While you are correct in what you say, here in the Great Lakes center and in Florida North Central, we found the General Point scale to be more appropriate for some Cattleyas. In looking at the points assigned in each case, imagine you are looking at a beautiful 8" classic lavender Cattleya. Boom, we score it using the Cattleya scale. Now imagine you are evaluating and scoring a Cattlianthae Loog Tone with 12, 4" flowers on an inflorescence? We would typically judge that candidate using the General Point Scale.
We run into the same conundrum scoring single flowered Paphiopedilums versus multiflorals.
But honestly manipulation does not come up as often as it use to, and even at that, it was never something we heard often. Back when I was a student in 1995, manipulation maybe popped up once every other year. Maybe. Now, maybe once every third or fourth year. Not terribly common in either case. So much of what we rely on as judges has to do with personal experience. The more plants you see, the more shows that you ribbon judge at, the more monthly judgings you attend, the better you become as a judge. Is the system perfect, heck no! But is the system we use.
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