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THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 15, 1905. 



EDUCATIONAL 



Agricultural Schools. 



The following are the reports of the examiner 

 (Mr. L. Lewton-Brain, B.A., F.L.S.) on the half-yearly 

 examinations at the St. Vincent, St. Lucia, an<l 

 Dominica Agricultural Schools: — • 



ST. VINCKNT. 



Of the eight .senior boys who took the examination in 

 December 190t, four have left: the remaining four constitute 

 the present senior class. There are now fourteen^ boys in the 

 junior class ; nine of those have been admitted since the last 

 examination. Tw^o of the seniors will have completed their 

 term in September of this year, but I do not think it advis- 

 able for the present to promote any of the juniors. 



The senior boys have done their work very well. 

 AVright is decidedly the best, especially in the agriculture 

 and science papers. He has improved on his position in the 

 last examination, obtaining over 75 per cent, of the total 

 marks. Harry and Yorke have both obtained over 6C per 

 cent. Longheed has obtained the same marks (58 per cent.) 

 as at the last examination. The agriculture is the best of 

 the more important papers in the senior class, but there is no 

 wide ditference between it and the other pajiers. 



Of the fourteen juniors, nine have obtained over -50 

 per cent, of the total marks. Of these four are new admis- 

 sions. McConnie, a new boy, is head with 75 per cent, of 

 the total marks. Falby has also done very well, and is the 

 only other boy to obtain over 66 per cent. The pupils who 

 sat at the last examination have all obtained higher nuu'ks 

 this time. The five boys who received less than 50 per cent. 

 are all new admis-sions" In this class, the arithmetic paper 

 is bv far the best : geography and agricidture are next, 

 while the chemistry and botany are weaker still. A decided 

 improvement in the agriculture and science papers is to be 

 looked for when the boys have been longer at the school. 



In both classes, the tendency to verbosity, noticeable 

 at the last examination, is much less marked. 



,ST. LUCIA. 



Since the last examination one of the senior boys has 

 left and three boys have been promoted from the junior class. 

 There are now^ twelve .senior and seven junior pupils. All 

 the present junior boys took tlie last examination as new 

 boj's and were not classified. 



The work of the senior class is very uniform, and is 

 of a high standard : seven boys have obtained over 66 per 

 cent, of the total marks, whife the remaining five have all 

 obtained over 50 per cent. Flavicn and Goring, who were 

 at the head of the class in the December exanunation, are 

 now bracketed top with DuBoulay ; Goring has done slightly 

 better than the other two in the agriculture and science 

 papers : DuBoulay has considerably improved his positioii. 

 The three boys promoted from the junior class come last in 

 the list. As in the last two examinations, the botany is 

 the weakest paper, the chemistry coming next : both these 

 papers, however, show a distinct improvement over the 

 December ones. As usual, agriculture is the best of the 

 more important papers. 



In the junior class only one boy, Girard, has obtained 

 over 66 per cent, of the total marks. Regis has also done 

 well and comes second. Gabriel is the only boy to obtain 

 less than 50 per cent. The arithmetic i)aper is excellent. 

 The chemistry, agriculture, and botany papers are the worst. 



and are decidedly weak, especially the last two. This is only 

 to be expected as this is the first time these boys have taken 

 these papers at an examination. More attention should be 

 devoted to the lessons of the junior class in agriculture 

 and science. 



DOMISIC.V. 



As at the last examination, and as recommended in my 

 last report, all the pu[iils have taken papers set for the 

 junior class. With the exception of Koudette, who has left 

 since December, the pupils are the same. For the present, 

 they had all better continue with the junior work. 



Gutty has again done very well and is head : both he 

 and A. T. Pinard have obtained 75 per cent, of the total 

 marks ; Finard has considerably improved his position since 

 the last examination. Four other boys have obtained over 

 66 per cent, of the total marks, while nine others received 

 more than 50 per cent. The four boys at the bottom of the 

 list are G. N. Pinard, Lawrence, Peltier, and Sunny; 

 G. N. Pinard, Sunny, and Lawrence occupied the same 

 p.:>sition in the last examination. 



The arithmetic is the best of the more important papers. 

 The agriculture and science papers are also fairly good. 

 Chemistry, which was the weakest paper last time, is 

 distinctly better, and about equal to the botany and 

 agriculture. 



A tendency is noticeable in many of these jiajiers to 

 learn off the notes of lessons by heart and repeat them as 

 answers to questions. This often results in the questions not 

 being thoroughly answered ; also, when the boys tr}' to 

 express their own thoughts, they fail to do so intelligibly. 

 They require more practice in writing short essays on subjects 

 not dealt with in their written notes. They should also be 

 encouraged to think for themselves and discouraged from 

 learning their notes (^which should be used for reference only) 

 by heart. 



TRADE IN THE WEST INDIES. 



Tlic following is an extract from the sjjeech of the 

 Chainiian of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company 

 at the annual general meeting of the company on 

 May 24:- 



The AVe.^t Indian Colonies had for some years leen 

 under a cloud, but the depression seemed at last to be 

 passing away, and he hojied that there might be a brighter 

 future in store for them and also for the company, which had 

 served them so well both in times of prosperity and in times 

 of adversity. The West Indian mail service had been 

 performed with regularity, and notwithstanding the severe 

 competition, the traffic by the company's steamers had 

 increased. They had continued to do all in their power to 

 assist in the development of the latent resources of the West 

 Indian Colonies. The Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 under Sir Daniel Morris, had been successful in restarting 

 the old West Indian industry of cotton growing; and to 

 encourage this important industry the company were carrying 

 the cotton at a low rate of freight. They had also conveyed 

 a considerable amount of West Indian fruit and had held two 

 exhibitions of West Indian fruits in London in order to bring 

 the products of the West Indies before the English public. 

 A Royal Charter of incorporation had recently been granted 

 to that old and representative body, the West India 

 Connnittee, under whose active Secretary a West Indian 

 exhibition had just been opened at the Crystal Palace. In 

 order to assist the colonies concerned the conqiany had 

 agreed to carry all exhibits for it freight free. 



