CHAPTER IX 

 PROTESTS 



"JUDGING the judges" is a favourite pursuit of 

 amateur and professional gardeners alike, at Horticultural 

 Shows. The gardener is only human, and when the 

 subjects of his consideration are those that he himself 

 has cultivated, it is pardonable if we find him unwilling, 

 at times, to accept an unfavourable verdict. The 

 angry competitor, like irate persons in many other 

 circumstances, does not always count the proverbial sixty 

 ere making a protest ; or if he does stay to count sixty, 

 he finds his chagrin to increase. 



It is annoying to everybody concerned when mistakes 

 are made. Mistakes, like accidents, will happen. Be 

 the Schedule makers never so strict, some little mis- 

 construction in the wording of Classes may occur, or a 

 wrong interpretation may be drawn by a competitor. 

 Schedule-makers, therefore, cannot too carefully proceed 

 upon their task. 



A second source of error is when a judge, or judges, 

 happens to overlook the exact stipulations of a Class and 

 makes awards to exhibits that ought properly to be 

 disqualified. In such a case, an unsuccessful Exhibitor 

 might well protest, for the facts would be in his 

 favour ; at least he could appeal to have a fresh 

 adjudication. 



A third class of protests arises from individual 

 diosyncrasy. Without a show of reason at all, some 

 men will protest. 

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