A THANKLESS OFFICE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 273, 18 November 1927, Page 17

A THANKLESS OFFICE.

There arc few more thankless—yet pleasant tasks—than ofliciating as a judge at a big agricultural show. Pleasant because of the kindness that is invariably shown to the breeder who takes on this job, and also because it enables him to examine and handle very choice stock. It is thankless for, try as tie will, someone will becomc annoyed and will question his decision, and will make him feel that he did wrong in not placing a certain animal higher up in its class. Yet the main thing for a judge to do is to please himself and to place the animals just as he thinks they should l>e placed and no higher. It is a case of study number one every time, for in pleasing oneself there is more chance of pleasing the bulk of the exhibitors. With regard to judging, many good judges are of opinion that first sight means everything, and provided they do not reveal great faults under hand it is fairly safe to place the animals according to how they take the eye when they are first seen out.

While on the subject of judges one is constrained to remark that save in one or two isolated instances our cousins in Australia seem loth to reciprocate with New Zealand in the interchange of judges for Koyal shows. Up to the present Australian judges have been freely availed of at the New Zealand Royal Show, but owing to the poor response on the part of the Commonwealth authorities it is unlikely that the practice will be persevered in to any appreciable extent.