JUDGING DAHLIAS, ESPECIALLY THE CACTUS SECTION. 



various directions, or the flowers set so close to the stand or board as to 

 mar their natural elegance, should lose points in competition with another 

 stand where these defects were non-existent. 



Now if a certain number of points be allotted to each of the four 

 properties or virtues I have mentioned, the judging of Dahlias resolves 

 itself into a comparatively easy task : so many points will be given to good 

 form, so many to good size, so many to colour and freedom from blemish, 

 and so many for being well set up, in the case of every flower or set of 

 flowers, and the sum of the points awarded will give us the key to the 

 position of the various exhibits. 



How great a number and what weight may be accorded to each of the 

 four good features of a flower I of course must leave to the societies to 

 determine ; but having given the matter very much thought and considered 

 it, I think from every standpoint, I may mention that I am in favour of 

 adopting ten points as a maximum and dividing them as follows : — 



4 points for good form. 

 3 „ size. 



2 „ ,, colour and freedom from injury. 



1 point „ setting up. 



In this way every perfect flower perfectly set up would gain ten points, 

 a number easily reckoned, and the subdivision of which one can readily 

 commit to memory. 



In the case of judging bunches of one variety I would consider the 

 bunch as a whole and not the individual flowers of the bunch, after the 

 same manner as our friends of the National Rose Society judge trebles in 

 the case of Roses. 



