UEPORTS OF COMMITTEES. 21 



APPLES, PEACHES, PLUMS AND QUINCES. 



The committee appointed to award the premiums in this class 

 present the following report : 



The first thing for an exhibitor in this class to consider, is, for 

 which premium or premiums shall I compete ? To decide this 

 question understandingly requires a careful examination of the rules 

 of the society which govern entries, and a careful conformation 

 to which must constitute the first element of success for a credita- 

 ble exhibition. This point has a wider meaning than many sup- 

 pose. A rule made by a society means something, and as a gen- 

 eral thing, is the outgrowth of serious thought by intelligent minds 

 upon just the point covered in the rule. If a rule calls for a cer- 

 tain number of specimens of each variety upon a plate for an entry, 

 or for a certain number of plates to constitute a collection, a strict 

 adherence to these conditions must be complied with to insure 

 success. A committee has no right to recognize an entry not com- 

 plying in every particular with the rules. If there are too many 

 specimens on a plate the committee cannot remove any, to make it 

 conform to the requirements, but must throw the entry entirely out 

 of competition, as it is out of their province to make suggestions 

 or correct entries to enable an exhibitor to secure premiums. 



The above suggestions may seem entirely out of place, but a 

 careful examination of the entries at our fairs will convince anyone 

 of the importance of conforming strictly to the rules governing each 

 class, and would save much fault-finding with committees who are 

 endeavoring to make awards in exact justice with the exhibit before 

 them. 



The amount of the premiums offered by the society is not large, 

 but to win a first premium in close competition ought in itself to be 

 an incentive to great exertion in the future. 



The method of awarding premiums in this class, this season, 

 deserves a word in its praise. In its working it is simply this : Each 

 specimen on each plate is scored by itself, ten points denoting per- 

 fection, and every imperfection reduces it from the standard ac- 

 cording to the amount of such defect. This enables the commit- 

 tee to keep a strict account with the entire exhibit, and allows them 



