The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1904-11-11
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Farcical Juduinu of Fruit.

Inc writer attended the Illinois
state fair last week, and while there
made curSOry examination OF the
fruit in the horticultural exhibit. The
| premiums had been already awarded,
and some of the results were start
ling. The judge that awarded the pre-
mlums for Bartlett pears had placed
TIE blue ribbon, which indicates first,
or plate of Keiffers. The Keiffers
toe had none Of the appearance of
Baitletts but were typical keiffers. A
plate of Rome beauty took first prize
as York 1perial, though the Rome
| beauty was typically Rome Beauty and
the York Imperials shown were typi-
cal York Irlperials.
What inducement is there for fruit
men to show fruit if the judges Sc
lected are men almost ignorant of
the things they are supposed to judge.
1t would be far better to hire experts
at almost any price than to have such
results. OF the three judges chosen
only one, SO far as the writer knows,
is an expert on fruit. If all three
judged the same fruits the results
might not be SO bad; but each one
was given a certain amount OF the
fruit to judge and made supreme So
far as that fruit was concerned. The
expert used the better part Of two
days in arriving at his decisions,
while the other men made their
awards in few hours.
The expert related to the writer the
manner in which he was selected The
member Of the Illinois State Board of
Agriculture that had charge of the
fruit exhibit wrote to lawyer in the
city and asked him to select a Judge
for the fruit. The lawyer chose the
fluit man mentioned. 1t is probable
that the same unscientific method was
used in the selection Of the other
judges. 1t is surprising that they
got even one good man out OF three
Such inefficiency in the manage
ment of the horticultural exhibition
cannot be too severely condemned.
We have spent hundreds of thousands
or dollars in equipping a state fair
as an educational institution and
then the management is turned over
to men entirely incapable of manag-
ing it in a way to make the educa-
tional feature of any value. The Hi
nols State Board of Agriculture has
the names OF numerous fruit growers
In this state any one OF which knows
enough about apples and other fruit
to at least recognize the varieties.
Why are they not appointed as judges?
The trouble with the Illinois State
Board Of Agriculture seems to be that
man is appointed as Superintendent
OF a department and then allowed a
free hand to work his own sweet will.
No matter how little he knows about
1t, he is not interfered with, and it
would be considered discourteous to
even make suggestions to him. The
power of the man is supreme over all
the exhibitors. His opinion is accept.
&c and must be accepted against the
opinions Of men that know hundred
times more about the exhibit than
he does.
In the selection of judges for the
fruit there is no reason why the State
Board OF Agriculture should not ask
the advice of the State Horticultural
Society. When the International Live
STOCK Exposition and the Worlds Fair
managers wanted live stock Judges
they wrote to the different live stock
associations and asked them to name
number Of men who were able to
judge in their breeds. Out of these
the managers of the two great shows
made, their selection of judges and so
got men we'll equipped for judging.
There is no reason why a State Board
OF Agriculture should not ask the
State Horticultural Society to name
men capable Of judging the different
kinds of fruit. 1t would be far better
than writing to a local lawyer and
requesting that he pick out a man to
act as judge on fruit exhibit.-Far.
mer's Review.
Thnaa hy,.s SS