36 



The " Score Card." 



[April, 



future to produce good bacon pigs, especially of the large 

 white Yorkshire type, Mr. Murray suggests that British pig 

 breeders might send their catalogues and prices of pedigree 

 pigs to the various agricultural societies in Poland, the addresses 

 of which are simply " Towarzystwo Rolnieze," with the 

 name of the Government, " Lublin," " Kalisz," &c, as the 



case may be. 



In a recent number of this Journal* attention was 

 drawn to the value of the score card as a means of assisting 

 students to appreciate the good qualities 



of an animal. This method of instruc- 

 The " Score Card." . . , , A . 



tion has long been m use in America, 



where judging live stock is a more 

 important feature at the agricultural colleges than it is in 

 this country. A bulletinf issued by the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture on the subject of the score card states 

 that " instruction in the principles of stock judging demands, 

 a very large share of the teacher's time." The aim, it may be 

 mentioned, is not to train men to act as judges, but merely 

 to give instruction in the fundamental principles on which 

 the student, as the years give experience, can build an accurate 

 knowledge of the animal form. The first essential is to lead 

 the beginner to see correctly — to know what faults or merits 

 each point of the animal presents to the eye or touch, and 

 secondly, to attach a comparative value to different qualities. 

 This is more easily done by a printed statement of the various 

 points, with a scale for marking, than it would be by merely 

 verbal instruction. 



A score card for milch cows, which has been prepared by 

 Mr. K. J. Mackenzie, of the South Eastern Agricultural College,, 

 will show the way in which these cards are drawn up. 



This system of instruction has been applied in the United 

 States to light and heavy horses, beef, store, and dairy cattle,, 

 bacon pigs and porkers, sheep and poultry, and also to judging 

 dressed carcases. Many of the American Breeders Associa- 

 tions have a similar scale of marks assigned to the different 

 points of their respective breeds, not for the use of judges,, 

 but for the guidance of breeders. 



* Journal^ November, 1906, p. 452/ 



| Bulletin No. 76, Division of Animal Industry. 



