1940

IPM held at Elgin County, St. Thomas, Ontario Hospital and adjoining farms of Mitch Hepburn October 15-18 inclusive (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday).  The opening day October 15th (local counties day) for adjoining counties that touch Elgin-Oxford, Middlesex, Lambton, Kent and Elgin.  There were 13 classes on opening day, the first 6 classes were for horses:  In Class 3 stubble (horses):  Ross Hargreaves, Beachville placed 2nd; Fred Williams, Ingersoll placed 6th; Glen Bartram, Ingersoll placed 10th.

In Class 4 sod (horses):  Harry Blackman placed 4th; E.F. Wills, Thorndale placed 5th; Arlington Robinson, Ingersoll placed 9th.

Class 5 stubble (horses): Fred Howard, Woodstock placed 5th.

Class 7 stubble (tractors):  Harry Zinn, RR1 Bright competed.

Class 8 stubble (tractors):  Jack Hargreaves, Beachville placed 4th.

Class 10 sod (tractors):  George Morrison, Beachville placed 2nd.

On the second day, Wednesday, the total entries were 276 (152 teams of horses and 124 tractors).  The plowman coming the farthest distance was Walter Beilhartz from Bruce Station near Sault Ste. Marie.  Oxford placings on the second day:  Class 2 horses:  Fred Howard placed 22nd (out of 23).

Class 3 horses:  George Jakeman, Beachville placed 1st; Ross Hargreaves, Beachville placed 2nd; Murray Budd, Ingersoll placed 9th; A. Brinn, Tillsonburg placed 22nd (out of 23 in this class)

Class 7 tractors:  Wm. Sutherland, Thamesford placed 13th ( out of 14)

It has been stated that when a plowing match is over, there are two happy people - the grand champion and the judge who is confident that he judged the contestants correctly and fairly.

In 1940, the London Free Press reported that J. Lockie Wilson was the happiest man at the show.  At age 84, he worked at the headquarters tent everyday making himself useful with the huge amount of work that had to be done.  From its humble beginnings in 1911 (12 entries and 400 spectators), he had seen the show grow to one of the best in the world.  In 1940, the contest was declared - "Open to the world".

On Wednesday, Class 14 (tractors), Arnold Watson of Wales placed 8th.

Several ladies plowed.  Seventeen year old Emma Gordon from Harriston plowed in a tractor class against 29 men, her third year of plowing at the IPM.  She was featured on the 1940 poster which advertised the match all over the continent.

Margaret Erb, 19, of Gadshill plowed with horses; she had tougher competition than Emma; she plowed in a class with 49 men and placed 16th, said she would rather plow any day than do housework.  It's said that she once won a competition over R.G. Brown.

October 17th London Free Press TWO ARRESTED AT PLOW MATCH, page 3

Pair held by police as pocket picking suspects charged at St. Thomas

Three visitors reported to have cash taken (October 16th).  Police acted after complaints had been received that "dips" were working in the crowds, and two officers quickly spotted the suspects.  They were Graham Fenton, aged 72, and Joseph Kasprow, aged 37.  Fenton was from Hamilton and Kasprow was from Toronto.

St. Thomas October 16 TEAM DISGUSTS INDIAN PLOWMAN

The champion Indian plowman of Manitoulin Island (for five successive years), John Fox, was given a team of race horses to plow with.  The horses wanted to pull the plow as if they were heading down the home stretch.  Every time John tried to check them, the team balked and reared in the air.  It was no fun when you've come all the way from the Unceded Reserve on Manitoulin where you are the champion plowman.  But John, age 34, was a good sport, he would show his finesse on Friday, October 18th.  The leader of a party of five Ottawas, he plowed at the IPM at Caledonia 6 years ago.  The name of his reserve "Unceded" comes from the fact (legend) that it was the only reserve in Canada that had refused to "cede" itself to the government.

Thursday,Class 16,three furrow tractor plow placings were:
 Alex Black ,Guelph
 Max Armstrong,St.Mary's
 W.L.Kennedy,Agincourt
 Reg Guyett,Ridgetown
 Cliff Yule,Hagersville
 Verne Campbell,Peterborough
 Archie Ball,Fletcher

Friday, Class 18, horses - Salada Tea Co. of Canada class placings:

John Lister, Hornby
Harold Pickett, Hornby
E. Fawcett, Tara
Marshall Deans, Paris
Elmer Armstrong, St. Pauls
E.D. Gray, Rockwood
Alfred Dickie, Jerseyville
Austin Nairn, Munro
H. Bayne, Rockwood
Rich Jarvis, Milliken

Wm. Hooten, Ida Orval Brush, Wyoming
J. Elliot, Owen Sound
E. Green, Oswekin
A.H. Antone, Muncey
John Fox, Wickweminkong
Robert Campbell, Churchill
Arnold Rife, Galt
W. Lyons, Iona Station
John Bruce, Spencerville 

 John Lister was always proud to have won this class most coveted prize for best plowed land in sod with walking plow;-the Frost Fence championship trophy. He related, 60 years later, when the IPM was held in Wellington County, he surprised even himself in winning. He said "Maybe it sounds like sour grapes but some of the plowing done then he had not seen the equal of since".He wasn't sure his plowing skills were strong enough to face the competition;-names like Alex Black,Bob Brown from Galt, John Hargreaves and Wilfred Grenzebach from Oxford County.

In Class 10, the Inter County class, Horse Plowing - Oxford County tied with Huron for 14th place.  Twenty-two teams competed, 3 contestants on each team on Thursday. First prize, the Farmers Magazine trophy was won by Ontario County. The high boy was Ronald Marquis from Sunderland. All boys were under 20 years of age.

In Class 17, Inter County competition for tractors, the Jr. Farmers class, held on Friday - Oxford County placed 5th out of 15 teams. First prize, the James McLean Memorial trophy was won by Haldimand County. The high boy was Keith McBurney from Jarvis.

The St.Thomas Times Journal named only the Elgin competitors in Class 10;- Lawrence McIntyre, Shedden; Douglas Lyons and Harold Graham, both from Iona Stn.

In Class 22, tractors, on the final day, Alex Black, Guelph was first; Fred Timbers, Stouffville, second; H.J. Couperthwaite, Agincourt, third; Glen McFaddin, Millbank, 4th; Joe Tran, Claremont; Russell Hare, Nanticoke; Ernst Evans, Maple; T.P. O'Malley, Teeswater - ...and many more, and Murray McBeth, Salford placed last - but he was there, maybe his first attempt with tractor plowing, twenty-two in the class.  Russell Dickout said he was Murray McBeth's helper at the 1940 IPM - he pulled his stakes.

Alex Black was the outstanding plowman of the 1940 IPM. He qualified as Canada's representative to the American National Tractor Plowing Match at Davenport Iowa.Fred Timbers of Stouffville was the other contesting representative. They were accompanied by J.A.Carroll, secretary manager and Clark Young, treasurer of OPA. 

Class 24, the horse class, on final day, specials for teams and equipment - Premier Hepburn's eight horse team of Clydesdales were declared the best in all of Ontario (20 in this class).  Frank Way, RR5 Ingersoll and Alex Amos, RR1 Ingersoll exhibited in this class.  The team of N.C. Shantz from Plattsville placed 5th and C.C. Hawkins from Brownsville was 10th.

Mr. Dewan toured every field where the competitions were held; mud did not bother him in the least, commenting that farmers were doing their share towards Canada's war effort.

R.S. Duncan, director of agriculture representatives praised the work of district agrculture representatives each of whom sponsored their county team.  Mr. Duncan said that plowing matches are the best training in the world for a young farmer.  Even if he doesn't win a prize, he sees how the other fellow does the work, and goes home determined to improve.  Every aspect of his farm improves, he is more concerned about his stock and even the general neatness of his place.

Plowing was all but forgotten on Friday afternoon as 3000 airmen paraded by the reviewing stand in front of a record crowd of 75,000.  The air force band played under the nose of a Fairey Battle bomber damaged in the Battle of Dunkirk.  A cold blast of arctic air swept in, the crowd stamped in time with music to keep themselves warm.  The eight horse team was driven by Bannockburn Farms superintendent Bill Tappsell on the grounds daily.  On Friday, they were led by the air force band, after the main parade, into the horse arena.  Hepburn had seven other teams which were all used during the match.  His farm was over 1000 acres.

On Friday, another girl contender plowed.  She was Freda Johnson, 20 years old, from Wilton Grove, plowing in a tractor class.  She had been plowing with horses for six years.

At the Friday night banquet, held in Port Stanley, Hepburn confirmed that the St. Laurence waterway plan was agreed upon by Canada and the United States.  This guaranteed sufficient hydro power to Ontario in the event of sabotage at Niagara Falls by Germany. 1200 plowmen attended the banquet.

The department of Munitions (Ottawa) announced that it had bought 680,537 pairs of boots for the armed forces in 3 months.

The most colourful figure among the large number of Indian contestants was Chief Running Bear, from Walpole Island, who dressed in war bonnet and a multi-coloured suit complete with a shell necklace.

Friday's parade, the display of Canada's military force, the IPM, and Hepburn, who delivered on his promises, said he would never betray his farm supporters on the back concessions, all attributed to the total attendance of the 1940 IPM - 195,000.

October 22, Tuesday, the East and West Oxford Match at the farm of Leslie Thornton, 3 miles south of Woodstock; Ross Hargreaves cleaned up most of the major awards in the open competition in horse plowing.

Class 3 - Oxford County, for those who have not plowed in an open class at any recognized match:  Norman Shelton, RR7 Woodstock; Albert Roberts, RR2 Woodstock; Fred Bertrand, RR3 Woodstock; Russell Pellow, RR4 Woodstock; Murray  Budd, RR5 Ingersoll; Fred Howard, RR3 Woodstock; Mervin Cuthbert, RR2 Ingersoll; John Bone, RR5 Ingersoll; best crown and finish, Norman Shelton.

There were 10 classes - Youngest plowman was Joe Garfat (14 years) and the best plowed land by a beginner was James Heeney.

October 30, Wednesday, 1940, the Ingersoll Jr. Farmers held their 6th annual plowing match on the farm of Alfred Quinn (Tony), one quarter mile west of Clark's Corners commencing at 9:00 a.m..  Part of this farm is now beneath the CAMI plant.

Ingersoll Tribune, Thursday, November 7, 1940

FINE WORK DONE AT PLOWING MATCH

Unfavourable weather hurt attendance, but more entries made it a success.  There were more tractor entries and the girls of the Jr. Institute served meals.  Placings in classes were:

Open class - Harry Blackman, Ingersoll; Ross Hargreaves, Beachville; A.D. Robinson, RR4 Ingersoll; Fred Howard, Woodstock; Norman Shelton, Woodstock; George Jakeman, Beachville; best crown, Ross Hargreaves; best finish, Harry Blackman.

Ingersoll Jr. Farmers' class - Murray Budd, RR5 Ingersoll; William Northmore, Ingersoll; Harry Ellery, Mt. Elgin; Cecil Howard, Ingersoll; Mervyn Cuthbert, RR2 Ingersoll; best crown & finish, Murray Budd.

No handling class - Albert Roberts, Blandford; Max Franklin, Ingersoll; Merle Carter, Ingersoll; Ellis Wilson, Putnam; best crown and finish, Albert Roberts.

Twenty-one years and under class - Glen Bartram, Salford, Theo Webber, Salford; best crown and finish, Glen Bartram.

Seventeen and under class - James Heeney, RR5 Ingersoll; Bruce Amos, RR1, Ingersoll; best crown and finish, James Heeney.

Tractor class 10-inch plow - Jack Hargreaves, Beachville; Murray McBeth, Salford; best crown, Jack Hargreaves; best finish, Murray McBeth.

Tractor class 12-inch plow - Kenneth Rath, Putnam; Beverly Blancher, RR5 Ingersoll; Ralph Swartout, Mt. Elgin; Gordon Elliot, Beachville; best crown and finish, Kenneth Rath.

Four classes were entered in the team drawing contest.  George Franklin won it.  The other three were entered by Allan Ellery, Harry Ellery and Theo Webber were tied and second and third prizes were divided.

Bruce Amos, RR1 Ingersoll, won the special prize for the best team and equipment.

Norman McLeod of Galt was the judge.

A poster exhibit at the Canadian Plowing Match 2011,held at Owen Sound,had a 1940 IPM poster with a photo of 17-year-old  Emma Gordon from Harriston.