CHOP TALK NO. 2. 18/ 



Prof. W. A. Waugh, of Mass. Agri. College, talked about judging 

 fruits. He said, "Our next pomological advance must be in the 

 line of systematic study of varieties. On the judging of fruit very 

 little has been said by any one. It belongs in reality, however, 

 to the systematic study of varieties. At the present time no very 

 elaborate system of judging fruits has been proposed." ^lass. 

 State Board of Agri. has a score card as follows : To quality 20 

 points, form 15 points, color 15, size 10, uniformity in size 20, 

 freedom from imperfections 20, making 100 points. The Ontario 

 Fruit Growers' Association has one for apples and pears which 

 gives to form 10, size 10, color 10, freedom from blemish 20, uni- 

 formity 20, quality 30, total 100. The card for grapes is, flavor 

 30 points, form of bush 10, size of berry 15. color 10, firmness 5. 

 bloom 5, freedom from blemish 2, total 100. The score card 

 Prof. Waugh uses in the class room and when judging fruit away 

 from home is as follows: Score card for apples, form 15, size 10, 

 color 20, uniformity 20, quality 15, freedom from blemishes 20. 

 Score card for strawberries is, character and rootage 5, stock and 

 foliage 5, vitality (drouth proof) 7, plant maker 10, healthfulness 

 (rust proof) 5, blossoms 5, productiveness 25, size 10, shape 5, 

 color 5, flavor 8, firmness (shipping quality) 10. In the card 

 for strawberries 38 points are given to the fruit, the remaining 

 62 being divided between the qualities of the plant itself, sug- 

 gesting that a perfect system of scoring would require even 

 greater elaboration than has at present been used. Judging 

 fruits upon the exhibition table by their external and internal ap- 

 pearance is very different from forming an opinion when the 

 tree or plant and fruit are to be considered collectively ; not only 

 form, color, size and quality but growth, hardiness and produc- 

 tiveness are very important factors in arriving at a just decision 

 of their real merits. 



A Horticultural Home. It has occurred to me that a state 

 society with a membership as large as ours should formulate 

 some measure whereby we could secure a permanent home ade- 

 quate to the needs of forwarding our work in the best manner 

 possible. That we accomplish so much with our cramped 

 quarters is most remarkable. Wh'at might wc expect if we 

 had enlarged facilities equal to the demands of our horticultural 

 work.' It has been suggested that there could be no better op- 

 portunity offered some wealthy person or persons of a philan- 

 thropic turn of mind than to provide such a home for our society, 

 with ample room for office, library and reading room where 

 horticultural and agricultural papers, bulletins and magazines 



