have drawn plows in one or more of the re- gular classes and they had to in the possession of the own- er for at least 10 days prior to the show. An entry of 50 cents was charged. The horse show has became a regular feature of the fair at Dundas and it still attracts 3

Continued on page 2

:~ , 333%.! "“

UK DAIRY QUEEN, Hewett. will grace the ionship matches at Brudenell Park tomorrow and Wednesday. Miss Hewett, recently chosen dairy queen of England and Wales, arrived on theIsland on Sunday.

Miss Christine Ann national plowing champ-

E. R. "Mickey" Denman. 31. from High Bluff. who is a strain grower on 660 acres. and . 0. “Bin” Smith. .-ortage who with his brot and beef calm

drawn equipment as a young- ster. won the Manitoba tractor title in 1000 and he took it again last year. - Denmaa was a member of Canada's team in world com- petition back in in and this will be his fourth crack at the

.toesoaam-acre {snails :has been competing in plowing Iiaoehewasn arsof sun's

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' occasions. Be's vice - pre- ‘ t of the NJ. Plowmsa's I lactation.

“MT. Tutor has been a provin- fitl champion on tour occas-

ions. .

"Donald Donald, D, Cler-

Mt In a. m Donates Reid. 0! m t On.

It- snd '

and

of luck

to all Mines in the Canadian Plowing Championship Contest ‘

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Canadian Championship Plowing Contest Brudenell Park, P.E.|. - Sept. lSth—lbth, 1964

fistulas-immatures

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