EXHIBITS, SCORING, JUDGING, DESCRIBING 437 



Essentials for judging. Each judge should have a good knowl- 

 edge of the varieties of apples, especially of the characteristics 

 of each variety, such as its shape, size, color, and quality. Often 

 the apples entered in competition are not classed properly, there- 

 fore experience in systematic pomology is quite essential for 

 competent judging. In judging, each entry should be closely 

 inspected and the poorest eliminated. Later the score cards 

 should be used for the two or three leading plates or specimens. 

 They may also serve as a record of the decision which can be 

 easily referred to, if necessary. 



Describing fruit. In order to classify specimens properly they 

 must be fully described. The description may then be compared 

 with authoritative books and the variety established in that way. A 

 farmer or grower who had an unknown variety could readily make 

 out a sheet such as is used by Cornell University and forward it 

 to his state experiment station, where comparisons could be made, 

 and if the description was accurately given the variety could 

 probably be found and named. 



A good form of description is used by the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College at Amherst and another by the pomological depart- 

 ment of the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell. 



FRUIT DESCRIPTIVE BLANK* 



Apple 



1 Used by the Massachusetts Agricultural College. 



