THE SCORE CARD AND ITS USE 23 



adding, which will result in an error in the total score. 

 After having scored an animal, the judge should always 

 add his column of figures, and to check his work for ac- 

 curacy, should add the column both up and down to see 

 that his figures agree. 



The expression "Points Cut," in scoring, is sometimes 

 used. The official instruction to judges, working binder the 

 rules of the American Poultry Association, provides for 

 marking down cuts when scoring. Some of the associa- 

 tions of expert judges of swine also use the cut system. 

 The method of applying the cut system is simple. If a 

 part in the standard or scale of points is credited with 

 10, and one thinks the animal worth only 7 in this respect, 

 then 3 is recorded as so many points taken off, or cut. This 

 is not right. The points cut should not be written down. 

 The philosophy of recording 7 instead of 3, is that 7 is a 

 basis of comparison with the standard, while 3 is a com- 

 parison with nothing. It may be easier to say "I'll cut 

 three points," but the real purpose of the score card is 

 one of comparison, and no comparison is implied when this 

 form is used. Therefore it is highly important to place 

 one's actual valuation for each part in proper place in the 

 column, that comparison of both the part and the whole 

 may be possible. In fact, unless we place figures represent- 

 ing value to the credit of an animal we do not give a proper 

 score. If we give a cut, this in turn must be taken from 

 the perfect score in order to give correct value. 



The value of the score of an animal is relative and 

 should not be regarded too highly. Men of experience in 

 the use of the score card, very generally value it for its 

 importance in the elementary stages of judging live stock. 

 Through its use, the young judge is taught the location 

 and the relative values of the different parts of the animal. 

 The great criticism of the score card, is that a judge may 

 be unable to grade a living animal exactly the same at 

 different times. His figures cannot stand as final. To-day 

 we may score an animal 80 and to-morrow 75. The horse 



