HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS AND SCHEDULES. 



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why it's scandalous ! You had better go home and never judge 

 again.'" He calmed down eventually, as was his wont, and was 

 then invited to the collections. " You could not have pointed 

 them," he remarked. No reply. "Very well," he went on, 

 " I will show you." " Y T es, you name the points and I will put 

 them down," which was done. " Now then add them." 

 " No ; better do the others first, and add all up together." This 

 was done, and his collection lost by one point on his own judg- 

 ing. " Now, my friend, I will show you my points." " What ! 

 then you did point them?" " Y^es ; very carefully, and here 

 they are." They were exactly the same as his own. He gripped 

 the judge's hand. " Come again," said he, " if you will, I 

 promise never to find fault with a judge again." That splendid 

 gardener and warm-hearted man was the late William Wild- 

 smith. 



A parallel case occurred at a Chrysanthemum Show. The 

 loser of a silver cup for blooms was vowing vengeance on a 

 u London judge "if he could find him. The judge was taking 

 note of the blooms later in the day when accosted as a visitor. 

 " Do you understand blooms, sir ? " "A little, and I have found 

 some good ones here." "I should think you have, and I am 

 done out of the cup by a London ignoramus. They say he has 

 gone, and a good thing for him." The judge invited the injured 

 exhibitor to " go through" them with him, intimating that if 

 the judges had blundered they should be " shown up." He 

 nominated the points and agreed to every one put down for the 

 forty-eight blooms in both stands, and his own lost by seven 

 points. He was then shown that in the opinion of the judges he 

 had only lost by six ! On being asked what he had further to 

 say he replied, "What can I say but that I have made a fool of 

 myself, and am very sorry ; I am a young man and have learned a 

 lesson." It is very easy for judges to be condemned after a two 

 minutes' inspection of work over which they have taken 

 infinite pains. They do not object to give reasons for verdicts 

 if appealed to in a reasonable way. " So you have gone against 

 me, Mr. M.," observed a loser to a judge at a western show 

 last year, " but let me tell you that I think my opinion is as 

 good as yours." " I have no doubt at all you think so," was the 

 response, " but, you see, my opinion happens to have the most 

 weight to-day. Good afternoon." 



