128 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ June, 
and discussed under, the full broad light of day. Those who are most deeply 
versed in this question know well that not only the success of our exhibi¬ 
tions, hut our future progress in horticulture, depends much on the judicious 
selection of the judges. Is it not hard, cruel, crushing, for the fruits of a 
year’s labour to he sacrificed at the shrine of indifference, stupidity, or 
incapacity ? Flower shows are now becoming as “ plentiful as black¬ 
berries,” and the question is one that affects not merely this or that society, 
hut all societies. 
The first point that suggests itself to our mind is, “By whom should 
the judges he appointed?” By the exhibitors? Certainly not. We should 
not fear the issue of any civil suit in which we might be engaged if we 
were allowed to elect the jury. Not that we need necessarily choose dis¬ 
honest men, hut we should naturally choose men who conscientiously 
held views and opinions similar to our own. The choosing of the judges 
by the exhibitors is open to this further objection: a combination of exhi¬ 
bitors, supposing it to represent onfy a small majority, either in influence 
or in numbers, would work unfairly towards, and to the manifest disad¬ 
vantage of all outsiders. But again. Should the judges be chosen by any 
•officer of the Society ? No. Because however shrewd, however impartial 
such officer might he, an individual will is more easily influenced from 
without, than the collective opinion of a committee or a council. The judges 
should he appointed by the governing body of the Society, not ostensibly 
hut really, the latter being open to receive suggestions from subscribers, 
officers, exhibitors, and others, hut exercising their own free and inde¬ 
pendent judgment in the matter. 
Consistent with this view we venture to suggest that the judges should 
he chiefly practical men, honest, capable, of sound judgment, and possessed 
of good reasoning powers. Their names should he published in advance, 
perhaps attached to the prize-schedules. With subjects impinging on 
matters of taste a man of cultivated taste should he introduced as an 
adjunct to the necessary horticultural knowledge. Here, above every¬ 
where, the wordy, pretentious man, in whose favour are recorded no 
honestly-acquired marks of “ deeds done ”—the shallow “sham”—should 
he ostracized. The judges should also he men who are not trammelled by 
the traditions of the past, or too enamoured of the present, or there will he no 
improvement in the exhibitions. We want practical men, hut men with suffi¬ 
cient originality and force of thought to have formed an ideal of their own, 
and who are hold enough to recognise and encourage every advance towards 
it. To this we look for improvement. We want also men of the Cato 
stamp, of whom it has been said, that they “ do right not for appearance 
sake, hut because it is not in their nature to do wrong.” 
While venturing these remarks it would however be disingenuous to 
