APPLYING THE STANDARD. 



=31 



appeal in case of any marked error in judging. 

 On the whole, without attempting prophecy, we 

 are inclined to think that probably the standard 

 may be given in the future a more prominent 

 position in England, and a less so in America, 

 than in the past. 



Supposing that the standard is actually used 

 in judging — and as above indicated, even with 

 comparison judging, or in criticism, individual 



cases often occur where it is very de- 

 Method of sirable to do this — a few words upon 

 Applying the that use may be of service, the fruit 

 Standard. Qf jg^g ^^^ frequent experience. 



The American system of scoring all 

 down one card, finishing one bird before going 

 on to the ne.xt, is bad, and will be found worse 

 when any correct moportion of cutting for 

 defects is adopted, ^he judge in this way often 

 cuts the same point more severely in one speci- 

 men, than for the same degree of defect in 

 another. This is perhaps the most frequent 

 cause of evident failures ; the eye to some ex- 

 tent forgets its judgment in a former case, 

 perhaps a dozen pens back. In all the pens 

 which compete closely, the same points — as, for 

 instance, head and comb taken together — should 

 be scored or cut by themselves alone, through 

 the entire number. In this way only, real com- 

 parison can be made, and each point should get 

 fairly dealt with. Not till all have thus been 

 gone through, one point at a time, should the 

 totals be added. Then finally — and we lay 

 special stress upon this — it should be noticed 

 whether the birds as thus placed seem to satisfy 

 the eye and general judgment. If they do, 

 there is an end. But if not, further scrutiny 

 should be made, to see if some tangible reason 

 cannot be found for this; it may be found that 

 there is error in the comparison of some point, or 

 some point has been overlooked, or some evident 

 defect may have been overlooked by the standard 

 itself, and requires noting for the future. Care 

 is needed that no personal partiality comes into 

 play ; but in direct opposition to some Ameri- 

 can advice, we strongly insist that no apparently 

 unsatisfactory result ought to pass wiqiiestioned. 

 It does not prove the apparently wrong bird 

 really the better, as seems assumed by Ameri- 

 can advocates of the score card " pure and 

 simple"; no real breeder on the spot would 

 agree to that at all. There is some reason for 

 it, which ought to be looked into, and accounted 

 for or else corrected. Our experience is that it 

 generally can be, provided the scale of points 

 itself be sound, though there are cases, as already 

 indicated, in which harmony can only be arrived 

 at by increasing the total possible cuts to over 

 a hundred, an expedient, it will be seen, the 



exact reverse of the present American method 

 of making trivial cuts for defects of a serious 

 character. 



The figures given in the new English stand- 

 ard are intended to represent the cuts which 

 should be made for defects as great as can exist, to 

 still leave a bird a chance of winning. Of course 

 a defect might easily be so great as to leave a 

 bird quite out of consideration. Taking as an 

 instance comb, if that is so bad that no judge 

 could award a prize, merely to deduct five points 

 would not ensure correct judging; the bird 

 would be ruled out, and no question occur. The 

 five points (in a scale giving that number) are 

 for the worst degree that may allow a win ; 

 while one point or even half a point will be 

 allowed for slight defect, and so in proportion. 

 The very intention is to give the judge more 

 latitude than such rigid detailed small cuts 

 mentioned above as laid down in America, and 

 that for serious defects really serious deduction 

 should be made. -^ 



One more feature of many shows, and one of 

 the most troublesome and responsible duties of a 

 judge in connection with his work, must receive 

 some notice before closing this 

 Faking chapter. We refer to the artificial 



and trimming or faking of show speci- 



Trimming. rnens, which demands constant 

 watchfulness, and when detected 

 should always receive, what unfortunately it 

 does not in some cases, immediate retribution. 

 For various reasons — mostly notoriety, perhaps 

 — a great deal of folly has been written about this 

 subject from time to time, calculated to give a 

 false impression about the actual state of things. 

 Every two or three years some exhibitor or 

 judge writes a series of frothy letters declaiming 

 against the iniquities practised, and prophesying 

 that " unless something is done " the fancy must 

 come to an end, that " all honest men will go 

 out of it," etc. Usually the exhibitor is one less 

 successful than others, and the letters imply that 

 his ill success is mainly due to the iniquity of 

 competitors ; or the judge is one new to the 

 ranks, and obviously desirous of establishing by 

 a short cut a first-class reputation for honesty. 

 .However this may be, very little ultimately 

 comes of it, and the discussion dies down with 

 wearisome monotony, the real check to these 

 practices lying all the while ready to hand. 



The evil has always existed ; for its springs 

 lie deep in human nature, and not altogether 

 amongst the baser motives. But it has not the 

 magnitude which these interested correspondents 

 usually represent ; and it is also greatly kept in 

 check by the public criticism, which in fact 



