Decembkh -2:1 ISii? 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



J93 



Bedding at Lincoln Park, Chicago. 



ble of being measured or weighed, then 

 anvone who could use the tape line or 

 the scales could tell exactly how much to 

 allow and how much to deduct from the 

 scale of points, in passing on the merits 

 of any particular exhibit: and having 

 decided the points named in the scale, 

 nothing else woulil require consideration; 

 it would simply be a case of applied math- 

 ematics. But beauty and grace, the deli- 

 cate gradations of color and texture, the 

 condition and arrangement, and all the 

 subtile unnieasureable and imponderable 

 qualities that combine to make the object 

 a pleasure to the observer, can never be 

 judged in this wa}'. 



It is true the rules may provide, and 

 very properly, too, that between two com- 

 peting flowers or plants, otherwise equal 

 in merit, the specimen having the largest 

 size shall be given the prize; and to settle 

 this point, gauging must be resorted to; 

 but you cannot gauge the difference be- 

 tween an Arniosa rose and a Bridesmaid 

 wilh a yardstick or a ten-foot pole. 



If it were possible to make some fixed 

 starting place, or zero point, in judging 

 the quality of flowers, from which a 

 graduated scale could be marked up and 

 down, this would simplify the matter; 

 but beauty is a relative, not an absolute 

 quality; and we estimate the degree of 

 beauty of any object by comparing it 

 with other objects of the same kind, 

 either by having them before our eyes or 

 by looking at one object and comparing 

 it with the mental images of others that 

 we have seen. 



When we can make a satisfactory job 

 of judging a flower show by a fixed scale 

 of points then it will be possible to judge 

 all the various details that give us pleas- 

 ure when we look at a fine landscape, a 



pretty child, or a beautiful woman in the 

 same way. The fact that there is no 

 fixed point to start from in applying a 

 scale of points, is one of the chief sources 

 of trouble with this system, and has done 

 more than anything else — unless it be 

 the bungling work of some of the 

 judges — to cause dissatisfaction with it. 



Exhibits are usually looked over first, 

 and a mental comparison of their merits 

 made, and they are then scored to cor- 

 respond with this prejudgment. If 

 numerous and meritorious the scale will 

 be applied rather strictly; if few, the best 

 exhibits will be scored well up. If the 

 judge awards the prizes in the order of 

 merit, no matter how his score cards may 

 read, and the competition ends there, his 

 course may give satisfaction; but if the 

 same specimens appear at another exhibi- 

 tion, in stronger competition, the real 

 trouble begins. If the same judge 

 officiates he will see at a glance that he 

 has been too liberal with his scores in the 

 first instance, and will probably not have 

 enough points left, before reaching his 

 limit of loo, to express the amount of 

 difference between two competing 

 exhibits. If judged by another the differ- 

 ent value placed on the merits of the 

 same specimen by the two judges is 

 likely to cause laughter to all who learn 

 of it, barring the owner of the specimen. 



Notice the difference in the scores 

 given the same variety of chrysanthe- 

 mum, by the several Chrysanthemum 

 committees — composed of men supposed 

 to be expert judges— during the autumn 

 just passed. Being such an uncertain 

 measure of merit, of what value is such 

 a score card to an exhibitor. It is the 

 first prize he wants ; and if he shows a 

 vase of Bonnaffon at Boston, New York, 



Philadelphia, and Chicago, and is award- 

 ed first prize at each place, what cares he 

 that the vase of his closest competitor was 

 scored up to 9834 points. 



.\ competent, careful, and conscien- 

 tious judge will do good work with the 

 scale of points ; but such a judge will do 

 better work, and do it nmch more quick- 

 ly, without it. Exhibitors are not clam- 

 oring loudly for the adoption of the point 

 system of juciging, they only want to 

 have their entries fairly compared with 

 others, by a competent and honest judge. 

 Visitors do not care what plan is adopted, 

 so long as they can see which specimens 

 have been awarded prizes ; but they do 

 object, and rightly, to going to a flower 

 .show, or a poultry show, on the second 

 or third day, and finding no prize cards 

 up, because the judge is not through 

 scoring. 



Awarding prizes could be done very 

 simply and quickly in this fa.shion. Let 

 an active superintendent, with a sufii- 

 cient force of assistants, see that all the 

 exhibits are in place at the time the 

 schedule requires. Then the superinten- 

 dent, provided by the secretary with a 

 list of all entries properly numbered, 

 takes the judge to each class in its order, 

 and shows him all entries competing in 

 that class, arranged side by side. The 

 judge looks at them carefully, and if he 

 is worthy of the name, one glance is 

 usually sufficient ; if not he takes two 

 glances, or more. When he has reached 

 a decision, he takes the prize cards, and 

 places them on the successful exhibits ; 

 the superintendent notes the numbers on 

 his list to which the prizes have been 

 awarded, and they go to the next class, 

 and so on through the entire show ; and 

 at the hour for opening the hall to the 



