POULTRY JUDGING 195 



The score card was designed for judging poultry at 

 exhibitions. The object was not only to decide the 

 awards, giving the highest scores and the best prizes to 

 the fowls least defective, but to give every fowl exhib- 

 ited a rating in terms of the standard requirements and 

 in comparison with competing fowls of the same sex and 

 variety. This system can be used also by fanciers and 

 breeders as a guide in computing values in sale fowls, 

 and in selecting breeding and exhibition fowls. 



A copy of the decimal score card is shown in Fig. 2. 

 This card provides ten divisions for the features in 

 respect to which a fowl is to be scored, and the perfect 

 score for each feature is 10 points. Provision is made 

 where necessary for scoring features separately in re- 

 spect to shape and color. The decimal score card differs 

 materially from the official score card, which provides 

 for scoring more features, and these are valued differ- 

 ently for different breeds. 



The arguments for or the objections against the deci- 

 mal system that have arisen have been directed to the 

 fact that no two breeds can be valued the same. Those 

 who favor the decimal system claim that a perfect back 

 in a Plymouth Rock is of equal value to the back of a 

 Partridge Cochin or a Game Bantam, and that neither 

 should have the advantage over the other in the gen- 

 eral division of points; that backs for Plymouth Rocks, 

 Cochins, or Bantams can be valued at 10 points as well 

 as to have the back of each fowl estimated at a different 

 percentage. There is evidence of value in the decimal 

 method of calculation from the fact that the monetary 

 system of several countries and the metric system are 

 based on the decimal system. When matters of such 

 vast importance can be conducted best under a decimal 

 system, there should be no hesitation in conceding that 

 the same system will apply equally well in poultry 

 judging. The adoption of the official score card of the 

 American Poultry Association seems to have been based 

 more on the preference of the members of that organiza- 

 tion than on a consideration of its relative convenience. 



