412 Management of Horticultural Exhibitions. 



same number, speaks for itself; and, if any one has ever 

 been a judge where premiums have been given for unlimited 

 collections, he will not fail to remember the inconvenience of 

 forming his opinions, and the total absence of all rule to as- 

 sist him. 



Our fifth consideration is an important one. When a so- 

 ciety offers premiums for the best of the various productions 

 brought before it, exhibitors should be distinctly informed, as 

 to what points of excellence are acknowledged and required, 

 so that there may be no misconception as to what they are to 

 strive for. Without this, there cannot be any satisfaction ex- 

 perienced either by the society or the judges. We deem it 

 absolutely necessary that an exhibitor should know officially 

 what he is to aim at to secure the society's approval ; other- 

 wise, with two subjects to select from, he may choose the 

 wrong one because he does not know the society's estimate 

 of properties, an occurrence frequently happening, and made 

 still more frequent, by the absence of all rule and principle 

 among the judges themselves. 



The sixth point in the management of exhibitions, is, that 

 there should not be permitted any competition in two classes 

 with the same articles, &c. If A exhibits a collection of 

 plants he must not be permitted to show single specimens of 

 any plant in that collection, (except seedlings), that is, if a 

 heath is shewn in his collection, he must not exhibit a heath 

 as a single specimen, nor heaths in any other class. If he 

 shows pelargoniums in collection, he is not to show them in 

 any other way. If he exhibits cacti, balsams, calceolarias, 

 &c., or any other description of plant in collection, or as sin- 

 gle specimens, he shall not show them m other classes. Why 

 these restrictions are necessary we will explain : first, the 

 exhibitor is prevented from using his best exhibitions for the 

 purpose of gaining other premiums ; second, he competes 

 more fairly with other exhibitors, and thirdly, he is prevent- 

 ed from filling up with the refuse of his collections those 

 classes which are more suited to growers of less pretension. 

 We know that some men grow some things in perfection. 

 Were there no check upon these, they would in all probability 

 exhibit one magnificent specimen in a collection, six more in 

 another collection of the same genera, and yet an eighth as a 



