Vol. XII. No. 279. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



13 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



AGRICULTURAL EXAMINATIONS. 



It is intended to review in this article the answers to 

 the questions in the recent Intermediate and Final Examin- 

 ations held in connexion with the Reading Courses of this 

 Department. A similar review for the Preliminary Examin- 

 ation appeared in No. 276 of the Agricultural News, dated 

 November 23, 1912. 



1 >ealing first with the General Agricultural Science 

 paper in the intermediate stage, which was reproduced in the 

 number of ths Agricultural Neirs mentioned above, the' 

 tirst (juestion, relating to the methods, and benefit to the 

 soil, of tillage, educed some very fair answers; though there 

 was weakness in the knowledge of the effects of tillage on 

 the useful micro-organisms in the soil No good answers to 

 the second question were received; they all, or nearly all, 

 failed to give attention to the very important action of the 

 Azotobacter group of bacteria in forming a natural means of 

 fixing nitrogen from the air in the soil, and thus making it 

 available for plants — indirectly. The artificial means of 

 making atmospheric nitrogen available for plants are concerned 

 with the manufacture of .such substances as nitrolim (calcium 

 cyanamide) and nitrate of lime; more definite details should be 

 known regarding the way in which these are made: the sub- 

 ject has received particular attention from time to time, in 

 this journal. Some good answers were received to question 3. 

 Question 4 was answered fairly, but in nn case where it was 

 attempted did candidates supply diagrams that approached 

 the adequacy that is necessary in all such descriptions; more 

 should be known concerning the ways in which the different 

 parts of a stem are .suited specially to do the work that is 

 required of them. In mcst cases the answers to question o 

 were almost complete; though the importance of rotation in 

 regard to the nitrogen content of the soil needs greater 

 emphasis. Question 6 was generally answered in such a way 

 as to indicate that only very hazy ideas are, for the greater 

 part, possessed by candidates as to the sources of the common 

 artificial manures. Good replies were received to the first 

 part of number 7; a large amount -of latitude was per- 

 mitted in the way of dealing with the second part, and 

 students are referred to Fream's Elements of Agriculture, 

 seventh edition, pp. 2 5, for a good answer. What 

 has been said regarding diagrams, in question 4, refers 

 to question 8. In answering such questions as number 9, 

 careful attention should be paid to the effect of waterlogging 

 in soils, on the bacteria that are harmful, as well as on those 

 that are beneficial, from an agricultural point of view. 

 Question 10 was rarely answered at all well; the information 

 required is supplied usefully in the work just mentioned, 

 beginning at page 349, although in answering the question 

 it was sutticient to mention, instead of describing, the uses of 

 the various .«oft parts of an animal. The question on insects 

 (number 1 1 ) received answers better than have been given 

 usually to this kind, and they made it appear that the issue 

 of Iiiwct Pe.^ts of the Lesser Aiililles has enabled pupils to 

 carry out their observations on insects in a much more 

 detailed and efficient manner. The last question in the 

 paper received poor attention, and students will be well 

 advised to pay more attention to plant diseases. 



In the special crop subjects of the intermediate stage, 

 some very good answers were submitted in all the divisions 

 of the paper. Sugar Industry — General showed weakness 



regarding the manuring of sugar-cane, sugar-cane nurs- 

 eries, the classification of canes, the manner of production 

 of ratoons (see West Indian JJullelin, Vol. X, p. 117), and 

 the profitable extent of ratooning. Some of the best answers 

 were given to question 2. Weaknesses in the Cacao section 

 were mainly shown respecting die back of cacao, the manur- 

 ing of cacao, the general, seasonal work on a cacao e.state and 

 varieties of cacao. It seemed, in connexion with question 5, 

 that it is not well understood that the term 'crop season' 

 should be taken to include all the Lime and activities that are 

 required for the complete production of a crop, including the 

 preliminary preparations before that crop commences to 

 appear; it is not restricted to the time of harvesting, or pick- 

 ing. As regards Limes, more attention is required respecting 

 insect pests, lime nurseries, the packing and marketing of 

 lime products, and the testing of lime juice. There was 

 a general good knowledge of the manufacture of lime products 

 and by-products. In the last section of this paper —Cotton — 

 more practice is still wanted in the examin ition of samples of 

 seed cotton: the results should be tabulated properly, and any- 

 thing like guesswork (unless it is stated distinctly that 

 a mere estimate has been made) should be carefully avoided. 

 Other weaknesses related to the raanurial treatment of cotton 

 (the results of practical observation — not what is read in 

 books, only — are required), the by products from cotton grow- 

 ing, and the action of the Sea Island cotton gin liegardintr 

 the last, the student should examine carefullj' a gin of the 

 kind, and obtain an explanation of its action from one who is 

 familiar with its working; he will be helped by reference to 

 Pamphlet No. 60 of the Dejiartment Series. 



There was only one candidate in the Final Examination 

 so that, with papers giving so great a choice of subjects there 

 is little scope for reviewing the questions in the light of the 

 answers given to them. It may be said that it is especially 

 important in this stage (as well as in the iiitermediate) that 

 candidates should bring their practical experience to bear 

 upon their answers to the questions, to as great an extent as 

 is possible. A very wide discretion is exercised in examin- 

 ing the answers, and in the case of both the stages niantioned, 

 these are considered very particularly in relation to the 

 results of, and reports on, the oral examinations. The result 

 has been that it is often found that the want of ability to 

 express themselves, in both intermediate and final candidates, 

 has sometimes prevented them from doing themselves justice 

 in the written tests, and reference to the reports of the oral 

 examiners has enabled the examiners at the Head Oflice to 

 find "^hat the candidate actually knew much more about 

 certain subjects than he was able to express readily in 

 writing Practice in answering questions in an explicit xnd 

 orderly way is of the greatest impartance— not only in con- 

 nexion with examinations, but in a much broader way, for 

 the purposes of ordinary life and work. 



In the Bulletin of Entomological Research, for Novem- 

 ber 1912, appears a paper entitled 'Some Observations on the 

 Bionomics and Breeding places of Anopheles in Saint l.ucia, 

 British West Indie.s, b^ Lucius' Nicliolls, BA., M.B , B.c! 

 (Cantab.), Government Bacteriologist in that Presidency. 

 The observations concern two common local species of malaria- 

 carrying mosquitos, A/iopheles arg^rntarsis And A. al/iimanus. 

 The paper is well illustrated with drawings and photographs 

 and the conclusions arrived at are logical and practical, and 

 the whole paper constitutes a valuable addition to preventive 

 medicine in the Tropics. It will receive further attention, rrt. 

 greater length, in this journal. 



