574 POULTRY CULTURE 



Uniformity in judging. Estimates of quality can never be uni- 

 form, but general consistency in the judgment of many persons is 

 possible if each considers the various sections and qualities impar- 

 tially. Many judges cut heavily for faults in some sections, lightly 

 for equally serious faults in others. The result is to lead breeders 

 exhibiting under those judges to give special attention to improve- 

 ment of the sections they cut severely, and to neglect those they 

 cut lightly. In comparison judging, the partial judge gives the 

 preference to specimens with characters he particularly admires, 

 though on the whole inferior to others, and the influence on breed- 

 ing is the same. Broadly speaking, characters in an organism 

 judged on appearance must be considered as of equal value. This 

 is attained if the person judging them has a true appreciation of 

 perfection, or of the most desirable form of each character, and 

 makes specific cuts in all sections consistently, or, in comparison 

 judging, gives due consideration to every point. 



Recognition of utility values in judging exhibition poultry. 

 Characters being divided for convenience into sections, impartial 

 consideration of sections will usually result in estimates of value 

 not seriously open to criticism from the practical poultryman's point 

 of view. While, from that point of view, color and some superficial 

 points may be of little importance, as long as substantial qualities 

 are not neglected, consideration of the others should not be con- 

 demned, but rather encouraged, for, as has been said, observation 

 shows that few people indifferent to superficial beauty in poultry 

 show marked appreciation of essential properties of form. For 

 this reason, judging solely on utility points is of doubtful value 

 as an aid to the improvement of utility qualities. When the sub- 

 ject is fully considered, a large proportion of what are commonly 

 called fancy points are in a very literal sense utility points. 



Judging poultry products. Judging dressed poultry and eggs is 

 a much simpler process than judging poultry on all external points. 

 In judging dressed poultry and eggs the number of characters, 

 qualities, or points to be considered is small ; slight differences in 

 quality do not make great differences in value, as in high-class 

 birds, and degrees of quality are more readily appreciated. While 

 score cards are sometimes used for judging dressed poultry and 

 eggs, the number of sections into which a card may appropriately 



