248 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan, 



Annual Examination. 



Your committee found the examination of the graduating 

 class of '90 for the Grinnell prizes in agriculture a pleasant 

 yet perplexing task : pleasant, because of the degree of 

 promptness and correctness of answers ; yet perplexing, 

 because there was a considerable portion of the class deserv- 

 ing of prizes, and there were only two prizes to be awarded, 

 and it was only after the most careful consideration that it 

 was found that the first prize belonged to George Bradley 

 Simonds of Ashby, and the second prize to John Samuel 

 Loring of Shrewsbury. In accordance with this judgment 

 the awards were made. The usual method of conducting 

 these examinations is as follows : — 



1. A topic is given to the class by the professor of 

 agriculture, and each member is required to write out what 

 he knows upon that subject. These papers or essays are 

 handed to the committee for examinatiop. This shows olf 

 the scholar of the class to the best advantage, but does not 

 necessarily indicate the one best versed in the general sub- 

 ject of agriculture. 



2. The class is called together before the committee for 

 an oral examination, and here each member has a different 

 subject, drawn by lot, assigned to him. This perhaps may 

 be said to be as fair for one as for another; yet there is 

 always a chance for a person to draw a topic with which he 

 is especially familiar, and also for another to draw one about 

 which he knows the least. 



Had the prizes been awarded according to the impressions 

 made upon the first examination of the papers, the results 

 would have been different. So also if the oral examination 

 alone had been considered. It is the average of these 

 two (written and oral) examinations which counts. Your 

 committee were especially pleased that their final decision, 

 reached after so much consideration, was most heartily 

 indorsed by the young men themselves. 



Your committee looked over the farm as Avell as they 

 could at the time of the annual commencement, but found 

 this by no means sufficient for their purpose. Therefore in 

 September we made another trip to Amherst, and devoted a 



