Re: Judging and Misnaming


Having never entered an iris in a show, let alone taken any judges
training or read the book (ordered but not received), I would ask a (for
me at least) simple question. What does a name have to do with whether
an iris is Queen of the Show or not? If it is the best iris there, why
wouldn't it win?
***

John -- Clarence Mahan answered this to the effect that ribbon winners
in Iris shows are judged for their representation of the iris cultivar that
it is proported to be.  Immortality must be judged not as a pretty flower,
but for all the characteristics that Immortality was designed to have
by the hybridizer.  Not only must it be the right color, height proportion
and such, it must be EXCELLENTly grown, and groomed to show IMMORTALITY
at it's very very best.

Clarence said it better.

It's sort of like glory boys who dress up in a doctor's uniform, or
in a policeman's uniform and mascarade as the real thing. It might be
a pretty doctor, or a handsome police officer, but these uniformed folks
do not represent the best of the profession, or even the professional person
being immitated.

What you really have in an official show is an OFFICIAL SHOW.  It's part 
of the rules of the game called American Iris Society.  There's absolutely nothing that says a group of folks cannot run a flower show and do anything they
want to do.  We've covered this ground into the ground.  If you want to
be part of the game, you have to play by the rules, or become a member to
change the rules.  If you don't want to play the game, there is always 
laundry to do.

Carolyn Schaffner in Buffalo, NY
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