KESULT OF THE EXAMINATION IN HORTICULTURE, 1901. 2G7 



EESULT OF THE EXAMINATION IN 

 HORTICULTURE, 1901. 



The Annual Examination in the Principles and Practice of Horticulture 

 was held on April 24 ; 225 papers being sent in. 



Three hundred marks were allotted as a maximum, and all candidates 

 who obtained 200 marks and upwards were placed in the First Class. 

 The total number was 109, or 48*4 per cent. 



The highest number of marks, 290, w^as awarded to Miss Ella M. 

 Watkins, from the Horticultural College, Sw^anley, Kent. 



Those who secured 150 and less than 200 marks were placed in the 

 Second Class. The number was 85, or 37'7 per cent. 



Those who obtained 100 marks and upw^ards were ranked in the Third 

 Glass. The number was 25, or ll'l per cent. 



Six candidates, obtaining less than 100 marks, were not placed. 



Comparing these results with those of the last two years the entry has 

 slightly decreased, viz., from 236 in 1900, to 225 in 1901 ; both are, how- 

 ever, greatly in excess of the number of entries, viz. 165, in 1899. 



It will be noticed that the percentages have fallen in the First and 

 Third Classes, viz., from 60 to 48 in the former, and from 13 to 11 in the 

 latter ; but in the Second Class they have risen from 26 to nearly 38 ; that 

 is as compared with the results of 1900. 



The lowering of the percentages of the First Class may be attributed 

 to a slightly increased difficulty in some of the questions, more especially 

 in the " Principles." It was felt by the Examiners that the " Require- 

 ments " drawn up some years ago scarcely met the increased knowledge of 

 many students, especially when prepared at the various Horticultural 

 Colleges. A new Syllabus of Botanical Requirements will be issued for 

 1902. 



The decrease in the percentages of the Third Class is a good sign, as it 

 indicates a greater preparedness in the majority of the Examinees. 



It is very satisfactory to report that the steady improvement in the 

 answers to the questions in the "Practice " continues, although there is 

 still room for improvement in some directions. Some candidates had full 

 knowledge of the Elementary Principles, but failed altogether when they 

 came to the Practice. Candidates would do well to remember that a 

 gardener may rise high in his profession with little or no knowledge of the 

 composition of plants or trees, and may never have heard of Phloem or 

 Xylem ; but cannot possibly do so unless he knows — when and how to 

 repot choice plants ; the rotation of crops in the kitchen garden ; the best 

 kind of fruit trees to plant and the right time to plant them, and so on. 

 Some of the candidates could not name a succession of varieties of Pears, 

 and did not know the name of even one stewing Pear. Some of them 

 would sow Scarlet Runners in March in rows two feet apart. No gardener 

 will ever attain a high position in his profession unless he is careful to 

 obtain a full practical knowledge of the minor details of garden work ; as, 

 e.g., how to handle a spade or lay down a rake. A novice usually lays 



