328 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.IF. [^/jW/ 2, 1908. 



The Score Card. 



p. QUIRK. 



The system <>i" judging,' stock by points is notliinn- new. So far hack as 1891 

 the late Mr. A. Bruce, Chief Inspe(;tor of Stock, issued a valuable pamphlet 

 on " Points of Stock and their Relative Value." This system has not received 

 the attention it deserves, as the practice of deciding on the merits oi- 

 demerits of ;ui animal by a cursory examination, which results vei-y often in 

 the pi'ize being awarded to the wrong exhibit and not on the essential value 

 of the animal. 



Agricultural societies look upon the point system as an experiment, and 

 prefer to go slowly by ti'ving the experiment on the youths of the district 

 by means of the score card in judging dairy cattle. A prize is held out for 

 the youth who judges best (mi points. It has repeatedly come under my 

 notice where the wrong competitor has gained the prize, as awards are made 

 on totals and not on the sum of the dirt'erence of points fi'om the judge. 

 Appended are two Score Cards, No. 1 and No. 2. 



Now take No. 1 Score Caid. The maxinnnn number of points, or ])erfec- 

 tion, in a dairy cow is, say, 200. The judge has credited the animal with 

 179 points. The competitor credits her with 174 points: therefore, on 

 totals, he only loses 5 points, whereas actually he has diftered from the judge 

 to the extent of 23 points. Take again No. 2 Score Card in the .same com- 

 petition, the same judge, ajul animal. The competitor's total is 167 points, 

 and he differs from the judge 12 points as against 5 ptnnts in No. 1 Score 

 Card, whereas No. 2 only differs from the judge l-i points as against No. 1 

 23 points. So that it is obvious the com2)iler of No. 2 Score Card has done 

 the best judging and should be awarded the prize. To explain further : Say 

 a youth is 2 points above the judge in one place and 2 points below him in 

 another; he has balanceii his account and his total is eijual to the judge, 

 although hi' has missed 4 points. 



Tlie Score Card is a splendid system for the training of youths. We have 

 u.sefl it for years on the r!o\-ernnient Stud Farm in the training of students, 

 and have found it invaluable, as every point in a dairy cow has, as compared 

 with another, a certain definite value. It would be a progressive movement, 

 and the .system would be of high educational value to the \outh competing, 

 and also the geneial (lublic. it the judges compared the Score Cards and 

 explained where each competitor had failed, ;ui(l also gave reasons f( f his 

 de:;isions as to the desirable and uuJesirabl(> ))oints of a dairv cow. 



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