Mr. Stoke: Personally, I think we are splitting hairs. When we can't agree as to which color class a sample belongs, it must be somewhere near the border-line. Ordinarily the average human being will agree pretty well as to a blonde or a brunette or one that's neutral. And I think in the judging of walnuts, there can be no exact value based on the color. If you consider color and make a scientific test, your test wouldn't be the same as my test. But if it is a dark kernel, you can recognize it, and so can I, if we have any common sense.
Also in the matter of flavor, you and I can tell what we like and what we don't like. And I think there are those two limitations. We can't do this scientifically, because the human factor is here. But after all, it's humans that eat them and produce them for eating! And I rather, in the schedules last year, brought up objections to it. I didn't say I objected, and, of course, I don't now.
Mr. Chase: I'd like to just say this, and I am going to call on my good friend, J. C. McDaniel here, for agreement. A long time ago we prepared, did we not, various judging systems?
Mr. McDaniel: Yes.
Mr. Chase: We found that—you can correct me if this is wrong—by manipulating five points for flavor and five points given for color we could change the position of a variety of a list a great deal, and we also found that the points given for color were not related to inherently bad color but simply the result of poor handling, which also affects flavor. This is my reason for eliminating color and flavor from the schedule: it is not to get away from the mild-flavored, pretty-colored kernels.
President Davidson: Mr. Chairman, I must say that I am inclined to agree with Mr. Stoke, for this reason: Even though color and flavor are very frequently the result of poor handling, we all know that we will say that the Stabler has the characteristic that is distinctive of quickly coloring up and quickly becoming rancid as distinguished from the Thomas, which does not. Now, those things are inherent in the two varieties, I think, and I don't think this committee should ignore altogether the matter of color and flavor, although I do think, perhaps, not so much weight might be given to those two qualities as had been given to them in the past. But they certainly decidedly influence the marketability for kernels from the point of view of home consumption. I think there is no question about that. I should be inclined to agree with Mr. Stoke, that those two qualities should not be ignored by the committee.
Dr. MacDaniels: I think the point would be to ignore them in their simply not being objective; you can't weigh or measure them. There is a motion properly seconded before the house. Are there further remarks?
Mr. Weber: Wouldn't there be just a certain amount of trial and error connected with it, and as you go along you will either add to or take off, and then you will get a correct system of judging? You have to start out with one system and if it is wrong, change it.
Dr. MacDaniels: I think it's a matter of doing something rather than nothing, for a schedule is always subject to improvement.
Mr. Stoke: I wish to point out we have made some tests together, and your personal tests and my personal tests ran very close together.