8 



here proposed be the right one ; but its proposal, if entertained and 

 discussed at all, must do good in calling attention to the matter ; and, 

 if it does so, the object of the writer will be served. 



II. THE REMEDY THE POINT SYSTEM. 



i. Mode of its initiation. The remedy for all this would be to 

 judge the stock by points ; and that mode of judging might be initiated 

 by adopting some such course as the following : 



The opinion of breeders throughout the colonies should be taken, 

 as to the points which should be adopted for the different sorts of stock 

 and the relative values of these points. With this view the Councils 

 and Committees of the leading Agricultural Societies in these colonies 

 should prepare and print tentative award papers for the several breeds 

 of stock in something like the form that will be afterwards given in 

 this paper, and should send them round to the different Local Agricul- 

 tural Associations for consideration and report by their members. In 

 this way the opinion of every judge worth having would be obtained ; 

 and when they were, the Reports of the different Local Associations 

 could be gone through by the Councils and Committees of the prin- 

 cipal Societies, and the points and their values fixed in accordance with 

 these opinions. After that, again, a joint Committee might be 

 appointed by the principal Societies, to consider the scales of points 

 and their relative values thus fixed upon, and agree on a general scale 

 for the colonies. Both correctness and uniformity would thus be 

 secured, and there could be no cavilling at the points fixed upon, or 

 the values given them, as they would be the result of the collective 

 wisdom of all the best judges in all the colonies. 



The course here recommended would take a little time and 

 trouble, and would no doubt create considerable discussion as to what 

 the points ought to be, and what values should be placed upon them ; 

 but this would all do good, for there is no subject on which breeders 

 and owners require more to obtain correct information than on this, nor 

 one the discussion of which would tend more to the general improve- 

 ment of stock and the development of their most valuable points. If 

 the principal Societies would agree to this mode of judging, and some 

 such course as that here suggested for initiating it were followed, the 

 system might be carried into effect in the course of twelve months, and 

 the labour could not possibly be better bestowed. 



2. The advantages of the point system are, among others, the fol- 

 lowing: 



(i.) With ordinarily competent judges, // insures correct and, of 

 course, uniform awards. 



(2.) It affords the most ample information with respect to the 

 exhibits and their points the award papers forming exhaustive 



