210 



THE AGKICULTUKAL NEWS. 



July 11, 1908. 



It is proposed that thtre shall be thref examinations, 

 Prt'liniinary, Intermediate, and Final respectively, an<l 

 that, in every case, the examination shall be partly 

 written and partly oral. In order to ensure that these 

 tests shall be thoroughly pnictical in their nature, the 

 oral portion of the examination will, it is hoped, in the 

 case ofBarl)ados at least, be conducted by experienced 

 attorneys and managers, i.e., men who are thoroughly 

 conversant with the practice of agriculture. 



The Preliminary examination will deal with the 

 elementary principles underlying agricultural practice, 

 and will consist of questions on soils, their classifica- 

 tion and physical properties, cultural operations, drain- 

 age, the elements of plant and animal physiology, etc. 

 Candidates who have gon<' through the course provided 

 in Agricultural Science at Harrison College, Barhndos, 

 and have obtained the Certificate of Proficiency, as well 

 as those who have passed the Cambridge Senior 

 examination in this subject, will be excused the 

 Preliminary, and may proceed at once on leaving 

 .school to read for the Intermediate examination, 

 which they will be allowed to take afier one year's 

 experience on estates. Except under unusual cirruni- 

 stances, the syllabus requires that other candidates 

 shall have been engaged in practical agricultiiial pur- 

 suits for at least one year, previous to the Preliminary 

 examination. 



The first Preliminary examination will bo held 

 during 1909, and will be followed shortly afterwards, 

 by the first Intermediate examination, open to those 

 who h:ive successfully passed, or have been excused, the 

 Preliminary. Candidates will have a chance, therefore, . 

 of getting through both the Preliminary and the 

 Intermediate ex.-iminations in one year. 



The Intermediate examination deals more espe- 

 cially with the cultivationof the chief crops produced in 

 the West Indies, i.e., sugar (w^ith optional (piestions on 

 rum), cotton, limes, cacao, bananas, rice, and provision 

 crops. Candi<lates may sel(>ct any two or more of the 

 above croi)s, with the cultivation of which they are most 

 familiar, and the (piestionsset will deal with the prepara- 

 tion of the soil, manuring, planting, and after-cultivation 

 of the crops, as well as the reaping or gathering, and the 

 preparation of the proijuce for shipment. A knowledge 

 of the insect pests ami fungoid diseases affecting crops 

 in the West Indies, and of the best methods of treat- 

 ment will also be rc(juired from those presenting them- 

 selves for the Intermediate examination. All ])or.sons 

 sitting for the Intermediate, including those who may 



have been excused the Preliminary, must have had 

 practical experience for at least one year in the cultiva- 

 tion of the crops for proficiency in which they offer 

 themselves for exandnation. 



The Final examination will in the main, relate to 

 the same subjects as the Preliminary and the Inter- 

 mediate. A fuller and more extensive knowledge will, 

 however, be required, and, in addition, candidates will 

 be' expected to be conversant with all questions affect- 

 ing estate administration and management, such as 

 estate book-keeping, the cost of j)erforming various 

 agricultural operations, the management of land, crops, 

 and animals, as well as of the labourers employed on 

 the estate. 



The first Final examination will be held in 1910, 

 a year after the first Intermediate. It is intended 

 that these examinations be repeated yearly,so that while 

 in 1909, Preliminary and Intermediate examinations 

 only will be held, in 1910 and subsequent years, 

 Preliminary, Intermediate, and Final examinations will 

 be carried on. 



As the result of these examinations, certificates 

 signed by the examiners will he issued to successful 

 candidates by the Imperial Commissioner of Agricul- 

 ture. They will be divided into clas.ses (first, , second, 

 and third ) and will l)e endorsed with a statement of 

 the subjects in which the candidates have shown them- 

 selves proficient. It is intended that the possession of 

 a first class Final certificate shall be a guarantee that 

 the holder is thoroughly capable of controlling an 

 estate on which the crops are cultivated for which his 

 certificate was granted. 



No candidate will be .illowed to obtain a certificate 

 who has not thoroughly satisfied the cxannners in both 

 the oral .md the written parts of the e.vamination, and 

 there is therefore a real ncce.ssily on the part of 

 candidates to be thoroughly tamili.-ir with the details of 

 ordinary estate work an<l routine, since it will not be 

 possible to obtain a certificate merely on t!ie basis of 

 book- work. 



In the leafiet referred to, full jtarticnlars are given 

 of the books and other publications suitable for use in 

 preparation for the examinations. These include 

 a number nf publications issued by the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture, which will be .supplied to 

 candidates free of charge. Other books reconnnended 

 ma}', of course, be obtained through local bookseller.^ 



