230 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



GENERAL EXAMINATION, 

 Wednesday, April 2, 1913. 



Seniors : 18 years of age and over. 



Two hundred and twenty- two candidates entered for the Society's 

 Senior General Examination, held on April 2, 1913. Eight of these, 

 however, did not present themselves on the date appointed. 



The Examiners, the Rev. Prof. G. Henslow, M.A., V.M.H., and 

 Mr. James Hudson, V.M.H., report that of the Senior candidates 

 obtaining a place in the Pass List, only 8, or about 4 per cent., were 

 considered worthy of being placed in the first class ; 78, or 38 per 

 cent., in the second class ; and 116, or 49 per cent., in the third class. 

 Twelve candidates failed to secure sufficient marks to appear in the 

 Pass List at all. 



With regard to the answers, those of the candidates placed first 

 in the list were extremely good, securing marks very little short of 

 the maximum. 



The answers of many other candidates showed marked ability, both 

 in practical work and in reasoning powers. Too much reliance upon 

 text-books was shown by some. Books, be they ever so good, cannot 

 always supply material for a satisfactory reply. Better answers, as 

 a rule, were given in relation to fruit and vegetable cultivation than 

 in other subjects. Several replies, too, on orchid question (No. 15) 

 were excellent. 



A few points, almost invariably omitted or unknown, may be 

 mentioned. A specially important function of bulbs, corms, &c, is 

 not solely for storage of " food," but to retain water for times of 

 drought. 



The main use of heat in respiration is the liberation of energy for 

 all vital processes. The " injuriousness " of green glass is due to the 

 fact that it absorbs all the main coloured rays of light required, while 

 green itself is not absorbed to any extent by leaves, red and violet 

 being most important for transpiration, and yellow and blue for 

 assimilation. 



