Vol. XL No. 278. 



THE AQRICULTURAL NEWS. 



413 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



AGRICULTURAL EXAMINATIONS. 



The results of the Intermediate and Final Examinations 

 in connexion with the Courses of lieading in Practical Agri- 

 culture, of the Imperial 'Department of Agriculture, which 

 were held on November IJ, 1912 are as follows: — 



INTERMEDIATE EXAMINATION. 



In the Intermediate Examination, the candidates in 

 Dominica qualified in Cacao and Limes, as special subjects; in 

 Antigua the candidates qualified in the same way in Sugar 

 Industry — General and in Cotton The candidate in the Final 

 Examination passed in Cotton and Limes as special subjects. 

 It should be stated in connexion with the Intermediate Exam- 

 ination in Dominica that a second candidate obtained 

 a second class, but that as he only took one special subject 

 he must satisfy the examiners in another such subject before 

 he can be granted a certificate. Two candidates had offered 

 themselves in Antigua for the Final Examination, but for 

 various reasons were unable to sit. 



The total number of candidates examined in the inter- 

 mediate stage was six, so that four passed and two failed. 

 There were no candidates examined in the final stage, besides 

 the one who passed. 



The questions in the preliminary and intermediate stages, 

 were published in the last three numbers of the Agricultural 

 News. Those in the final stage are reproduced below in the 

 same way. 



CENERAL SDB.IECTS. 



(Six questions, only, were to be attempted; and one had 

 to be selected from each of the sections A,B,C,D ) 



A. Production of Plants. 



1. Give an account of any legislation that has been 

 made for the protection of some cultivated plant, under 

 conditions with which you are familiar. 



2. State fully the precautions that have been taken 

 against fungus diseases of plants, in the circumstances of 

 your experience. 



3. Write a description of any work in which you have 

 taken part, having for its object the improvement of a given 

 plant used as an estate crop. 



B. Production of Animals. 



1. Supply as much information as you can concerning 

 the use of by products of an estate for feeding stock. 



2. With what disease of stock are you best acquainted? 

 Describe its symptoms and a method of treatment for it. 



3. What means, as far as you know, are employed for 

 the improvement of stock, in the West Indies? Criticize 

 them. 



C. Construction on Estates. 



\. State how you have employed the natural resources 

 of an estate in maintaining or constructing buildings upon it. 



2. Give a description, accompanied by simple drawings, 

 of any building used directly in production on an estate. 

 '^ 3. Describe any piece of machinery used for agricultural 

 work, giving particulars as to its first cost and cost of main- 

 tenance, and the kinds of repairs most usually needed. 



D. Economics of Planting. 



1. What are chief losses that take place, under estate 

 practice with which you are familiar? How may those losses 

 be prevented or lessened? 



2. Give an account of the labour conditions by which 

 you are surrounded, and say how you think they may be 

 improved. 



3. Supply details of the expenditure in cultivating and 

 manuring an acre of a crop whose raising you have super- 

 vised. (Approximate figures, only, are required.) 



SPECIAL SUBJECTS. 



(Three questions only were to be answered, chosen 

 from both of the special subjects that the candidate was 

 offering. The time given for the answers is meant to enable 

 candidates to deal with tlie questions in as detailed a manner 

 as possible.) 



Sugar Industry. 

 General . 



1. State how you deal with an area of burnt canes, 

 both as to the canes themselves and the after-cultivation of 

 the land. What comparative losses would you broadly 

 expect through the burning of (a) plants, (b) ratoons? 



2. Give particulars, with tht cost, of a system of 

 manuring land, for sugar cane, with which you have had 

 experience. 



3. In what ways have you dealt with pests and diseases 

 of sugar-cane, in connexion with both prevention and tontrol? 



Cotton. 



1. Describe the work done on cotton land from the end of 

 crop to the next sowing, and state how much of this is 

 concerned with the control of pests and diseases. 



2. Give an account of the expenses of picking and 

 preparing seed-cotton to be sent to the ginnery. 



3. Write a description of the appearance shown by 

 plants attacked by any disease of cotton with which you are 

 acquainted, saying how it is controlled and how its manifesta- 

 tions depend upon the state of the weather. 



Provision Crops. 



1. Discuss the particular and general uses of the 

 cultivation of provision crops in a community. 



2. Give a full account of the preparation of the land, 

 manuring and planting in connexion with any provision crop 

 with which you have had experience, supplying details of the 

 cost of the various materials and operations. 



3 Describe useful methods of storing provision and 

 grain crops. 



As in the Intermediate Examination, some of the 

 subjects of the syllabus were not offered by any of the 

 candidates, so that questions were not set in these. 



A review of the questions and of the work done by 

 candidates in the examinations will be given in the next issue 

 of this journal. 



