Report to the General Mcetutg. xllii 



principles and common facts of General Chemistry shown by 

 the Candidates -vvas very imperfect, and that this deficiency 

 was not compensated by practical acquaintance with analysis 

 or technical details, while the papers on Agricultural Chemistry 

 were particularly unsatisfactory. The results of the examina- 

 tion in Book-keeping- were beyond the average of former 

 years. The Examiner in Mechanics and Natural Philosophy, 

 and in Mensuration and Land Surveving, reported unfavorablv 

 on the results of this year s examination in those subjects, and 

 called attention to the fact that those who failed in Mechanics 

 failed in the most elementary questions. In the optional subjects, 

 one Candidate passed in Geology with fifty-three marks, one 

 in Botany with fifty, and one in Anatomy and Physiology 

 with fifty, fifty being the minimum pass-number in each of 

 those subjects. 



The Education Committee have recently had under consider- 

 ation the question of the possibilitv of encouraging technical 

 education, in subjects applicable to agriculture, in ]\Iiddle-Class 

 Schools. The Secretary has also attended, by invitation, a con- 

 ference of the Head-Masters of such schools, when the following 

 resolution was adopted : — 



" That a Sub-Committee be appointed for' the purpose of communica- 

 ting with the other Members of this Conference, and with the 

 Eoyal Agricultural Society, with a view to the framing of some 

 plan of examination for encouraging the preliminary study of 

 Agriculture in Middle-Class Schools." 



The Education Committee have held interviews with this 

 Sub-Committee of Head-Masters, and they have proposed the 

 following scheme, which has been accepted by the Council, and 

 by which they hope to encourage in these schools the study of 

 the rudiments of chemistry, mechanics, and other sciences as 

 applied to the practice of agriculture. 



I. That, in addition to the present yearly examination of 



advanced students, a more elementary examination be 

 held annually by the Royal Agricultural Society. 



II. That ten Scholarships of 20/. each shall be given on con- 



dition that the Scholar spend the ensuing year at a school, 

 or with a practical agriculturist, to be approved by the 

 Education Committee, or at one of the Agricultural 



