1950

S.Review, Oct., 10, 1950

Warden Bob Rudy and County clerk Len K. Coles posted a public notice for a meeting in the council chambers of the court house to settle all claims and accounts against the county. Preliminaries for the 1951 IPM were reviewed; hydro and telephone service, water was sourced from the Hargreaves farm. A small airport was planned, police protection ( 1949 match had eight night watchmen); Bob Rudy emphasized that the 1951 IPM in Oxford would need extensive promotion for its success, particularly one with the scope covered by the IPM competitions.

Local counties day for Dufferin, Grey, Ontario, Simcoe, and York were completed Oct. 10, and a delegation of over 30 individuals chartered a large bus to the 1950 IPM near Alliston, 20 miles southwest of Barrie, (Nottawasaga Farms) the day after. The delegates included all Oxford county council members, Mayor Wilson Milburn, Monty Wherry representing Woodstock Board of Trade, George Bell, ag. rep., Tony Duncan of the Sentinel Review, Wilfred Grenzebach, John Hargreaves (host farmer), Emerson Moulton (county weed inspector), R.J. Forbes, president of the Woodstock Agriculture Society, J.N. Methrell, county road superintendent, Gordon Ross, past warden (1948), A.D. Robinson, the vice president of Oxford Plowmen and Norman Shelton, treasurer. Speaking on behalf of the delegates were: Warden George Fewster, then Mayor F.W. Milburn, P.M. Dewan, Ingersoll, T.R. Dent, M.L.A., K.R. Daniel, M.P. for Oxford, Reeve Harry Little, Dereham, Chairman of county council agriculture committee, and  Murray McBeth, President of Oxford Plowmen's. Each speaker was introduced by a roll of the drum. The delegation was dressed on a Scots motif, every member wearing a tartan cap and tie, as well as placards advertising the 1951 Oxford IPM. After the speeches, they marched through the tented city led by pipers Alex Collins of Ingersoll and W.L. Pearson of Embro playing their bagpipes. The rain and mud did not deter them. They paraded two miles through the tented city, and probably drew more attention than any other event at the match. Alster Clark promised good weather.

The Ex-Reeves Association of Oxford County held their annual meeting 11 Oct 1949 at the Altadore. John Smith, of Dereham Township, was elected president, succeeding Clair Peers of East Oxford. John Wallace of East Oxford was named vice president with Leroy Curtis, Dereham, as secretary treasurer. Also in attendance were three other committee members: Alvin McKay, West Zorra (Warren McKay's grandfather), Charles Langden, East Nissouri, and Thomas Costello, Blandford.
The guest speaker at the event was Rev. Dr. Thomas Wearing, a former dean of Colgate Divinity School in New York, who owned a farm on the 13th line of East Zorra. Emphasizing the opportunities available to every person in Canada he spoke on the subject of "True Success", what it entailed, and the way to go about achieving it. It was the speaker's opinion that the simplest definition of success was "the satisfactory achievement of something attempted", and he pointed out three ways through which to gain it. Firstly, the individual must be proud of the work he is doing; second, a person must undertake his work with patience and perseverance, and finally "true success will come if a man feels that he has a place in God's scheme and puts his ability to the service of those about him."

IPM 1950

Potato farming is big near Alliston. The tented city had educational exhibits displaying everything from planting to cooking. Wednesday's schedule had nine open classes in stubble plowing for horses and tractors. Competitors on Wednesday included the Alberta champion from Edmonton Len Job; the three-time Irish champion from Ulster, John Lindsay Brown, whose cups now decorate his home near Bradford, Ontario; R.L. Batey from Newcastle-on-Tyne, a former winner of several British inter-county contests. Batey spends much of his time trying to convince Canadian farmers of the value of the Ransome plow. The Friday night banquet was held at Beeton, five miles southeast of Alliston. Herb Jarvis of Agincourt and Hugh Leslie of Georgetown won the overseas, all expense paid, six week tour of the U K (for horse and tractor plowing). The Chicago trip tour winners were Hugh Baird and Donald Dunkeld, both of Ontario county and runners up H.Hare and Earl Bacher of Haldimand county.

The ninth Annual Oxford County Plowing Match took place on Tuesday 17 October and was hosted by Alster Clark, Reeve of West Zorra, at his farm, four miles west of #19 Hwy.(#59 now) on the Maplewood side road.

City and District, S. Review, Oct. 17: Department of Agriculture office doors are locked; complete inactivity there as all department officials are recording results and directing classes at the match. Judge Alex Black of Guelph scored the contestants out of 100 points as follows: on the basis of crown, 20 points; straightness of furrows, including ins and outs, 20 points; shape of land, 10 points; finish, 20 points. Thirty-five acres of the Clark farm will be used for the event, 15 for plowing and 20 acres for exhibits and parking.

S.Review, Wednesday, Oct. 18: Albert Roberts Top Plowman Once More

Albert Roberts, R.R. 2, Woodstock, captured the East Zorra Plowmen's Memorial trophy for the best plowed land with either team or tractor. He became the first plowman to win the award twice, having won it in 1948. He also won the Esso Champions trophy for best plowed land in tractor sod classes. Last years champion plowman, Roscoe Buck, R.R. 2, Princeton, won the Esso Champion Horse Plow Special for the best plowed land in horse drawn sod classes. Other special prize winners included: Ken Howard, R.R. 3, Woodstock, T.Eaton Co. Special for best plowed land in the three furrow class. Gerald Heeney, R.R. 2, Ingersoll, won the Robert Simpson Co. trophy for best plowed land in a tractor class for boys 16 years and under. The biggest crowd watched the non-farmers class, won by Henry Hamrick. Specially chosen for the event was the best plow team in the horse show, owned by Wallace Munroe of Embro. The tractor driving competition had nine competitors from Bond's, Ingersoll, and Blenheim Junior Farmer Clubs. Lorne Fleming, R.R. 3, Woodstock, took first place and was chosen as Oxford's representative in the provincial Junior Farmers tractor driving competitions held in Toronto early in 1951. Plowmen 70 years and over got in their licks as West Zorra put up a prize for the best plowing done by contestants in that age bracket. The oldest entrant was 77-year-old Ephram Meadows, W. Zorra, who won the class, closely followed by 72-year-old James Latimer, Woodstock,
 and 74-year-old William Abell, Hickson.