22 
THE QUESTION DRAWER. 
On re-assembling at 10 o’clock on Thursday morning the proceedings were co n- 
tinued by the discussion of the following questions from the Question Drawer : me 
THE ONE JUDGE SYSTEM AT FAIRS. 
Q.—Is it better to have one judge than three judges at exhibitions 1 . 
Mr. A. McD. Attan.—I would say yes; it is better to have one judge or two 
judges than three, for when there are three they stand in each other’s way. Where 
there are three judges there is a strong temptation to shift responsibility of unsatisfac-- 
tory decisions from one to the other, but no man will undertake the duties of a sole judge 
unless he feels himself fully competent to do the work. I prefer two judges to three, 
because, where there are only two, the judgment must be unanimous. In my own depart- 
ment I would far rather judge alone than with two assistants ; for my experience has 
been that they are anything but assistants. 
Mr. Extiorr agreed with Mr. Allan that the one judge system was preferable, and 
had been tried with most satisfactory results by the Union Society of North and South — 
Essex. He was not in favor of two judges. Is 
Mr. Witarp, of Geneva, N. Y., said that in his part of New York they had ~ 
always adhered to the three-judge system, but he was free to admit that the one-judge 
system would have many advantages, provided the person could be found who was will- — 
ing to accept the whole responsibility. . 
President Lyon, of the Michigan Horticultural Society, said that with them the | 
one-judge system practically prevailed, although it was the custom to appoint an~ 
assistant who had local knowledge to guide him on some necessary points. The real 
responsibility, however, rested with the one judge, the aim being to put the judging ir ing 
the hands of a known expert. 
Mr. Witson, of Chatham, agreed with what had been said in favor of the one- 
judge system. Under the prevailing pian the only man competent to judge an exhibit — ¢ 
might for local or other reasons be outvoted by the other two judges, who really were — 
not competent, and this was a deterrent to really competent men when asked to act. 
Mr. Reap, secretary of the Michigan Horticultural Society, said be had seen the 
one-judge system in operation at county fairs, and had heard no more complaints than 
when there were two or three judges. He coincided in the view thct one expert was © 
much better than three non-experts, or one expert and two non-experts whose judgment — 
might weigh the former down. He thought it a very good plan to have one expert — 
judge assisted by some one of local experience to help him in some matters. 
President Lyon stated that at the exhibition referred to by Mr. Read they had — 
secured the services of three judges, thinking they would find an abundance of work — 
each by himself, but there seemed to be a tendency on the part of those gentlemen ’ 
instead of dividing the work to go on and throw part of the responsibility on each other, — 
although that was not at all the purpose of the society. 
FRUIT ROOMS AND STORAGE OF FRUIT. 
The following paper was read by T. T. Lyon, of South Haven, Mich., President of 
the Michigan Horticultural Society : 
There are two, in some respects, distinct purposes for which fruit retarding arrange- — 
ments are more or less employed. That tc which we will first give attention - is for the — 
temporary holding of the earlier and more perishable fruits. These, owing to their very — 
perishable character, can only be retarded for a comparatively short period ; and © 
experience had developed the fact that even with the arrest of decay the flavor deterior- 
ates more or less rapidly, so that little or nothing is to be gained by more than a very — 
temporary holding of such. 
