3^.t 



394 AUTUMN EXHIBITIONS. 



awards, and tlicn the names of llie oxliibitors can l>e (li?;playetl as avoII as tlie award.s 

 Wo have served enough on committees to know tliat .sotnc snch an arrangement is 

 absohitelv necessary to ensure accurate decisions. Heretofore the general practice has 

 been for every exhibitor to display his objects where he chose, and a dozen competi- 

 tors for such a premium as we have quoted, would exhibit in a dozen different places, 

 and have these twenty varieties of apples mixed up with twenty other varieties and a 

 great collection of other fruits, leaving it for the committees to select varieties as they 

 thought proper, and run about from one table to another to make their comparisons, 

 thus losing their time and scarcely ever arriving at correct conclusions because it was 

 impossible to do so under the circumstances. So we would have it in regard to " the 

 best ten varieties of table apples," "the best seedling apple," "the best twelve varieties 

 of pears," and, in short, every special object, or class of objects, fur which a pnze is 

 offered. Let them be placed together and each be conspicuously designated, so that, 

 judges and spectators may know at once what particular merit the exhibitor claims fur 

 his articles. Then, again, amateur and professional cultivators should be assigned sepa- 

 rate tables or departments, and not be permitted to mingle their contributions ; and each 

 of these departments should be conspicuously designated, that no doubt could be enter- 

 tained as to what class they belonged to. Then, again, every exhibitor who shows twenty 

 varieties of apples, or ten varietes, or six varieties, or any number of varieties of apples 

 or other fruits, should prepare a list of the same, and then when the judges have 

 decided, they should insert in their reports the names of the varieties to which they 

 awarded the prize and state the principal points of merit, Avhich could be done in a 

 few words. If this were carried out, we should have useful reports instead of mere 

 barren announcements that such a prize was awarded Mr. A., and such another to Mr. 

 B., which amounts to nothing in the end, as far as the great aim and end of the show 

 is concerned. 



Another great difficulty is generally experienced in securing the services of faithful 

 and competent judges, who appreciate the importance of the duties assigned them, 

 and are willing to discharge them with care and patience. No fault can be found in 

 general with the selections made by the Society ; but it very often happens that of a 

 committee of four or five not more than one or two will make their appearance, and the 

 vacancies must be filled by such as can be found on the grouud. Now, it is a responsible 

 and delicate duty that committees have to perform, requiring careful and patient investi- 

 gation and sound judgment, and, therefore, the greatest care should be taken in filling 

 vacancies. There are always a number of persons ready to offer their services on 

 committees, and especially on "tasting committees," who regard the duty as being 

 simply to eat up everything that comes before them, if at all eatable. To allow such 

 persons to associate themselves with committees is a manifest outrage upon the exhibi- 

 tors as well as upon public decency. Every year we are surprized to see how far this 

 thing is carried by persons of whom better might be expected. Committees should 

 understand that they have no right, more than others, to cut up, eat and destroy peo- 

 fruits, and when they do so they should be exposed and punished. A mere taste 

 the quality is all that is necessary and all that decency would permit 



