1936

Ingersoll Tribune Wednesday 5th August West Oxford Council meeting in the township hall Beachville at 8 o'clock p.m.

A grant of $50 was made to the East and West Oxford Plowmen's Association to aid in the plowing match to be held on the George Innes farm this fall (Jim Innes father).

Tuesday 6th October Council meeting of West Oxford at Beachville

Ten dollars was granted to the Ingersoll Jr. Farmer Plowmen's Association to assist in procuring prizes for their match to be held October 20th at the Walter Wilson farm on the Culloden gravel road.

IPM held at South Branch Road Stormont, Grants Corners, 5 miles north of Cornwall Tuesday October 6th, Wednesday October 7th, Thursday October 8th, Friday October 9th

136 aspirants competed for 53 trophies in eight classes of stubble plowing.  One entry came from Nappan, Nova Scotia - name of Archie McMillan.

Tuesdays opening contests were restricted to residents of Eastern Counties Glengarry, Stormont, Dundas, Grenville Carleton, Prescott, and Russell.

Twelve Indians from as far west as Georgian Bay entered.  Indians have been noted plowmen for years.  The reasons, said Elliot Moses of the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford are their keen eyesight and love of competition.  Moses was OPA President in 1933.

Sentinel Review October 8th Thursday reported that Harry Blackman Ingersoll placed 5th in a stubble class.  The top 8 placings are listed:

Class 1 (horses), former prize winners not eligible:

1 Donald Greenlees, Mount Chesley, also won the Hon. Mitchell F. Hepburn trophy

2 Dave Tran, Claremont (Canadian Wm. A. Rogers Ltd. trophy)

3 Robert Greenlees, Mount Chesley (Canadian Bank of Commerce trophy)

4 Algie Wallace, North Gower

5 Harold Carter, St. Marys (Hon Cairine Wilson trophy)

6 Rod Rochon, Clarence Creek

7 Grenville Stinson, Kars

8 Gordon Smith, Lombardy

Class 2 (horses), open to those who never won in first class, or first or second in an IPM prior to 1936:

1 Clifford Cox, Wanstead (T. Eaton trophy)

2 Jack Taylor, Freeman

3 Ray Montague, RR2 Jarvis

4 Marshall Deans, Paris

5 Harry Blackman, Ingersoll

6 Alex Harrison, RR7 Galt

7 Foster Snider, Kitchener

8 R.W. Marquis, Sunderland

FOR NEW CONTESTANTS Class 3 (horses) open to those who have never plowed at an IPM prior to 1936:

1 Donald Ross, RR3 Port Dover (Hon. T.A. Kidd trophy)

2 Craig Reed, Georgetown (Acme Farmers trophy)

3 Dave Atcheson, St. Pauls

4 Aurel Joly, Sarsfield

5 James Collins, Keene

6 George McCormick, Freeman

7 P.A. Casselman, Finch

8 L. Queeneville, Summerstown

Class 4 (horses) boys under 18 years:

1 Ronald K. Marquis, Sunderland, also won the Hon. Duncan Marshall trophy, a $40 gold watch

2 William Allen, Ida (Kelly Feed and Seed trophy)

3 Ross Creighton, Agincourt

4 Rys Bacher, RR2 Cayuga and the Hon. N.M. Rogers trophy

5 William Gemmel, RR2 Ayr

6 Melbourne Emmerson, Stouffville

7 Geo. Hagersville (C.A. Cameron trophy)

8 Geo. Hay, Alexandria

In the final competitions on Friday when champions are crowned, Alex Black of Guelph, won top honours for the second successive year.  John Hargreaves placed second, and Richard Jarvis of Milliken, third.  All three were previous champions.

Hon. Duncan Marshall, Minister of Agriculture for Ontario expressed gratification at the pride young farmers took in their plowing.  The Inter County competition, open to one team of three plow boys from each county drew the greatest number of entrants - 16 teams.  Perth County placed first in this class to take the Hon. J.A. Faulkner trophy.

Sentinel Review, front page Wednesday 21st October Humble Ploughing Match is Becoming Big Business Toronto, October 21st Canadian Press Despatch

The annual IPM is drawing more attendance than football games.  The recent IPM at Cornwall drew close to 100,000 spectators and left a quarter million dollars in the area.  Sponsored by the government, it has reached a point in affluence where Ontario cities and counties are bidding for it.  Elgin County, home of Premier Hepburn, himself a farmer, seeks the next show.  Guelph posted $1,250 for the 1937 IPM and got it - it was held at Beattie Bros. farm in Wellington Co.  Prize money totals $4,000.  The sport, which pays $40 for the top award in any class is not going to make anyone wealthy from winning, but the farmers bear down with zest and pleasure.  A speedy fellow has no better chance than a lagger who plows a clean straight furrow.

October 20th, the Ingersoll Junior Farmers held their second annual plow match on the farm of Walter Wilson Conc. 1, Lot 22, Dereham township on the Culloden gravel road with perfect weather.  Entry fee 75 cents.  IPM rules apply.  Anyone who has won a first or second prize at the Provincial match (IPM) not eligible to enter.  Prize money in each class ranged from $4 for first down to $1 for 6th.

Ingersoll merchants put up specials:  for the best plowed land by a Massey Harris plow - goods to the value of $5 donated by J.R. Barnett (won by Harry Blackman), best plowed land by a McCormick Deering 407 plow - Bronze shield, donated by W.S. Ashman (won by Arlington D. Robinson).  Judge for the event was Frank Bell of St. Paul's, Perth County.  Placings were:

Junior:  Class 1:  Stubble, Boys under 19 years:

1 Ross Hargreaves, W. Oxford

2 Waldo Dunn, North Oxford

3 Fred Williams, W. Oxford

4 Murray Budd, W. Oxford

5 Donald Smiley, Dereham

6 Kenneth Wade, W. Oxford

7 Wilfred Anscombe, Dereham

Senior:  Class 2:  Stubble, Boys 20 years and over:

1 Mervin Cuthbert, West Oxford

2 William Northmore, Dereham

3 Donald Crawford, North Oxford

Open Sod:  Class 3:

1 Harry Blackman, W. Oxford

2 Arlington Robinson, W. Oxford

3 Howard Chilton,  W. Oxford

4 George Jakeman, W. Oxford

5 Harry Ellery, Dereham

A horse pulling contest was held.  The teams were required to haul a steel stoneboat loaded with gravel filled sacks.  Harry Ellery of Verschoyle was the final winner, his team of greys moving 25 sackloads of gravel and two boulders piled on the stoneboat and estimated at more than three tons.  Everett Quinn was second.  Jack Anscombe won third with his team of small wiry mules who out hauled much larger teams of horses.

An amusing feature was the tug-of-war with Harry Ellery's team on one end of the rope and 12 husky farmers on the other.  The horses won easily.

Several hundred farmers, whole families, attended to witness the competition.

Committee in charge were:  Cecil Riddle, Gordon Sandick, George Jakeman, Harry Ellery, and CecilWilson.  A refreshment booth was operated by the Ingersoll Junior Institute.

Friday paper October 23 Chairman Cec Riddle reported the Barnett trophy should have been Mervin Cuthbert instead of Fred Williams.  A recheck of points revealed second prize for best plowed land for residents of W. Oxford should be Geo. Jakeman and third Fred Williams.

Sentinel Review 21st October Wednesday City and District

At the Waterloo township annual plowing match held yesterday at Breslau, J.R. Hargreaves, former Dominion Champion came first in the single plow open class; also won first for best finish.

Sentinel Review 22nd October Thursday City and District

J.R. Hargreaves came first yesterday in the jointer plow contest at the Norfolk county match near Simcoe.  In the high cut plow competition, Marshall Deans, Paris was first; John Hall, Ayr, second and H. Blackman, Ingersoll, third.

Sentinel Review 26th October Monday City and District

At the Wellesley township match held near Crosshill on Saturday October 24th, Hargreaves came second in the open event.

Sentinel Review 27th October Tuesday Front page

A bitter cold wind did not deter 400-500 people from attending the East and West Oxford Plow Match held October 26 Monday on the George Innes farm south of Woodstock.  Some 50 plowmen competed.

Alex Black of Guelph was champion, taking first in the open class, with R.G. Brown of Galt and John Hargreaves placing second and third.

Harry Blackman of Ingersoll, in his first year of competitive plowing took first place in the "open to Oxford sod plowing class" as well as winning five special prizes.  His uncle was J.R. Hargreaves.  Harry's nickname was "Bus".

Open sod:

1 Alex Black, Guelph

2 R.G. Brown, Galt

3 John Hargreaves, Beachville

4 Roscoe Buck, Princeton

5 R.J. Brush, Warwick

Open to Oxford county sod:

1 Harry Blackman, Ingersoll

2 Gordon Masson, Woodstock

3 Charles Williams, Ingersoll

4 A.D. Robinson, Ingersoll

5 Russell Masson, Woodstock

6 Lorne Richardson, Oxford Centre

7 Fred Howard, Golspie

8 Fred Bertrand, Woodstock

Open to East & West Oxford under 19 years:

1 George Jakeman, Beachville

2 Harry Ellery, Mt. Elgin

3 Howard Chilton, Beachville

4 Murray Budd, Beachville

5 Don Crawford, Beachville

6 A.R. West, Morland

7 Mervin Cuthbert, Curries

Open to East & West Oxford, under 16 years, in stubble:

1 Ross Hargreaves, Beachville

2 Fred Williams, Ingersoll

3 John Masson, Woodstock

4 Stan Smith, Oxford Centre

Tractors:

1 George Hawstrawser, Malton

2 W. Kennedy, Agincourt

3 Arnold Stevens, Wanstead

4 Alex Walker, Strathroy

5 Edwin Taylor, Woodstock

Members of the United Farmers' Young People's Club, in stubble:

1 Norman Shelton, Woodstock

2 Russel Karn, Woodstock

3 Leslie Curry, Woodstock

4 George Thomas, Woodstock

5 S. Oakley, Woodstock

Affording some refuge from the cold was a large tent on the grounds where the Women's Association of Oxford Centre Anglican Church provided a hot dinner at noon and served hot coffee and other refreshments for the remainder of the day.

Bathroom facilities provided no comfort from the cold wind - a long trench in the ground with cut open jute bags tied on to vertical steel posts for cover to the moat.  This information was not printed in the paper, but provided by locals who attended.

The East and West Oxford Match continued until 1942 in name only.  From 1937 to 1942, it was called the Oxford Match organized by Lorne Richardson and John Hargreaves with John Hargreaves as President.

At the Annual meeting of December 1942, it was officially named the Oxford County Plowmen's Association.

The judge of the 1936 match, Clark Young, was strong in his approval of an all-Oxford county match in 1937.

Ingersoll Tribune 29th October (Thursday's edition) reported the results of the Annual livestock judging competition held on Tuesday, October 27th, sponsored by the Ingersoll Junior Farmers.

The committee in charge were:  Joel Leslie, Frank Caffyn, Roy Rose and Mervin Cuthbert.  There were 26 entries in the junior class, 6 men in the senior class.

Contestants met at the town hall in the morning, visited farms in the district and judged Holstein and Jersey cattle, Brood sows, Draught Horses, Southdown ewes.

Prizes donated by Ingersoll merchants were displayed in Ingersoll Tribune office window and awarded to the winners at the Orange Hall Tuesday evening.

Milne Hart won the Senior Championship and CNE shield.  Miles Shantz won the Junior Class and shield donated by the CNE.

Sentinel Review 29th October Thursday City and District

Oxford Plowmen Win

Three Oxford plowmen took the major honours in the open sod plowing event yesterday (ie. October 28) at the Elgin County plowing match held on one of the farms of Premier Hepburn, south of St. Thomas.  John Hargreaves, runner-up this year in the IPM at Cornwall, came first, Harry Blackman, Ingersoll was second and Lorne Richardson, Woodstock, third.