088 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXAMINATION IN HORTICULTURE, 1905 



The Annual Examination in the Principles and Practice of Horticulture 

 was held on April 12, 1905, when 160 papers were sent in. 



Three hundred marks were allotted as a maximum, all candidates 

 who obtained 250 marks and upwards being placed in the First Class. 

 The total number of these was 20, or 12'5 per cent, of the whole. 



Those who secured 200 marks, and less than 250, were placed in the 

 Second Class. The number was 67, or nearly 42 per cent. 



Those who obtained 100 marks and upwards were placed in the Third 

 Class, the number being 71, or nearly 44*4 per cent. Three only were 

 not placed. 



There has been a continuous decrease in the number of candidates 

 since the Council adopted a more advanced syllabus, as there were 229 

 in 1902 ; 198 in 1903 ; 190 in 1904 ; and 160 in 1905. 



Comparing the percentages of the number in each class with those of 

 ] 904, they were : last year, First Class, about 18*3 ; Second Class, about 

 49*2 ; Third Class, about 32*4 ; so that the greatest reduction is in the 

 First Class, or about one-third. 



With regard to the Elementary Principles, the syllabus now requires 

 a higher standard of knowledge ; but many of the papers of the First 

 Class were quite equal to it, especially perhaps in matters which are 

 presumably learnt from b ;oks. Comparatively few of the 160 attempted 

 to give the morphological characters of the two natural orders required. 

 One infers that this elementary branch of Botany does not meet with 

 the encouragement it deserves. 



In Practical Horticulture the candidates confined their answers more 

 strictly to the letter of the questions than they have done on previous 

 occasions, and the knowledge imparted by the various lecturers through- 

 out the country has evidently not been in vain. Two of the questions 

 (Nos. 2 and 5) were almost entirely neglected. Only four candidates 

 answered question 8. Nine gave answers to No. 6. Thirty-six answered 

 question No. 3. Eighty-three answered No. 1. Eighty-six answered 

 No. 7. One hundred and thirty -five answered No. 4. One hundred and 

 thirty-nine answered No. 5. And one hundred and forty-one answered 

 No. 2. 



George Henslow, M.A., V.M.H., 1 



t-x T , rTT > Examiners. 



James Douglas, V.M.H., J 



First ClaSS. No. of Marks 



gained. 



1. Tate, A. I., Lady Warwick College, Studley Castle, Studley . 290 



2. Murrell, P., University College, Reading .... 280 



3. Yilliers-Stuart, G. E., A.R.H.S., Horticultural College, Swanley 275 



