58 
THE FLORIST. 
know who the judges are until after the awards are made, neither do 
the judges know the name of a single exhibitor until the prize ticket is 
affixed to the collection after their award. We use numbers and not 
mottoes. The exhibitor cannot tell what his number will be until his 
plants are staged—the numbers being placed to each collection just 
before the exhibitor leaves the tents, and which he receives from the 
secretary at the time, so that no competitor can tell his numbers to a 
judge; or, even if he could do so, that judge may be called upon to 
examine a different class of plants. Our numbers range from 1 to 500, 
and upwards, and no one but the secretary knows who the exhibitors 
are ; this system we have found to work well and prevent dishonesty. 
Your exposition of mottoes is quite correct. 
Our rules also require all articles to be named, but if one plant has 
no name attached to it in a collection, that collection is not disqualified 
by the omission, although that was strictly adhered to for some time, 
but it cannot always be carried out. For instance, one competitor, 
seeing that another was likely to take a prize, and knowing that a tally 
deficient would render the collection ineligible, might take one out 
unknown to his opponent, and thus disqualify him—this has been the 
case here. [If proved, expel such a person as a dishonest exhibitor. 
—Ed.] 
There is another society in this town under the name of the North 
of England Floral Society, established three or four years ago, but we 
have no connection with it. Perhaps it was one of their exhibitions 
that you inspected; if so, I shall feel obliged by your correcting it. 
H. V. Wilson, Secretary, 
29, Sandhill. 
[In the'article alluded to we mentioned the September show at 
Newcastle-on-Tyne, but it is evident there are two horticultural 
societies there, one of which held an exhibition in September, at which 
we were present, and believe we were correct in stating that “ it 
is the practice here to give prizes for the best yellow, white, scarlet, and 
other coloured Dahlias.” We do not object to the practice, but we 
protest against so much rubbish being set up for competition, and ask 
for an improvement in this respect. This can easily be done, if the 
growers will bring a little more thought into play in growing these 
blooms, and, after growing them, carrying them safely to the exhi¬ 
bitions. We said—“ And yet Mr. George Edwards, of York, not 
many miles distant, showed fine blooms at Shipley, Halifax, &c.; ” and 
on carefully reading the article again, our correspondent will find we 
did not refer to his going to Newcastle, but to Shipley and Halifax. 
Our opinions will remain unaltered on the subject of using mottoes and 
numbers instead of giving the names of the exhibitors. Frame rules 
sufficiently stringent to expel any exhibitor who may be dishonest, and 
get honest and intelligent judges, and then what need of secresy? 
Such a system of secresy would be scouted at the leading exhibitions in 
the south.] 
