November 1,18M. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
407 
me it seems a waste of time to have to carry a stand of blooms about 
the show room for the purpose of comparison when other methods are so 
much easier, and, I may say, much more accurate. Some experts of this 
order of opinion select what they think is the best stand of blooms in a 
certain class and place it in front of all others in competition with this 
selected one. Very often a better is found, the first must perforce be 
replaced, and the one preferred for the time being carried round, perhaps 
of another by one of the two judges. The second judge takes up [a 
position on one side of the stand. They commence generally at the left 
hand corner of both stands. The bloom in the back row of stand A is 
compared with that in a similar position in stand B; individually 
A is superior to B. The former then scores a point or two, perhaps 
more if A happens to be a much larger and superior variety. In the 
next instance the balance may be in the opposite direction. This is 
Fig. 63.-CHKYSANTHEMUM HAIRY WONDER. 
to be displaced by another. Surely this cannot be the easiest, quickest, 
and most accurate method of dealing with competitive exhibits. Last 
year at Birmingham Mr. Kipps and myself had no less than twenty 
stands in one class to adjudicate upon, and as many as six prizes to 
award. Does any sensible reader think the comparison method could 
have been carried out as easily, accurately, and as quickly, as by allotting 
points to each according to respective merit ? 
The comparison method, to give an explanation of it, is simply this : 
One stand, which apparently is the best, is selected and placed in front 
mentally noted then as one point off A stand, and so on is the whole 
stand compared, and very likely the judges forget which stand has the 
balance before they get through it, and have to start afresh, owing to 
having nothing tangible to refer to. It would be all very well if the 
same varieties were shown in both stands; but when can two such 
exhibits be found 1 The most ardent believer in the comparison method 
could hardly persuade himself that a well-developed bloom of Avalanche 
could compete with one of Stanstead White in its best character. Some 
judges have a weakness for giving equal prizes to stands close in point 
