February 14,1860. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
137 
It was hoped the Temple Show this year would have better financial 
results than last, when they lost £100, though all admitted that the 
Show was a very satisfactory one from a horticultural point of view. 
He referred to the great increase of Fellows in the past year, and he 
' hoped the advance would continue. After mentioning the successful 
Fruit Congress at Chiswick in the autumn, he also called attention to the 
determination of the Council to re-commence the Society’s Journal, 
| which would include the useful reports prepared at Chiswick that had 
been so long lost to Fellows. 
The report and balance sheet was duly adopted, and the following 
Fellows were declared elected on the Council and as officers. Members 
; of the Council J. K. Bourne, W. Coleman, S. Courtauld, H. J. Pearson, 
T. F. Bivers, and Sir Charles Strickland, Bart. As officers :—President, 
Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart. Treasurer—D. Morris, M.A., F.L.S. Secre¬ 
tary, Rev. W. Wilks, M.A. Auditors—George Deal, W. Richards, Harry 
Turner. 1 
In the course of some remarks it -was observed by several Fellows 
that the Drill Hall was a very unsuitable place for the meetings, and 
they wished the Council could make some better arrangements another 
year, Chiswick being suggested as preferable in all respects. A question 
was also asked respecting the Chrysanthemum Conference in November 
next, and in reply the Chairman said the dates had been altered to 
November 5th and Gth, to avoid clashing with the National and King¬ 
ston Society’s Shows. The meeting then closed with a vote of thanks 
to Sir Trevor Lawrence for presiding. 
JUDGING FRUIT AT HORTICULTURAL 
SHOWS. 
The season has once more come round-for committees of 
horticultural societies to draw up their schedule of prizes, and 
for exhibitors to form their plans as to what they purpose doing in 
the forthcoming campaign. It might not be considered out of 
place to direct attention to what is acknowledged to be a defect in 
the system of awarding prizes to fruit, especially to collections, 
without the judges being in any way answerable to committee, 
exhibitors, or visitors to the exhibition. 
The usual procedure is to select trustworthy men, whose decision 
is final, and from which no appeal as to merit can be allowed. 
This, at least, is arbitary. Judges at shows are engaged in a public 
jduty, and therefore ought to be amenable to the criticism both of 
the public and exhibitors. Let me take, for example, a collection 
of fruit. The competition is large, and the exhibits close in point 
of merit. The judges come upon these, after a certain amount of 
marching, counter-marching, and examining by the way, the prize 
cards are placed, and the die being cast there is an end to the 
matter. 
In most cases the decisions are right and just, but to frequenters 
of shows it is well known that sometimes awards are made which 
none but the judges themselves can understand. If these function¬ 
aries are asked to explain where they find the points which lead to 
such a decision, as often as not they say, “You have no right to 
put such a question, to us, and we decline to answer it.” I think 
this rough and ready way of staving off criticism cannot be satis¬ 
factory to either committee or exhibitors. Mr. J. Wright, the 
well-known Chrysanthemum judge, has contrived an excellent 
method for arriving at a correct decision in judging that popular 
flower. It is ably set forth by him in the number of this Journal, 
; December 8th, 1887. This is worked on the shillings and pence 
system. “Points” are entered in the shilling column, and the 
margin for merits between it and the column for pence. A point 
is divided into parts representing quarter, half, or three-quarters of 
the whole, and entered as 3d., Gd., and 9d. respectively. As this 
system answers so admirably in collections of Chrysanthemums, 
there can be no reason why it should not be equally serviceable in 
judging collections of fruit. It would be an improvement to have 
cards placed on each collection setting forth the number of points 
allotted to each dish. Thus say, taking the standard of perfection 
lat six, and the subject under notice is a collection of ten dishes. 
s. d. 
1, White Grapes. 5 6 
2, Black Grapes . 5 9 
3, Pine Apple . 5 3 
4, Melon . 6 0 
5, Peaches. 5 6 
6, Nectarines . 4 9 
7, Figs . 5 G 
8, Plums . 4 G 
9, Pears . 5 0 
10, Apples . -3 6 
Total. 51 3 
ar 51£ points. The value put upon each dish will then be seen 
ay all concerned, and so prevent a great deal of speculative 
liscussion. 
The question of judging Melons requires some little attention 
and revision. Most exhibitors will agree when I say it is time the 
antiquated custom of cutting and mutilating this fruit is abandoned. 
What would be thought of a judge who said he could not select 
the best of a dozen Pine Apples without cutting a piece out of 
each ? All that is required for putting this subject upon a better 
basis is for some of our principal societies to take the lead, others 
will soon follow ; at least such is the opinion of— J. McIxdoe, 
Hutton Hall Gardens. 
EMPTYING HOT WATER PIPES. 
I send you a rough sketch (fig. 22) of what I call a handy, home¬ 
made sluice for emptying hot-water pipes. It consists of a T piece 
(a) attached at the lowest part of the pipes, where an elbow would be 
required (say where the return enters the boiler) ; a piece of five-eighths- 
of an inch iron rod (5), bent into form with two nuts, one on each end j 
a three-eighths of an inch plate (e) with two holes drilled in it, for 
putting on to the mouth of the pipe, with a broad indiarubber ring 
( d ) between, and an iron band (<?) for catching the rod a little below 
the knees to prevent it slipping back. It can readily be understood 
from the sketch. 
It has many advantages over a common water tap, and is almost as 
convenient as an expensive slide valve. Should the water contain any 
sediment, causing the pipes to be emptied often, it can be run off in a 
few minutes, and the pipes refilled immediately. In letting the water off 
FIG. 22.—SLUICE FOE PIPES. 
for the first time, the person undoing the nuts may stand a chance of get¬ 
ting drenched, but a preventive can easily be had for that. 
As our water contains a great quantity of clayey matter, I had 
the above attached when putting in some new pipes two years ago, which 
answers excellently. Should you think it worth putting before your 
readers, some may find it useful where a more expensive article would 
be a consideration.—N. B. 
THE CUCKOO IN WINTER. 
The schoolboy, wandering through the wood 
To pull the Primrose gay, 
Starts, the new voice of Spring to hear, 
And imitates thy lay. 
So wrote Logan, in his “ Ode to the Cuckoo,” a hundred years ago ; 
and Wordsworth, in our own time, thus :— 
0 blithe new comer ! I have heard ; 
I hear thee and rejoice ; 
O cuckoo ! shall I call thee bird, 
Or but a wandering voice ? 
And, further :— 
Thrice darling of the Spring, 
Even yet thou art to me 
No bird, but an invisible thing; 
A voice, a mystery. 
And so, till now, the cuckoo has been a bird of note and mystery 
He comes, he goes, and none know when or whither. Yet to those who 
roam the fields and woods in spring time he is no stranger. Ever and 
anon one hears or reads of the cuckoo being with us, though winter’s 
winds blow keen and chill, or long ere the emerald buds bedeck the trees 
and hedgerows, or insect life is still; for as yet the flowers dream in 
their winter sleep ; even the busy bee keeps within, and hums itself 
to rest. 
Every bird, like every dog, has his day. To come, to go, to sing, to 
rejoice, or to be silent; and scarcely one sings unless to his mate, and 
that when nuptial time is near. At other whiles, in migratory birds, 
generally silence marks its absence or its time of flitting. Take the 
nightingale, but a few days after its arrival, it fills the woods with glorious 
song ; and then, when family cares arise, we miss the rapturous music, 
and then—the master melodist. 
And so with the cuckoo. Almost to the day he comes, in some 
localities. About the end of the first fortnight in April we awake and 
find him with us. What says the old song T— 
The pleasant summer time’s at hand, 
I hear the sweet cuckoo ; 
The corn is growing green and long, 
The lamb bleats by the ewe ; 
The grasshopper sings for the sun, 
The cricket lor the heat, 
But when we hear the cuckoo’s song, 
Be sure the season’s Bwcet. 
