May 26, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
600 
trees on the side of the fissure dried up during the 
summer and the trees perished. Several other 
Cherries not split, died in July, loaded with fruits 
which could not ripen upon the damaged trees. 
Pears and Plums hardly suffered from the cold, 
while Apples betrayed their feeble state by a 
languishing vegetation, a feeble growth, small and 
tarnished leaves, and at last by small fruits marked 
with white spots. M. Rodigas mentions similar 
cases of his own experience about Christmas, 1850 , 
when he and his father heard loud reports, and 
ascertained that Beeches and Horse Chestnuts were 
fissured all along the stem. None of the trees died, 
but the edges of the slits came together again, with¬ 
out, however, joining completely. 
-- 
POINT JUDGING OF CHRYSAN¬ 
THEMUMS. 
There is no fact so absolutely certain as that, devise 
what scheme we may, with regard to point judging 
of flowers or anything else, under no rules or con¬ 
ditions can absolute equality of pointing be secured 
so long as the judging is conducted by men of 
diverse knowledge, capacity, or of ideas as to what 
are merits in exhibits. It is in this direction the 
weak points of any scheme must be looked for, and, 
if possible, combated. How strongly this defect 
was in Mr. C. E. Shea’s mind when he prepared his 
paper is evidenced by his suggestion that the 
National Chrysanthemum Society should presently 
become the educational university for the judges of 
the future. Of course, the National Society has no 
compulsory powers, but that some sort of power 
could be created in the direction of examining and 
certificating judges there could be no doubt. 
The first duty of the Society is to lay down clear 
regulations or conditions by which judges shall be 
governed in their decisions, not only in relation to 
cut flowers of all sections, but also of plants and 
plant groups. The next course should be to 
establish an examining board, who should not be 
judges themselves, but others of undoubted capacity, 
who could act in the matter with full impartiality. 
Then the executive should formulate a series of 
questions, perhaps a dozen in number, which all 
persons aspiring to be regarded as duly qualified 
judges should be prepared to lucidly answer, and 
those questions should embody the conditions as to 
point and other judging adopted by the National 
Society, and to which every candidate for the 
Society’s judging certificate should be expected to 
subscribe. These answers should be referred to the 
examining board, and that body, on being fully 
satisfied that the candidates sending them were 
qualified to act as judges, and adopted the conditions 
laid down, should forward to the same persons 
certificates to that effect. The names of all such 
qualified persons should also be published in the 
Society's schedule or Annual, and not only every 
affiliated society, but every other similar society, 
should be specially urged to employ as judges those 
only who thus fully accepted the National regula¬ 
tions as to point judging. 
That seems to be the only way whereby it will be 
possible to secure something like an intelligent 
unanimity of judging at Chrysanthemum shows 
throughout the kingdom. Not only would judges 
have thus a better apprehension than now exists as 
to what constitutes the merits of blooms, bat 
exhibitors would better understand what particular 
merits had most weight, and what were those which 
growers should aim to secure. It is most obvious 
that unless the National Society takes some steps to 
create and maintain higher judging intelligence and 
unanimity, any discussions and resolutions relating 
to improved methods of judging will be sheer waste. 
That growers throughout the kingdom would hail 
the establishment of some sort of arrangement as I 
have sketched with satisfaction is almost assured. 
With regard to expense incidental to the conduct of 
the examination of judge candidates, the charging of 
each one a small fee would meet that difficulty. 
Certificates should be granted only when a certain 
number of marks are awarded. The scheme, if 
carried out somewhat as advised, would add 
immensely to the prestige and popularity of the 
National Chrysanthemum Society. 
And now to the subject of prizes relative to points 
of merit. In the opening of his paper, Mr. Shea 
says;—“A silver cup lost by a single point. A 
prize rightly coveted lost by two points in a class for 
forty-eight blooms. These are no flights of fancy.” 
Of course they are not, because they are of constant 
occurrence ; indeed, all this discussion as to point 
judging, so as to secure so far as is possible 
mathematical accuracy in awards, grows solely from 
out of the infinitesimal differences which so often 
divide first, second and third exhibits. Naturally, 
when I began Mr. Shea’s paper with the remarks 
above quoted, I expected that he would have gone 
on to deplore the almost monstrous differences that 
exist between first, sacond and third prizes when 
points of merit are so remarkably close. However, 
I was disappointed. It is one of the things that 
hardly anyone seems to regard as a grave wrong. 
If there be such great excellence in two respective 
exhibits that at the most a point or even half a 
point only divides them, it is say a difference of one 
in the hundred. The differences in the prizes 
awarded are, however, very great. Turning to the 
National Society's November schedule of the present 
year, we see classes for thirty-six incurved and 
forty-eight Japanese flowers, in each case the first 
prize getting a Holmes Memorial Cup and I'j in 
cash, whilst the second prizes are but /q each. 
Setting aside the cups as of no material account, 
we have here not one per cent, drop, but forty per 
cent., whilst the third prize is fifty per cent, below 
the second, and 250 , relatively, below the first prize. 
Now it is absolutely certain that in both these 
classes a very few points will cover all the differences 
between the first three exhibits. Can anyone, there¬ 
fore, say that there is any justice or uniformity 
in the existing method of apportioning prizes. 
This remarkable difference and striking incon¬ 
gruity will be all the more evident whenever a regu¬ 
lar system of point judging is adopted. When exhibi¬ 
tors get to understand, and the public to appreciate, 
the astonishing disparity between the merits of the 
exhibits and the cash rewards, there will be a great 
revulsion against what is little less than a scandal, 
and always must be unfair. Taking one hundred as 
the maximum number of points in a class, and the 
judges award ninety-seven, ninety-six, and ninety- 
four, as will doubtless be often the case, or in the 
same proportion, then will it not be natural com¬ 
petitors should ask why, with only three points 
dividing their exhibits, the prizes should be repre¬ 
sented by a difference so astonishing as I have 
already pointed out. There is, there can be but one 
solution of the difficulty. It is to advertise in 
three prizes will be awarded in each of those 
classes, and the sum will be apportioned according 
to the points of merit as reported by the judges. 
We have but to carry this common-sense method 
into all our classes and competitions to thus estab¬ 
lish the great principle that all exhibits shall have 
prizes relative to their merits, and those only.— A.D. 
Apparently Mr. Shea’s excellent theoretical paper 
has met the fate which is usually the result when 
dealing with practical men, the matter having now 
confined itself (outside the meeting of the National 
Chrysanthemum Society) to, I may say, three 
persons—"A.D.,” ” E. Molyneux,” and the author 
of the paper. 
“A. D.,” in your last wesk’s issue, complains of 
the reticence displayed at the meeting of the 
National Chrysanthemum Society, which he 
describes as deplorable, and assumes that shyness 
was the cause. I think “ A. D.’s ” inference entirely 
wrong. I believe it to be an undoubted fact that 
the judging of Chrysanthemums at the principal 
exhibitions has met with universal approval, and 
that it is only rarely the disappsinted forget their 
usual generosity by finding fault. Also, to err some¬ 
times is human. 
Mr. Shea is evidently dealing with Japane;e 
blooms, and the two supporters I have mentioned 
disregard this, and consequently find stumbling 
blocks in the judging of Japanese and incurved 
together. Some cultivators of the Chrysanthemum 
would doubtless say that breadth of petal may be of 
advantage to a Japanese bloom, when in the case of 
an incurved it may mean coarseness. This recalls 
to my mind six Princess of Wales which took a first 
against several competitors a few years ago at an 
Aquarium show, when the general remark was 
” what beautifully narrow petals the blooms have.” 
If you then consider six narrow petalled E. 
Molyneux, how can the judging of these two 
sections be fixed as suggested ? Also it has not, I 
think, been mentioned whether the new ideas of 
judging are to apply to other sections of the Chry¬ 
santhemum. Further, “freshness” is to be con¬ 
sidered of little importance. What a departure ! 
What "Mummer” can define by “points” the 
limit of the extreme perfection of a Japanese or 
incurved Chrysanthemum. One day we see a 
magnificent Viviand Morel for which, let us suppose, 
the maximum points have been awarded, and yet a 
few days later there is seen a still better bloom of 
Viviand Morel, and yet in the former case the 
exhibitor won by “ the half point.” So much for 
“ pointing.” 
I am still of the opinion that " comparison ” is 
the only satisfactory and practical system to adopt 
in judging flowers, and if the comparison is so close 
as to be difficult to decide without calculation by 
the Judge, he could for his own information only 
reckon blooms as fair, good, very good, excellent, 
e.g., six fair, twelve good, twenty-four very good, 
six excellent; total 48 blooms. The difference in 
each degree to be increased ki each case, or in other 
woids, fair would represent one and excellent four. 
Some such a course has doubtless been pursued up to 
the present time,and can only be very rarel y necessary 
At a November Aquarium Show or an Exhibition 
at the Crystal Palace, at least fifty judges would be 
required to carry out Mr. Shea’s suggestions, and if 
the opinion of the judges is to be judged as that 
gentlema.n would have it by a detailed account being 
affixed to each stand, then I think judges might be 
dispensed with, and instead, every exhibitor should 
be allowed to make his own calculation. In either 
case the same result might be anticipated, and 
instruments or weapons other than for dressing the 
blooms to be prohibited on the person. Should the 
suggested alterations in judging be very seriously 
considered—(I don’t think they have been up to the 
present time, by those advocating the same)—I would 
strongly recommend your readers, and especially 
those whom it might effect, to bear in mind the 
following passage from the Scriptures, “Judge not 
that ye be not judged.”— Comparison. 
-- 
ABOUT TURNIPS. 
The raising of very early Turnips in some places 
is really a somewhat difficult matter owing to their 
proneness when sown early to run to seed at the time 
when they ought to he ready f©r use. The reason 
for this is because they are often too long in making 
their growth when sown very early. The Turnip 
delights in a rich light soil, and the early sowings 
should be made on a south border, to secure for 
them as much warmth from the sun as possible. 
We have had a very fair measure of success with 
them early on a west border, but the soil was 
in every way most suitable. A source of difficulty 
with them in warm, sunny borders is the prevalence 
at times of the fly, and our own practice is to sow 
a sprinkling of Radish among the Turnips. As the 
Radish seed germinates a little in advance of the 
Turnip, it affords food for the fly, which turn their 
attention to it first, thus giving the Turnips a better 
start. At the same time we dust over with either 
slaked lime or wood ashes when the dew is on in 
the morning. 
When the soil is rich with stable or cow manure 
nothing further is required, as the young plants will 
grow away well without any artificial stimulant. 
Should the soil be in poor heart a dressing of 
superphosphate, or some other artificial manure, is 
desirable to force them into rapid growth, as the 
faster the bulbs are formed the better they will be. 
At the same time it will be found that for the late 
sowings to stand the winter for spring use Turnips 
grown slower on poorer soil withstand the frosts and 
sudden thaws during the winter better than those 
grown on richer soils. They may not be good, but 
as in large establishmei>ts there is always a demand 
for them whenever they can be had it is advisable 
to have a late sowing on poor soil. Many prefer to 
sow in drills thinly, about a foot apart, and this 
plan has its advantages ; at the same time, for our¬ 
selves we sow broadcast, and a good hand at this 
will cover the ground with surprising regularity and 
make it so that the process of thinning out will be 
quite as easy to accomplish as if sown in drills. 
A good seed bed should, if possible, be always 
be secured, for seed germinates best in a well pul¬ 
verised soil, and it is best to sow in small quantities 
up to the commencement of July at intervals of 
about a month, choosing showery weather ; but 
always have the ground in readiness, so that when 
the rain comes advantage can be immediately taken 
