September 10, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
221 
fruit and vegetables more particularly than plants and cut flowers at 
present, and would begin by alluding to what I may call a new departure 
in point-judging. It has occurred to me and many others that by the 
system of point judging at present practised real justice, where the com¬ 
petition is very close, is next to an impossibility. Judges generally 
prefer to use as few points as possible to save embarrassment and difficulty, 
hence the necessity of devising some means whereby a greater number 
may be used, and all doubt as to their application be removed. Some 
take one number of points and some another, say from four to nine as 
a maximum. The latter number would not do justice to a collection of 
eight varieties of fruit, far less twelve or fifteen. I will give one instance 
of the difficulty in registering the difference in value of two varieties of 
fruit in a mixed collection. Suppose it to be Peaches, and four points 
allowed for excellent fruit, these dishes being, we may say, almost equal; 
the only way then for the judge is to give the one the full complement, 
the other a point less, consequently bringing it down to the next grade, 
or on a level with Plums, Pears, or Apricots, for the want of some frac¬ 
tional part wherewith to place it in its proper position in relation to the 
other dish, or its true representative value as a part of the collection. In 
order to meet this any way of dividing points into fractional parts might 
be of advantage. Meanwhile, I propose a system for consideration which, 
if it were adopted, would as near as possible give every dish or exhibit 
its proper value—viz., by giving a certain number of marks for every 
sort, according to its relative value, assigning one mark to lowest, two to 
the next, so on till the whole are represented with the number approach¬ 
ing nearest their intrinsic or commercial worth, four points being the 
value of one mark. 
I will try to explain this plan of judging by pointing out the merits 
of two imaginary collections of twelve varieties of fruit. These twenty- 
four dishes shall be not only all different varieties, but nearly separate 
sorts or genera, and represent nearly every sort of fruit generally grown 
and shown at our exhibitions. The collections shall be designated A and 
B, and consist of the following—Pine Apple, two dishes of Grapes, Melon, 
Peaches, Nectarines, Figs, Apricots, Pears, Plums, Apples, Cherries. We 
will suppose these fruits to be perfect examples of their kind, equal in 
cultivation, so that the work of judging them is narrowed down to the 
quality and appearance peculiar to each. Before proceeding to their 
work the judges should be supplied with ruled cards, having space on the 
left for names, then two columns, the one for marks, the other for points, 
with space on the right for remarks. When the judging has been com¬ 
pleted the number of marks and points are added separately, the marks 
multiplied by four, taking in the points ; the total points are then sub¬ 
tracted to find the difference between the collections. The judges would 
also have to settle before commencing the maximum number of marks to 
be given to each sort according to the esteem in which they are held as 
dessert fruits in the manner I will now describe in going over the collec¬ 
tions. Someone may be apt to doubt whether four points are not too 
many to allow between, say, good Cherries and Apples, or any of the 
other kinds, but the effect of such difference is more apparent than real, 
from the large number of points employed through the whole collection. 
The highest possible number in the collection we have been considering 
is 112 points, not counting those kinds separately that receive an equal 
number of marks. 
In the following tables the fruits are in each case named in this order 
Pine, Grapes, Melon, Peach, Nectarine, Fig, Apricot, Pear, Plum, 
Apple, and Cherry, the “ marks ” in the first column showing the com¬ 
parative value of the respective varieties, and the “ points ” in the 
second column the merit of the fruits shown, the difference in favour of 
Collection A being two points. 
COLLECTION A. 
COLLECTION B. 
Queen . 
Madresfleld 
Court .... 
Buekland 
Sweetwater 
Best of All.. 
Noblesse.... 
Pitmaston 
Orange. 
Castle Ken 
nedy. 
Moorpark .. 
Jargonelle .. 
Jefferson. 
Astrachan .. 
Morelio. 
Ct 
cn 
2*3 
u 
fl 
24 
C 
3 
O 
►— 
« 
o 
7 
Smooth 
Cayenne .... 
Black H m- 
6 
2 
G 
burgh . 
5 
3 
5 
1 
( Inferior in qnality 
| and appearance. 
Golden 
Champion .. 
G 
5 
. 
Little Heath . 
4 
2 
3 
3 
Deficient in colour. 
Royal George... 
4 
3 
3 
4 
| Superior appear- 
Brown Turkey 
4 
) ance. 
3 
Shipley . 
2 
3 
3 
Quality. 
Bon Chretien 
3 
3 
Extra good. 
Green Gage .. 
2 
3 
1 
3 
Appearance. 
Inferior flavour. 
2 
3 
Bigarreau .... 
1 
44 
10 
42 
16 
4 
4 
186 
184 
184 
Deficient in qnality 
) Behind in appear- 
(Wanting in ap- 
') pearance & quality 
Inferior qnality. 
Better quality. 
Inferior. 
Appearance, 
j Wanting in ap- 
, pearance. 
Extra quality.! 
Superior qnality. 
I will now pass on to a collection of eight varieties of Grapes, four 
black and four white, but instead of using six marks as we did for Grapes 
in the collection of mixed fruit, three will be the number ; as all are of 
the same class there is abundant scope to decide between good, bad, and 
indifferent. A rule to guide in assigning the marks to collections of 
plants, fruit, or vegetables, is their number, variety, and inequality of pro¬ 
perties or values. Three marks should be the number employed for all 
collections of subjects belonging to the same order or class. 
Before passing judgment on the merits of eight varieties of Grapes we 
will consider what the properties of a model bunch are. As to shape, 
some kinds are about as broad at the point as the shoulder; others, again, 
are broad and short. We will take the mean between these two extremes 
as a model of shape, say breadth at shoulders equal to two-thirds of its 
length, tapering downward?. Berries large, regular, well formed, and 
thickly coated with bloom. No footstalks or stems to be seen, unless the 
part attached to the wood supporting the bunch, which should be short 
and thick. The bunch itself to be compact, free from all blemishes of 
spot, rust, or rubbing. 
The first matter in judging Grapes is to select and put against each 
other the best in point of cultivation and similarity. We will have at 
present the same varieties in opposition, that we may discuss their merits 
from a cultural standpoint, and it must not be supposed I disregard 
the importance of certain other varieties of Grapes, such as Gros Colman, 
Alicante, Lady Downe’s, &c., although I have not included any of them 
in this collection for this reason. Grapes valuable for their late keeping 
qualities should be discouraged for early autumn shows, because they are 
seldom ripe although well coloured, and it is injudicious to try to ripen 
them for that purpose. The collection will comprise the following varie¬ 
ties—Muscat of Alexandria, Duke of Buccleuch. Footer’s Seedling, Buck- 
land Sweetwater, Madresfleld Court, Black Hamburgh, Muscat Ham¬ 
burgh, and Black Prince. These are all early or medium sorts, and well 
known. 
COLLECTION A. 
Collection b. 
cn 
a 
24 
a 
c3 
a 
o 
Ph 
=2 
S 
o 
Muscat of 
Muscat of 
Deficient in colour. 
Alexandria. 
3 
High quality. 
Alexandria. 
2 
o 
Duke of Buc- 
Inike of Buc- 
clem h. 
2 
3 
Bunch smaller. 
clench. 
3 
Extra line. 
Foster’s Seed- 
Foster’s Seed- 
ling. 
2 
2 
Not first-rate. 
ling. 
' 2 
1 
Inferior. 
Buekland 
Buekland 
Wanting in colour. 
Sweetwater 
2 
3 
Fair bunch. 
Sweetwater 
2 
2 
Madresfleld 
Madresfleld 
Court. 
2 
2 
Small in berry. 
Court. 
3 
First class. 
Black Ham- 
Black Ham- 
High quality, 
burgh. 
2 
2 
Behind in colour, 
burgh .. .. 
3 
Muscat Ham- 
Muscat Ham- 
burgh___ 
2 
3 
A littie loose. 
burgh. 
3 
Extra flue. 
Black Brince 
2 
Under the standard 
Black Brince 
1 
3 
Inferior. 
17 
15 
19 
8 
4 
4 
83 
84 
83 
In lavonr ot B, one point. 
We will take Muscat of Alexandria first. The one in A collection 
is a perfect 4 lb. bunch, large eq aal berries, amber colour, entitled to 
the full complement of marks. The one in B collection, same size of 
bunch and berry, but wanting in colour to the extent of two points, A 3, 
B 2 2. The next is Duke of Buccleuch, both bunches equal in colour 
and size of berry, but that of B the larger of the two, A 2 3, B 3. 
Foster’s Seedimg comes next ; it is not at the present a very handsome 
variety, and we will not consider it first-class here ; the one in A collec¬ 
tion a fair example, but not deserving of the highest value, say 2 2, that 
in B collection a shade behind the other, 2 1. Buikland Sweetwater, 
A good bunch, 2 3 ; B scarcely so well coloured, 2 2. Madresfleld Court, 
a variety gaining favour every year as its cultivation is being better 
understood, comes next. Here B has a first-class example, large in bunch 
and berry, highly finished, receives full value ; A is behind both in size of 
berry and thinner bloom, placing it two points behind the other ; thus 
B 3, A 2 2. Black Hamburgh, the most common and useful of Grapes ; 
A and B have both good, full, well-proportioned bunches, B has the best 
in point of colour ; B 3, A 2 2. Muscat Hamburgh, a Grape of high 
quality, but not so easily grown a3 the Black Hamburgh ; B’s bunch is 
good, A’s is equally good, a little loose ; B 3, A 2 3. The last is Black 
Prince, a very good Sweetwater Grape, these two bunches are below the 
standard ; A 4 points, B 5, then A 2, B 1 3. 
(To be continued.) 
ONCIDIUM INCURVUM. 
Where fragrant Orchids are estemed this should be accorded 
a place, in fact it is worth a position in any collection however 
limited Its small mauve anil white flowers are produced on a 
branched slender stem 3 or 4 feet in length, more than 2 feet of 
its length being covered with flowers. One good spike or two 
will perfume the air of a moderately sized house, and are most 
effective either for decoration or cutting, as the spikes are light 
and droop gracefully. It does well at the warmest end of the 
Odontoglossum house, and will succeed either in a pot or basket, 
the former being preferable if stage room is plentiful; if not, it 
can be most successfully cultivated in a basket suspended from 
the roof. 
If grown in pots they should be filled at least half full of 
