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Knopp, Germany

this question is only intended to help me understand. not to cause any further debate. i am new at growing AG's and only want to understand.

what is the purpose behind the pumpkin having to be sound for it to be official? if my split pumpkin weighs 1300 lbs on a certified scale then it is the biggest in the world, or not?

thanks to anyone that takes this post seriously, i only want to understand. rules are not made to be broken, but there must be a reason behind them, that is what i need to understand.

sincerely,
owen

9/26/2002 7:58:32 AM

Deer Park, WI

The answer becomes quite obvious when you consider the fact that this world is full of cheaters. People who like to win no matter what it takes to get their. Check out the How to Grow books by Langevin. One of them has a picture of a pumpkin gushing gallons of water. Water injected by a selfish grower to boost his weight on the scale. If you have a split pumpkin, it makes it real easy to fill that sucker up with beer, water, glue, whatever you want to make it heavier. If cheaters like this would not have mucked up the past, and people could be genuinly trusted, perhaps organizations would have accepted split fruit.

If you ask me, you should be allowed to bring a split fruit to a weighoff, and have it offically weighed. To be considered "official" (whatever that means anymore) it would have to be cut open on the spot and inspected by judges for tainting. If it looks untainted and dry inside, call it good. Just my opinion.

9/26/2002 9:00:50 AM

Rexburg, Idaho (brianchristensenmd@gmail.com )

Now there's a different approach to the problem! Two problems 1)did someone put something in the pumpkin that could change the wieght? (although this can be done without a visible hole in the pumpkin) 2- Sponsors don't want to put out good money for a rotten pumpkin. On the other hand was it still grown, is it still huge, is it still a pumpkin, and should it still count for something? I would say yes, but I don't know for what. Personal best- probably. Beyond that I don't know. The way the rules stand no it wouldn't stand for much else. And them are the rules live by them or change them.

9/26/2002 9:04:26 AM

Southern NH

Also, if you think about it, its harder to grow a unsplit, giant pumpkin, then it is to just grow a huge split pumpkin. I narrows down the competitors, and also pushes the other growers to try to do better to meet the minimum condition requirement.

Hope this helps!

9/26/2002 9:19:42 AM

Southern NH

*it narrows down

9/26/2002 9:20:13 AM

North Ga

My personal veiw is that if it can be weighed and proven that nothing deceitful had been done to alter it's weight, then your 1300lb. split fruit is "official". That, coming from a Georgia country boy just trying to grow the biggest one possible. It would probably be recognized in this state, but of course NOT by any AG affiliates. "That don't bother me none"

"Weigh em when you wanna!"

9/26/2002 9:39:20 AM

Utah

I think the no split and no rot rules come from the fruits "show-ability". Weighoffs developed out of fairs
many fairs still have weigh offs. when you take something
to the fair (or weigh off) it needs to be sound, useable and your best product. Think of apples or something like that. You'd want the apples to be big and unblemished. so that they would show well. Who would want to see big rotten apples on display? You couldn't use them. Pumpkins are somewhat different because they have transitioned from the overall best to the heaviest. but they still need to be show quality. if you took a split pumpkin to the fair to be weighed on the 1st day and the fair was 16 days long. by day 16 it might just be a pile of mush. who'd want to see that? so that is why the fruit need to be sound, and the evolution of it.
gordon

9/26/2002 10:02:12 AM

Edmonton, Canada

The other thing we have to think of if weigh allow pumpkins with splits is, how do you prove that there is no foreign substance inside the fruit? Unless you bring an x-ray machine to every weigh off, it's pretty tough to do!

9/26/2002 10:51:33 AM

North Ga

I see that Gordon. The scenario I'm speaking of though, does not involve fairs or weigh-offs. I have access to certified scales anytime the need arises, thanks to my friends at "Advanced Weighing Systems". I would have a county extension agent there along with unbiased witnesses, (there are plenty of businesses around there with people who don't know me from Adam), if I thought my fruit was something, I wouldn't hesitate to get it weighed split or not. As long as I don't have to shovel it into a few 50 gal drums!!! LOL! It has to make it from my patch to the scales in one piece. It can then be examined inside and out for cheating. I wonder what the non-pumpkin growing community would say if they saw a split 1300#er, or one with a hole in it, or even a sound one. I don't think it would make any difference. Smiles would be the order of the day!

9/26/2002 11:02:19 AM

Knopp, Germany

thank you all for your answers. it is truly a shame that even in something as harmless as growing a pumpkin we must beware of the devious.

9/26/2002 5:20:08 PM

Tacoma, WA

I have had FOUR 1000 lb. "potential" pumpkins split this year. The last cracked(a tiny Dill ring split) on Sept. 13th at 933 lb. Est. In spite of my "bad luck", I do not feel that a split pumpkin should be considered a "legal" record holder......and trust me, I am not smiling!

9/26/2002 6:30:37 PM