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The Canadian Horticulturist. 



A SCALE FOR JUDGING FRUITS. 



A Paper by the Secretary, before the Annual Meeting at 

 Orillia, Dee., 1894. 



LREADY the Ontario Fruit Growers" Association has taken 

 steps to secure greater uniformity and fairness in the judging 

 I of fruits at agricultural and horticultural exhibitions through- 

 out Ontario. The fruit catalogue published annually in our 

 Report, is referred to by intelligent judges for final appeal 

 in disputes concerning the value of varieties, but, it is not, 

 however, used as widely as it should be. Some judges make 

 free use of it in judging their collections, while others pay 

 no attention whatever to it and jump at hasty conclusions. 

 I think it most important that we should pursue this 

 matter still further, until we are able to furnish every secre- 

 tary of every agricultural and horticultural society with a score card for the use 

 of their judges. 



True, it requires a great deal more time to judge the fruit in this careful 

 way, assigning to each variety its value on some systematic basis, than it does to 

 merely jump at conclusions from the general appearance of the collections, but 

 such careful work amply repays the time it occupies. As conducted at present, 

 our fairs fail entirely in accomplishing the end for which ^ they were intended. 

 They do little or nothing m educating the public with regard to the real value 

 of the varieties shown, or in directing planters concerning the most profitable or 

 most useful kinds to plant for the various purposes. No doubt there are some 

 judges who take into consideration more than merely the appearance of the 

 collections, bu;, if they do bise their decision on some sensible list of points, 

 the public do not know what these are, and consequently are no wiser in this 

 respect than they were before. Now if a score card with clearly defined points, 

 showing every investigator the points taken into consideration in giving the 

 decision, and showing the real value of each variety, as made up of the various 

 points of merit which it possesses, the public would take great interest in read- 

 ing these over and would soon become educated regarding the important points 

 which guide the judges in estimating the value of varieties, and planters also 

 who are about to plant orchards would be able to do this much more intelli- 

 gently after having made a study of the exhibits at the various fairs. 



I do not propose to give you a form for a score card that would be beyond 

 criticism. I simply place before you two or three forms with the object of 

 stirring up that careful discussion on this subject which it so well deserves, and 

 hope that either in the open meeting, or by the aid of a committee, we will be 

 able to procure such a score card as will secure the approval of this whole Asso- 



